Caiden was diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech at 3 years old. He’s been receiving speech therapy since he was 2. His beloved SLP, Miss Mariah, has been his therapist for nearly 2 years. Caiden loves to tell Miss Mariah about what is going on in his life, so when our family bought tickets to see his favorite singer, Josiah Queen, in concert, he wanted to tell Miss Mariah all about it. We were shocked and excited to find out that Miss Mariah also had tickets to the same show.

For over a month prior to the concert, Caiden’s speech therapist and occupational therapist helped him prepare for the concert. In OT, they worked on what to expect, what the atmosphere of the concert might be like, and coping strategies in case the music felt too loud or if his body felt dysregulated. In speech therapy, they worked on Caiden’s favorite lyric from his favorite song, so that when it was played at the concert, he could sing loud and proud. We wanted to equip him with confidence that he could wait, participate, and confidently sing with his voice alongside his family and the other fans. Each session of speech and OT brought a little more preparation and excitement as he anticipated the concert.

On the day of the concert, Miss Mariah called me. She said she had been working on something all week and wanted to know if we could get to the concert an hour early to meet Josiah Queen! She had arranged for us to all meet Josiah Queen and share how hard Caiden had worked in therapy to prepare for this big night. I was shocked! I couldn’t believe she had gone through so much effort to let Caiden show off his hard work to his hero.

When we met Miss Mariah at the concert, he was so excited to see her there! His connection with his therapist is so sweet, he was joyful to see her and share a mutual interest outside of speech therapy. She told him the news of being able to meet his favorite singer and he truly couldn’t believe it! When Josiah Queen came to meet Caiden and Miss Mariah, Caiden RAN and jumped into his arms!

Josiah Queen was so warm and kind to his reaction, he let Caiden show off his hard work and was so honored to hear that Caiden had been preparing for his show with his speech therapy.

When Caiden was first diagnosed with apraxia, I wondered a lot about his future. I wondered if he would share interests with peers, would he be understood by strangers, would he be able to articulate spoken word – let alone sing? Watching him RUN confidently toward his favorite singer and show off his hard work gave me so much hope. To see how his therapist recognizes his hard work and went above and beyond for the work he does in speech to be recognized was an honor that I can’t even describe. We watched Caiden meet his hero, and instead of being shy or too fearful to speak, he confidently shared the lyrics he had worked SO hard to overcome. It was a memory I will never forget of my son meeting his hero, and having the confidence to embrace the moment (and his speech!) rather than fear it.

We are proud to share the video of their meet and greet – what joy it brought to everyone involved!

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