Written by Shayna L., a mother sharing her son Ky’onte’s therapy journey and the life-changing impact of Unified Therapy Services.
I would like to begin by giving Unified Therapy the highest praise for their continuous dedication to every family they serve—especially my own.
My son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and sensory processing disorder at around three years old. As a parent of two older children who met every milestone early on, this diagnosis was shattering. Although it was something I had already suspected, hearing it out loud was still incredibly scary. I immediately began scrambling for ways to help my sweet boy.
After test after test with his pediatrician to understand why he was delayed, not talking, and not meeting milestones, we finally had answers. His pediatrician, Dr. Susan Kunjumann, was an absolute godsend. She guided us down the proper therapy path, helped us get him established with Keystone for an IEP, and supported his enrollment in preschool at age three. He began attending full days and receiving speech therapy within the school setting. The next step Dr. Kunjumann recommended was weekly visits to Unified Therapy for both speech and occupational therapy.
At first, I was skeptical. Even with weekly 40-minute speech therapy appointments, I didn’t see immediate progress during the first couple of months. Kersten was his speech therapist during those early stages, when my son didn’t yet have words like “mom,” “dad,” “hi,” or “bye.” He relied on simple sign language to communicate basic needs like “please,” “thank you,” “more,” and “all done.”
Still, I continued bringing him because I had faith in the team working with him—and I’m so glad I did. Over time, I could see that it was helping. One of the things I appreciated most was how Unified Therapy included me in the process, giving me tools and strategies to continue working with my son at home.
We have now been with Unified Therapy for nearly two years, and my son is currently in first grade, putting almost full sentences together. He spends the majority of his day in his general education classroom because he has the tools to self-regulate and can clearly articulate his needs to his teachers and explain how they can help him.
I truly and wholeheartedly believe Unified Therapy is the reason my son has come so far. I dreamed of the day my child would be able to use his words to tell me what he’s thinking or what he wants. In the beginning, I honestly worried I might never hear his voice—and now I do.
So thank you to the entire Unified Therapy team, and especially Kersten, Emily, Kara, Rachel, Lisa, and Gina for your dedication to my sweet boy.
A special thank you as well to Terri at the front desk, who deserves recognition all her own. Her bright personality lights up every week. Ky’onte always looks forward to seeing his favorite “office lady” because he knows it’s time for a dance party to get some energy out.
You are all amazing.
— Shayna L., Ky’onte’s Mom