Speech Therapy

The wallet-sized photo is tucked into a lower corner of Brian Propp's bedroom mirror, where it has sat for a decade and a half. Every day, Propp gets out of bed, looks in the mirror, and sees the picture there, the smiling face of former Flyers teammate Pelle Lindbergh, who died after driving his Porsche 930 Turbo into the wall of Somerdale (N.J.) Elementary School at a very high speed, 15 years ago today. "It was really devastating," said Propp, now a Flyers radio announcer.

The Hatboro zoning hearing board heard an appeal last week from a couple seeking to convert a portion of a residence into professional offices to conduct speech therapy. During a meeting Wednesday night, the board heard the request of David and Diane Morgan to allow professional offices in a house on 53 E. Moreland Ave. The Morgans live in Dresher, but want to purchase a second home in Hatboro for use as a part-time residence and office for Diane Morgan, who conducts speech therapy.

Annette Bruno Magargee, 65, of Devon, an expert in student psychological services who had a demanding career, raised three children, and lived with breast cancer for 26 years, died of the disease Sept. 22 at Bryn Mawr Hospital. She was born in South Philadelphia, and her family moved to Springfield, Delaware County, when she was a young child. After graduating in 1959 from Springfield High School, the former Annette Bruno graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's in education in 1963 from Goucher College, near Baltimore.

Next year, Montgomery County could lose $800,000 in state social services funding. And Jennie Friedman, a talkative, outgoing 4-year-old, could lose her chance at a special kindergarten for the mentally retarded. Jennie and her parents, Don and Julie Friedman of Bala Cynwyd, joined 200 others yesterday on the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown steps to protest Gov. Casey's proposed budget cuts in programs for the mentally retarded. Eighteen months ago, the Friedmans were planning to teach Jennie sign language, fearing she would never learn how to articulate her thoughts.

Camron is an endearing 2-year-old with a happy disposition. He greatly enjoys being the center of attention. He loves to snuggle and interact with others, particularly when they gently "rough play" with him. Diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome, Camron has limited vision, and though he is unable to talk, he does chatter, especially when he is excited. He is able to recognize voices and seems to distinguish smells. The most effective way of communicating with him is through touch.

An adorable 3-year-old with thick brown hair and big brown eyes, Jesus is often described as a "miracle baby" by the hospital staff caring for him. Medically fragile, he receives many types of physical therapy, along with occupational, recreational and speech therapy. He can be soothed by cradling, warm baths and a baby massage. Although Jesus is non-ambulatory and cannot speak, he has created bonds with his primary caregivers and communicates by cries and eye movements. Jesus needs a family that has experience with a child with extensive medical needs and that is willing to provide the lifelong care he requires.

Playing with toy trucks and board games and watching television are fun for Evander, but being outdoors is his first choice. He plays basketball, kickball, football and tennis, and he swims and rides a bike. Evander, 10, is a fun-loving, generous boy who shares well and likes to sing songs from movies. Though he has difficulty focusing on activities, he is improving his overall achievements. He receives speech therapy in school and is in special-education classes on about a third-grade level.

At the group foster home where Alnisa lives, the staff read stories to the children. Alnisa likes to sit on the floor and return the favor. Books from the Little Bear series are her favorites, and she reads well, in an excited voice. Alnisa, 9, dreams of going on adventures like Little Bear. And she pictures the family that she'll belong to when it happens. She'd like a mom and dad, brothers and sisters, a cat, and a grandmom. There is neglect in Alnisa's background, and she is being helped in dealing with issues of anger, rejection and abandonment, and to prepare her for adoption.

Raheem, 11, has expressed a desire to be a minister when he's older. And he's set his foot on the path already. He sings in the church choir and is a junior deacon. Almost every Saturday he helps serve meals to homeless people. After school, the church van often picks him up for Bible study and social activities. His other interests include playing soccer and football, riding a bike, watching music videos, and playing card games, checkers, Uno and Monopoly. There is abuse and neglect in his background.

"I've never heard a negative word about him," Wardell's social worker says when asked about this charming 10-year-old. "He is always smiling . . . always in high spirits. " Known as "Mr. Mayor" at his school because of his gregarious personality, Wardell works hard to overcome developmental challenges. He wasn't exposed to education until three years ago, so he has some catching up to do. He receives speech therapy and special services, and is making tremendous progress. At home, Wardell enjoys playing basketball with his foster brothers.

During a rehearsal Monday night in the sanctuary of a Cherry Hill church, Lucy Reed spoke each of her lines smoothly. "Jo, you were different," she said, a small audience listening from the pews of the Unitarian Universalist Church. "In high school, you were a regular hell-raiser, and still everybody liked you. All those boys chasing after you. " When her speech isn't scripted, however, Reed isn't so fluent. She stutters. So do Katherine Filer and Sue Camlin, who will join her onstage at the Adrienne Theater in Philadelphia on Sunday and Monday nights in performing a one-act play put on by a nonprofit theater company that aims to give acting opportunities to people who stutter.

Harold is a happy, playful, and affectionate 5-year-old who will greet you with a smile. He loves cartoons and is great at entertaining himself. Full of energy, he has difficulty sitting and focusing on a specific activity. Harold's communication skills are emerging and he is learning to express his wants and needs more effectively. He does best when an activity is presented in a fun way and in a small group setting. Harold benefits from the occupational, physical, and speech therapy he receives at school.

The newest member of the therapy team at Jefferson's Magee Rehabilitation Hospital has perfect windswept blond hair, loves long walks through Rittenhouse Square, and is a proud member of . . . the squirrel patrol? Introducing Ford - an eight-year-old golden retriever. His job? Offering friendly, nonjudgmental companionship, he subtly encourages patients to keep doing what they need to do to recover. "Ford is by far the most popular staff member in this hospital," chief medical officer Guy W. Fried said with a laugh.

For a man who started out blowing the trombone for Woody Herman, Jerry Dorn's professional career took some unusual turns. From music, he dropped in on the haberdashery business, then found his true calling: teaching kids and adults how to speak well.   To get Philadelphians to say, "How now brown cow," without that nasalized Philly twang, was a challenge, but Jerry met it. He once told an interviewer, "Vowels are the music of speech. My goal is to teach my students to become better listeners so that they can hear themselves as others hear them.

Donte Johnson is 20 years old, but the way he thinks, communicates, and copes with problems is more in line with the mind of child, according to a forensic neuropsychologist who testified in Johnson's murder trial Monday. Johnson, accused in the June 2010 rape and slaying of Sabina Rose O'Donnell, has an IQ in the 70s, which places him on the borderline of what is considered "mentally retarded," said Gerald Cooke, who administered a series of tests to Johnson this year. "He's basically in that 11- to 12-year-old range in terms of his intellectual functioning," Cooke said.

DON McMULLIN doesn't remember the shot, the bullet piercing near his right eye, scorching through his brain, then rattling to a stop at the back of his skull. But he can't forget the months of struggle that came after. Physical therapy. Occupational therapy. Speech therapy. Recreational therapy. Long hours of repetitive acts and actions as he learned that life as he knew it was no more. "There was a period when I first thought I was walking and they were actually dragging me," McMullin said.

An adorable 3-year-old with thick brown hair and big brown eyes, Jesus is often described as a "miracle baby" by the hospital staff caring for him. Medically fragile, he receives many types of physical therapy, along with occupational, recreational and speech therapy. He can be soothed by cradling, warm baths and a baby massage. Although Jesus is non-ambulatory and cannot speak, he has created bonds with his primary caregivers and communicates by cries and eye movements. Jesus needs a family that has experience with a child with extensive medical needs and that is willing to provide the lifelong care he requires.

Camron is an endearing 2-year-old with a happy disposition. He greatly enjoys being the center of attention. He loves to snuggle and interact with others, particularly when they gently "rough play" with him. Diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome, Camron has limited vision, and though he is unable to talk, he does chatter, especially when he is excited. He is able to recognize voices and seems to distinguish smells. The most effective way of communicating with him is through touch.

Annette Bruno Magargee, 65, of Devon, an expert in student psychological services who had a demanding career, raised three children, and lived with breast cancer for 26 years, died of the disease Sept. 22 at Bryn Mawr Hospital. She was born in South Philadelphia, and her family moved to Springfield, Delaware County, when she was a young child. After graduating in 1959 from Springfield High School, the former Annette Bruno graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's in education in 1963 from Goucher College, near Baltimore.