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Below are quotes from an article in the Granite Bay View; August 2005
Barcal is the only Sacramento area speech pathologist authorized to prescribe the SpeechEasy device.
One of the patients she has assisted with the SpeechEasy device is Matt Goodwin, 13, of Rocklin. Goodwin's mom LeeAnn Goodwin has noticed a huge change in her son's speech and confidence since being fitted with the SpeechEasy device.
"It allows him to have the confidence to do things he might have avoided before," says Goodwin, who mentions that her son even ran for Student Council last year.
Goodwin says she noticed her son's difficulty with speech as soon as he started talking, but that it got much worse when he had an evaluation at age 6 and became aware of the problem. Although she had brought Matt to a speech therapist and tried many different programs, it wasn't until she saw the device on "Oprah" and contacted Barcal that she seriously consider the device for her son.
Now she says he wears it all the time and his speech is 75 percent better. Although he still has speech therapy in addition to the device, his mom believes he may not always depend on either.
"There is a possibility that we have caught it early enough that he may not need it as an adult," Goodwin says.
Rayleen Nevis, of Rocklin, is equally hopeful about the progress of her son Brandin Nute, 5. Nute was diagnosed at age 2 with autistic tendencies that only affected his speech. After going from doctor to doctor and being turned away from the Mind Institute because her son's difficulties were not "severe enough," Nevis went to Barcal's office in Roseville.
"We met her and our whole lives changed," says Nevis, who says that Barcal was reassuring, comforting and sincere from the outset.
"These things happen. I think the biggest thing is to get some help and do it early before it turns into a behavior problem," says Barcal. "And to decrease the stress on the parent. I think as parents we feel awfully guilty and beat up on ourselves so much. No one is the perfect parent. Knowing when to ask for help should be encouraged and commended."
At the age of 3, Nute was unable to communicate using words. Frustrated by his lack of communication skills, his mom says he resorted to screaming. For about eight months, Barcal worked with Nute and trained Nevis how to reinforce sessions at home. She even recorded sessions so that Nute could repeat the lessons at home.
"She took him from complete non-verbal to complete communication," says Nevis. "I'll never be able to repay her for what she has done. She's the most kind, generous and gifted person I've ever met."
Two years later, Nevis still sees Barcal on a consulting basis but says her son is ready to tackle Kindergarten next year.
"She's my miracle worker," says Nevis.
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