Supporting Our Stars

CORA's Speech Therapy Empowering the Arts

Every day, CORA therapists work with students to help them become the best that they can be. This year, one seventh grade student at Philadelphia Academy Charter School in Northeast Philadelphia (PACS) created a special bond with his speech therapist, Eric Smith. Each week, Eric focused primarily on helping Jeremy to improve a persistent difficulty producing the /r/-sound, one of the most challenging sounds in the English language.

Jeremy decided to audition for the school’s production of “The Sound of Music”. His boisterous personality landed him the major role of Max Detweiler. His performance required the constant use of the /r/-sound. Eric and Jeremy practiced together for several months perfecting the delivery of his lines.

When Jeremy took center stage this past month, he was delighted to see Eric and his family sitting in the audience cheering him on. Jeremy’s family was glowing with pride and thankful for Eric’s dedication to their son. Jeremey commented that his speech sessions were a positive experience. He told his family and Eric, “speech therapy was a big help because we went over the lines, and we worked a lot with it…It made me more confident on stage.”

It is exactly this kind of personal connection and experience which makes Eric Smith proud to be a speech therapist at CORA Services, with an emphasis on empowerment, relationship-building, and personal investment in the work we do with every child we serve.