For 6-year-old Huk Hansen, communication has never been easy. Diagnosed with a severe form of autism at age 4, he struggled to share the thoughts and feelings his parents knew he was having. Huk worked with aides at Cochrane-Fountain City Elementary School through a specialized education plan, but then his parents added extra services at Emplify Health by Gundersen Wabasha Hospital, and he got a boost in his learning that’s taken him to new heights.
Therapy departments team up
Once it was determined that Huk had autism – a diagnosis the family struggled to achieve – he received an Augmentative and Alternative Communication device to help him better communicate at school. Soon after, the family got a device that he could use anywhere, not just at school.
“Once he got the device, he started to really open up and be able to tell us his feelings,” said Huk’s mother, Natasha. “To him, it was all completely new.”
Huk and his mom also learned sign language together before getting the device, and now they use both means of communication. But the family decided that Huk needed more help, so they decided to seek treatment at Emplify Health.
He had already been seeing occupational therapist Ali Roemhild to work on his regulation needs, but because he was non-verbal, the communication piece was necessary, but difficult, so just a couple months after starting OT, Huk’s treatment expanded to include speech pathologist Sarah Graboski.
Together, the two departments integrated communication into the regulation work so Huk could better participate in his daily activities. And rather than seeing the two providers separate, they were both in his twice-a-week sessions. That combination allowed Huk to flourish.
Graboski said it was nice when she was added to the treatment plan because Huk communicates mostly through his device, which allows her to work with him on functional communication and initiation.
“We’ve been working with Huk a lot on trying to initiate using his device or using his speech, and it’s been really helpful for me having Ali there because she can help keep his attention and keep him regulated,” she said. “But I also like it from communications standpoint because it’s so great when kiddos can come in, use their devices and communicate with me during a session.”
It also allows Huk to practice communicating with someone other than Graboski during his sessions – or during other activities where he’s trying to communicate.
For Roemhild’s part, she believes Graboski’s presence helps enhance what she’s doing, too.
“It’s just so helpful to work together because if we don’t have each other in the sessions, then I feel we don’t get that child to open as much,” she said. “We can each be doing our thing, but yet helping this child apply both at the same time. Then it opens them up more to grow.”
Graboski says Huk is a brilliant child. He picks up on things very quickly and models what he sees almost instantly.
“When he first started, he needed a lot of cueing to use his device or do this, and we would maybe get one word out at a time either through speech or his device,” she said. “Now, I just have to set his device in front of him and he’ll give me four-word sentences.”
Progress has been ‘phenomenal’
Since beginning treatment at Emplify Health by Gundersen Wabasha Hospital, Huk’s improved in a lot of day-to-day tasks like getting dressed – learning which body parts go in what holes and the proper order in which to do it.
“That’s been phenomenal. He’s starting to understand what body parts are what and what clothing goes on what body part,” Natasha said.
And Huk’s been able to learn those new skills just 30 minutes from where he lives. That proximity has been invaluable, and the care he’s received has been “a blessing.”
“We’re really grateful to have the extra opportunity to take him to those therapies,” Natasha said, “(and) we’ve been totally blessed to be able to have the caregivers that we’ve had. We’ve seen such great progress in Huk since those extra sessions.”
To learn more about speech and occupational therapy in Wabasha, call (651) 565-5558.