Effective communication through speech and language plays a crucial role as we learn to find our footing within our families, communities, and society as a whole. The urge to communicate is something we are all born with and continue to build upon as we grow. However, there are a multitude of reasons why speech communication can be disrupted, especially during key developmental stages. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association at asha.org, nearly 1 in 12 U.S. children ages 3-17 has had a disorder related to voice, speech, language, or swallowing. Understandably, issues related to speech or feeding can create a stumbling block in a person’s ability to achieve fundamental milestones where the goal is to improve their quality of life.
Luckily, there are people who specialize in providing advanced treatment for those who are seeking care to address issues pertaining to their speech-language and feeding obstacles. Speech Language Pathologists are the experts in helping to improve the lives of millions by providing them with the care and the tools they need to experience effective communication, essentially changing the course of their lives altogether.
Mount Juliet is home to one of those experts, Kelcy Bonham M.S. CCC-SLP, CLC owner of Bloom Pediatric Therapy. Kelcy is a speech pathologist and lactation counselor who provides diligent care to each patient who enters her office. She states, “I love this community! ... Being able to work and serve in my community just means so much.” Kelcy gained her bachelor’s degree in communication disorders from Western Kentucky University before achieving her master’s degree in speech-language pathology from East Tennessee State University. Earlier this year, Kelcy had the opportunity to pursue her dream of owning her own private practice and became the owner of Bloom Pediatric Therapy in Mount Juliet. She saw this opportunity as a way to reach further into the community and help more people. “There is an area of need right here in the community I live in, so I was eager to get started to help young children in such a critical time in their life” Bonham explains.
Kelcy’s path to speech pathology started early on after having a friend in high school who experienced speech difficulties. Her curiosity only increased once she discovered the field of speech language pathology which led to her specializing in feeding and lactation. She quickly understood that helping people succeed in the area of communication and feeding disorders was her life’s calling. Kelcy and the experts at Bloom specialize in early intervention and make it their mission to offer precise and long-lasting care to their patients with services that include breastfeeding support, feeding therapy, and speech and language therapy.
Occupational Therapy has been an important addition to the many services that Bloom Pediatric Therapy offers the community, “Kiddos that need both occupational therapy and speech therapy a lot of times go hand in hand. So, being able to treat them as a whole here in the clinic will be great! … Collaborating within house with other disciplines, [I’m] very excited about that!” Bonham describes. Additionally, she explains that stepping outside of Bloom and collaborating with other professionals so that children can receive whole care is something she is passionate about. “We just want to continue serving the community and providing high-quality services but also while advocating for our children, our clients that we see, and connecting them with other professionals if needed.”
Kelcy stresses the importance of early intervention during those delicate developmental stages of life. “Early intervention is key. If a parent feels like something is off with their child’s feeding, speech, or motor development, [I encourage] them to go directly to their pediatrician or reach out to us or another therapy clinic to seek treatment earlier rather than later… this can help build strong foundational skills.”
As Bloom Pediatric Therapy continues to grow its services and reach deeper into our community, we can be certain that Kelcy and her team of experts stand ready to advocate for the smallest among us as they deserve to have the opportunity to expand their speech and language communicative, sensory, motor capabilities as well as receive crucial lactation and feeding support. “This is not just a job for us. We are very passionate about what we do.”
