{"id":1730,"date":"2025-10-28T08:21:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T08:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aitkids.com\/?p=1730"},"modified":"2026-05-19T23:23:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T23:23:28","slug":"therapist-corner-desiree-apodaca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aitkids.com\/es\/aprendamos\/foundations-first\/therapist-corner-desiree-apodaca\/","title":{"rendered":"Therapist Corner: Desiree Apodaca, Apprentice in Speech and Language"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My name is Desiree Apodaca and I have served as an Apprentice in Speech and Language (ASL) for Aprendamos Early Intervention since February 2024. As a third-year graduate student in the Communication Disorders Program at New Mexico State University, I am able to benefit from real-world, on the job training, all while supporting children with language delays in their early intervention journeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are many benefits children and families can expect when receiving early intervention speech-language therapy. During our time together, I have the opportunity to turn fun, play time into teachable moments for children and their caregivers. Our sessions can help create an environment that encourages children\u2019s language skills not only to grow but also allows them to build stronger bonds with their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While a child\u2019s development is our main focus, a key part of our work also involves supporting families emotionally, especially when things feel uncertain or when a child\u2019s progress doesn\u2019t look the same as their peers\u2019. Early intervention isn\u2019t just about speech therapy\u2014it\u2019s also about helping parents navigate the complex emotions that can come with a child\u2019s developmental delays. We\u2019re here to help break down the fear and stigma, and to provide guidance through the different stages of development. Our goal is to empower parents and caregivers with knowledge and tools so that they can confidently help their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I would also encourage families who are just beginning their therapy journey to never hesitate to ask questions. As therapists, we sometimes become so focused on our work that we forget to explain why we\u2019re doing what we\u2019re doing. To families, it might just look like we\u2019re playing, but that play is purposeful. Every activity is designed to support specific developmental skills, and we are always happy to share the \u201cwhy\u201d behind what we do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You are your child\u2019s strongest advocate. Our hope is that by the time your child graduates from our program\u2014even though it\u2019s hard to say goodbye\u2014you leave feeling equipped with the tools, support, and most importantly, the confidence to speak up for what your child deserves in this world.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My name is Desiree Apodaca and I have served as an Apprentice in Speech and Language (ASL) for Aprendamos Early Intervention since February 2024. As a third-year graduate student in the Communication Disorders Program at New Mexico State University, I am able to benefit from real-world, on the job training, all while supporting children with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1731,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wpai_meta_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-foundations-first"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aitkids.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aitkids.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aitkids.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aitkids.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aitkids.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/aitkids.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aitkids.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aitkids.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aitkids.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aitkids.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}