10291 Meridian KidViews SP13.indd

A Young Boy Finds His Voice
with Specialized Care
When Luke — now 4 —
was only 20 months old,
his mother, Dacia Connolly, could tell
he was having difficulty speaking. “Luke
could understand what we were saying,
but he developed an intricate gesturing
system and was only making one sound,”
Dacia says. She made an appointment
for Luke at the Child Evaluation Center
at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at
Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
There, Anne Roth, D.O., a
developmental pediatrician, evaluated
Luke and diagnosed him with verbal
apraxia. “With verbal apraxia, a patient
comprehends language but has difficulty
speaking and getting words out,” Dr. Roth
says. Together with Child Evaluation
Center speech therapists, Kendy Ker and
Jennifer Ackerman, Dr. Roth designed a
treatment plan to help Luke develop the
skills he needed to speak.
Comprehensive Care for Kids
Verbal apraxia is just
one of many
conditions
specialists
diagnose and treat at the Child
Evaluation Center. “We also address
developmental delays, ADHD, autism
spectrum disorders, learning disabilities,
and more,” Dr. Roth says.
The Child Evaluation Center takes a
multi-disciplinary approach to treating
patients and refers families to specialists
both within and outside of the department.
“Care is entirely customized to patients’ and
families’ needs,” Dr. Roth says.
For instance, patients may work with
occupational therapists, speech and language
therapists, physical therapists, social workers,
psychologists, developmental pediatricians,
and others. “Working with specialists
throughout Meridian allows us to provide a
full spectrum of care for patients,” Dr. Roth
says. “We’re able to communicate with one
another about the child’s needs and progress
and determine how we can best serve them
along the way.”
The Child Evaluation Center works with
kids of all ages and follows them through
childhood and often into adulthood.
Luke Connolly, 4, works with his speech and
language pathologist, Jennifer Ackerman.
The two have a very close bond, and
Jennifer knows exactly what Luke loves
to talk about.
6 Meridian KidViews • Spring 2013 • KHovnanianChildrensHospital.com
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Anne Roth, D.O.
Board certified in Pediatrics
Neptune | 732-776-4178
‘A Life-Changer’
Thanks to the care Luke received, which
included working with therapists at
Meridian Rehabilitation three times per
week for more than a year, he’s now able
to communicate.
“They’ve taken him from one sound
to speaking in complex sentences,”
Dacia says. Today, Luke visits the Center
once a week to sharpen his articulation
skills. “Before, Luke’s older brother
would talk for him, filling in the
blanks,” Dacia says. “Now, to see
Luke independent and able to
communicate has been a lifechanger for our family.”