“This past year, I have worked with a child who has Apraxia, a condition in which his brain knows what he wants to say but the message gets lost on the way to his mouth,” said Kristin McCleerey, Speech Language Pathologist. “When I started working with him, he was unable to articulate words. He’s made so much progress.”
Rainbows provides services to not only children, but also works with the family. Kristin worked with the parents and provided materials to help them help their son. She said, “They took the materials and ran with them. That’s so important.”
“It took a team of teachers, myself, and most importantly his parents, and now that child is using words. It’s super exciting to watch him gaining confidence and realize I was a part of his success,” Kristin said.
Kristin is part of the Rainbows’ Community Based Education and Training Services (CBETS) team. The CBETS team works with children ages 3-5 years old in community childcare centers, home daycares and preschools. Kristin usually sees 5-8 children a day, visiting 1-4 sites each day. “I love my supervisor and co-workers, and that I am able to travel around the city to various locations to regularly visit children with speech and language needs,” she said.
“Kristin is always researching new ideas, consulting with colleagues, and collaborating with other professionals that are working with her students,” said Michelle Croomes, Early Care and Education + CBETS Coordinator. “She truly cares about the students she serves.”
Kristin graduated from Wichita State University with a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology. She will celebrate her five year anniversary with Rainbows in Fall 2019. “Enjoying the moment with a child when she is finally able to make the sound she’s been working on for a long time is one of my favorite parts of my job,” said Kristin. “Seeing the children grow in their skills and hearing their speech and language improve is an awesome thing!”
