[Source: Fox 43.com, Pennsylvania] Craig Layne Staff reporter
July 19, 2009

EAST DRUMORE TOWNSHIP, LANCASTER COUNTY, When you meet three-year-old Carly Eshleman, you would never guess she struggled to speak while other kids her age were babbling away. Experts told Carly's mom her daughter had apraxia. The condition meant Carly's brain knew what it wanted to say, her mouth just couldn't form the words.

"When you're worried that your child is not going to speak, and then a word comes out, it doesn't matter what it is," Carly's mom, Katie Eshleman, says. Carly's first word was "pop!" And Carly didn't just say it, she sang it. Katie used the word in a song she made up for Carly's bath time. With a little coaxing, Carly said another word, "bubbles."

"I called grandma, I called the speech therapist," says Katie, remembering how excited she was to hear her daughter's voice for the first time. "We put the phone up so they could hear Carly say, 'bubbles, bubbles.' I thought, we're really on to something."

A trained music therapist, Katie kept making up songs. She wrote music to go with every part of the day, and she sang it with her three daughters.

"If we sing in the bathtub, then we're going to sing at the dinner table," Katie says. Now, Katie's songs are available on CD. She hopes to help other families who have kids struggling with speech development. You can find a link to Katie's Website below.


Watch the Video of this great story!

Read another great article about Katie and Carly in Therapy Times

Visit Katie's Webiste, Sing Out!