Sometimes, the places where children & infants receive care can change the course of their lives. At the Claude I. At the Howard Speech & Hearing, enter ,children who once came for therapy sometimes return years later as professionals, inspired to help others find their voice.
For Matthew Potts, therapy as a child left a lasting impression. “I always remembered the front desk staff and how kind everyone was. By the time I started grad school, some of them were still there,” he said. Working with the cleft palate clinic and supportive clinicians taught him the importance of care, patience, and guidance—lessons he carries into his own work today.
Adrian Moreno shares a similar story. “When I went to the cleft palate clinic as a child, it was comforting to see other kids going through the same thing,” he recalls. “I could talk to other families and share experiences. It made a big difference for me and my parents.”
Moreno has since earned a bachelor’s in speech pathology and audiology and hopes to support local students in his community, giving them the same encouragement he once received.
More Than Therapy: Building Confidence
The center doesn’t simply address speech; it essentially helps children discover their voice, confidence, and independence. Potts recalls completing therapy when she was in fourth grade. “It was like graduation; I started presenting and cracking jokes. Speech therapy gave me courage.”
In addition to fostering growth and skills, these experiences serve to inform future clinicians. Many students who return to the center possess an understanding of what it is like to participate in therapy as a child. They learn empathy through experience; they know the feelings of nervousness, uncertainty, or self-consciousness that children inevitably experience. That becomes a touchstone in their careers.
Personal Experience into Professional Impact
UNR Med’s programs equip students with skills to work with individuals of all ages and needs. This includes children with cleft palates, neurodevelopmental differences, hearing challenges, and many more conditions. But the most significant takeaway isn’t a skill; it is the reminder to treat every child and person as a human first. All children with special needs deserve patience and understanding.
Both Potts and Moreno thanked those in their family unit and mentors who have shaped their perspectives, as well as their time as patients in their own childhood, for influencing the way they communicate with others today. Their stories are examples of how early struggles & support can become sources for inspiration and positivity.
Supporting the Journey in Las Vegas
If your child is facing speech or hearing challenges, or if you’re seeking guidance for yourself or a loved one, we are here at Nevada Autism to assist you. Every experience can become a stepping stone to helping children grow and find their voice.
