Speaking of speaking, speech pathologist is the last word

Beaming, Ann Sidoti reaches for her wallet and energetically retrieves a handful of pictures.

"These are the children I work with," she says proudly, pointing out a young brown-haired boy seated on a wicker chair; two young blonde brothers, the oldest barely five, playing happily on a rocking horse; and two others reading a book with their family.

In real life, however, these children are sometimes as silent as their photographs. And that's where speech pathologists like Mrs. Sidoti come in.

Speaking of help

For four years, Mrs. Sidoti has been identifying, evaluating and treating speech problems in young children who have conditions ranging from neurological disorders such as autism and aphasia to those who just don't want to speak.

The Albany native once worked for the Center for the Disabled, where she developed augmentative communication systems for children with developmental delays or severe disabilities. The systems help children who cannot vocalize their thoughts or needs to adults and aides.

The methods can be as simple as "yes" and "no" buttons, or computer systems that allow the user to press a series of symbols with legs, fingers or arms to express a thought as complicated as "I want to go to the orchard" or "I am not hungry now."

More to come

Mrs. Sidoti, who calls herself an "overachiever" and laughingly relates how she often drives up to 70 miles a day visiting children at various schools and homes, says that she is constantly amazed by how "vast" the field of speech pathology can be.

She believes there are always new things to learn, new things to glean from established or specialized speech pathologists, new lessons to take in, and new seminars to attend on breakthroughs in her field.

She adds that a speech pathologist assists children from families who come from "every economic group, every race, every religion." Family setting

Receiving the news that a child has a speech or language delay or disorder can be emotionally charged for parents, who sometimes -- and needlessly, says Mrs. Sidoti -- feel embarrassed or become unsure as to what exactly is happening to their child.

She believes in building strong relationships with the families of the children she treats. She doesn't always leave work at work, preferring to be available to patients and their families outside of "office hours."

"I take a lot of this home with me," she explains. "I love what I do. I'm open to phone calls, to helping them out as much as I can. I want to go the extra step."

Good news

She says that going that "extra step" is often necessary to help overwhelmed parents process information about their child's condition, especially if that child has a developmental disability.

There are "a lot of roads to travel down" for parents, and Mrs. Sidoti believes it's important for her to "be there for the bad news."

And, hopefully, the good news as well: One of the most thrilling parts of her day is to hear a parent say, 'I never thought they would talk!' "That's amazing," she says.

Voice of faith

As a child, Mrs. Sidoti attended St. Catherine of Siena School and graduated from the Academy of the Holy Names, both in Albany. Growing up Catholic, she credits her family with teaching her the faith that she now passes on as a catechist at St. Matthew's parish in Voorheesville.

"I grew up watching my parents do volunteer work" and admiring her firefighter father, she notes. She calls her mother a "saint who is always helping others" and also cites the example of an aunt who is a Sister of Mercy.

Originally, Mrs. Sidoti hadn't planned to come back to Albany after earning her master's degree in New Orleans, but she changed her mind after her grandmother became seriously ill. She moved back in order to care for her.

"In my mind, I believe 100 percent that God gave me my job as a way to bear the pain of my grandmother's death," she says. "I love my faith. I am so grateful for everything that I have.

Finally, Mrs. Sidoti culls a personal motto from a line in the musical "Les Miserables": "'To love another person is to see the face of God.' And I always want to teach love to children -- in one way or another."

RUBRICS

How pathologists determine treatment

When evaluating a child to determine treatment for speech disorders, Ann Sidoti says, speech pathologists use a number of rubrics:

* voice -- Does the child's voice sound normal for his age?

* expressive language -- Is the child able to communicate her needs and desires?

* receptive language -- How well does the child comprehend what others are saying?

* pragmatic language -- Can the child use language in social situations?

* fluency -- Does the child stutter?

* swallowing/feeding -- Are they able to eat and drink?

"Our job is to help these people communicate in whatever way that means," she explained, "even if we have to start at the bottom." (KD)

(5/22/03) [[In-content Ad]]