By Dave DeFusco
In a bright therapy room filled with toys, Kasey Giordano waits with quiet determination. She doesn鈥檛 speak. She doesn鈥檛 prompt. She doesn鈥檛 rush to fill the silence. She waits鈥10 seconds, 12 seconds鈥攗ntil the young boy across from her, a child with autism and minimal verbal skills, meets her gaze, looks at the bubbles in her hand, then back at her again. He doesn鈥檛 say the word 鈥渕ore,鈥 not yet. But his body speaks for him. And for Giordano, a student in the M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology, that small exchange is nothing short of profound.
鈥淭hat wait time鈥攊t鈥檚 everything,鈥 she said. 鈥淲hen I slowed down, I created the space for him to communicate. That鈥檚 a win.鈥
For Giordano, who is currently completing a clinical rotation at Children鈥檚 Specialized Hospital, each of those 鈥渨ins鈥濃攁s tiny as they may seem to an outsider鈥攁re reminders of why she chose speech-language pathology in the first place. And why, of all the hospitals in the state, this one in particular means everything to her.
Long before she ever stepped into a therapy room, Giordano grew up watching her mother hustle through long shifts as a social worker at Children鈥檚 Specialized Hospital. Whether it was early mornings, late nights or weekends, her mom showed up鈥攁lways鈥攚ith energy, empathy and an unshakable commitment to helping families navigate some of the hardest moments of their lives.
鈥淪he busted her butt every day,鈥 said Giordano. 鈥淪he had this impact on people. You could feel it. And I remember thinking, 鈥業 want to be like her. I want to make a difference like she does.鈥欌
Her mother鈥檚 ability to switch seamlessly between the loving warmth of 鈥淢om鈥 at home and the composed, confident presence of a social worker at the hospital left an indelible mark. 鈥淪he鈥檚 such a great communicator鈥攕o bubbly and loving,鈥 said Giordano. 鈥淲atching her operate in both roles, I realized the power of communication, of presence. That was inspiring.鈥
It鈥檚 no surprise, then, that when it came time to choose a career path鈥攁nd later, a clinical rotation site鈥擥iordano had her sights set. 鈥淚 told myself