Isaiah's Story

At 18 months, Isaiah Gamboa's parents noticed some issues with their son's development. He wasn't talking, didn't respond to his name and had no interest in interacting with others.

Not sure where to turn, Vanessa Gamboa, Isaiah's mom, mentioned her concerns to another mother, who recommended RUSH Kids. She was helped through the intake process, met with therapists and left feeling comfortable about the future.

The first step was speech and occupational therapies in 2019. At his first evaluation, Isaiah was diagnosed with apraxia of speech. This neurological condition causes struggles with coordinating the movements needed to properly make speech sounds.

"Communication was a daily challenge," Vanessa shared. "I didn't know if I would ever hear Isaiah talk."

In 2020, he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). He started Applied Behavior Analysis therapy, working on skills like potty-training, school readiness and socialization.

Isaiah has improved immensely since starting his various therapies.

In speech therapy, he's progressed from a picture exchange communication system to being able to say two-to-three word sentences to having back-and-forth conversations.

Through occupational therapy, Isaiah learned how to better regulate his body and emotions and strengthen his fine and gross motor skills. To build on that, he worked in physical therapy to strengthen his body and gain coordination. He was also a part of our Foundations for Learning, a specialized program that prepares children with ASD for school.

Now six, Isaiah is in kindergarten. He's talking and self-advocating. In addition to therapy services, he's joined afterschool programs and sports.

Not only has our North Aurora center provided Isaiah the care he's needed, but has helped his parents connect with others, creating a positive experience for his entire family.

"We didn't understand Isaiah's diagnosis," Vanessa shared, "but with the help of the team, they were able to help us navigate through the process."

Isaiah is now modeling peek-a-boo to the little patients; not long ago, he was the little patient.