Success Stories

“I have been taking my son to Jackie at Speech Matters for over a year. My son was going into 6th grade when we started with Jackie. Before we started seeing Jackie my son stuttered/stammered when trying to start a sentence. He would not talk to other kids very much or raise his hand in school. He would panic if a teacher called on him to answer a question. Jackie has made a big difference in his speech fluency and has greatly affected his confidence in middle school…She has given our son many tips and skills that have really improved his speech and as a result has improved his middle school experience…My son is more confident and participates in school more often since we have been going to Speech Matters.”

“Jackie is one of the most child-centered, conscientious, caring therapists with whom it has been my pleasure to work. She will always go the extra mile when the welfare of a child is concerned. Jackie will work long hours and displays the love and patience not only with the children, but their parents and teachers as well. She is soft spoken and well respected by all who come in contact with her. I believe Jackie’s key strength is her love for the children. She is very knowledgeable in her field and has demonstrated that again and again.

The children she works with love her and the work she does with them helps them immensely. Jackie would fit any role she set her mind to filling. She works well with children from mild speech difficulties to the profound and all the ramifications that go along with that disability.I would work with Jacqueline Paterson as long as it is possible to do so. She is so loving, caring, and I am confident of her abilities.”

“I first started going to see her in early 2012, over time I learned how to correct my stuttering and articulation. She taught me techniques that I can do on my own to help myself when I am in a situation where my speech becomes an issue. There is nothing that she will not do for you; she is very accommodating and willing to help you in any way possible. She is often booked because she is so good and popular in the Annapolis area. If I had to give her a rating on a scale of one to ten of how much she helped me, it would be a twelve!”

“My name is Penny Wallace. My son, Noah, has the diagnosis of autism combined with ADHD…Ms. Paterson has always been supportive and very outspoken when it comes to what she thinks is best for Noah’s overall academics. Her outlook and expertise on autism has assisted the whole team in making decisions based on his specific needs.

…My overall goal is to do everything possible to assist my son in obtaining a high school diploma, despite his disability. I have shared this goal with Ms. Paterson and with her leadership role at Noah’s IEP meeting, I am very excited and encouraged that the tools we use during these early years of his educational experience, will assist Noah in obtaining many of his future goals.”

“I am the mother of a 10-year-old, privately schooled, boy who is in his fourth year attending speech therapy sessions. M__ flourished under Ms. Paterson. She is a kind and gentle educator. She made him feel proud of who he was as a person, not embarrassed because he had problems with his speech. She motivated him. She cared about him. He has not been just another number to her…He has more confidence than ever in school and in his speech. She is truly a gifted teacher. I had to write and tell you all this because M__, I am sure, will be graduating from his program this year. But, of course, many others will not. Those are the children who will still need Ms. Paterson … The children of Maryland need her!”

“I would highly recommend Jackie for anyone looking for speech therapy services. My daughter truly enjoyed working with Jackie. Jackie was extremely creative and engaging in finding ways to keep my daughter’s interest in the speech exercises by incorporating games and hands on activities. Jackie also developed a great relationship with my child.”

“My daughter is making great progress! Each week we were given some exercises to practice at home. Ms. Paterson even helped my daughter practice a poem that she read at the school’s talent show. We were tickled Ms. Paterson attended the show! My daughter rarely complains about doing her exercises at home. I appreciate getting specific and detailed instructions on how to help my daughter pronounce her sounds correctly. As a teacher, I have referred several families to Speech Matters.”

“Ms. Paterson is a gifted practitioner.

She is not only extremely well versed in her areas of expertise, she is personable and is able to work effectively with a wide variety of people and personalities. My son who is motivated but can be challenging to work with thought the world of Ms. Paterson. She explained everything that they were doing in a manner that made sense to him and was realistic about the pace of progress he could expect. The programs she chose for him were right on target and she adjusted things to have the maximum impact on what he needed help with.”

“When my son first started with Speech Matters, I knew we had hit a home run! We couldn’t have asked for a more friendly, warm, and inviting environment. Right away my son was at ease. Jackie Paterson wasted no time getting to the bottom of where he had deficits and needed supplementation…We started with speech therapy and an amazing program called Fast ForWord. The results were astounding. Not only did he look forward to doing the program, he grew leaps and bounds. My son really enjoyed meeting with Jackie Patterson and working with her. She made it fun!”

“Jackie is a blessing to my family…My son’s kindergarten teacher recorded him at the beginning of the school year and his voice was muffled, and initial letters in words were not enunciated. His teacher recorded him again at the conclusion of the year and his words were clear and crisp. My son no longer needs speech therapy. I am so thankful to Jackie. She played a profound role in giving my son’s gift of speech. My son is a third grader now and he is confident and very vocal. He enjoys public speaking and held three leading roles in school plays. I am still amazed at his journey. Jackie will always been an attribute in our lives.”

“Ms. Paterson is dependable, caring, dedicated and conscientious. She is an excellent diagnostician. Ms. Paterson collaborates well with the physical therapist, occupational therapist, school-based speech/language pathologist, classroom staff and parents and personally trains the school staff. She encourages input from all the school staff and parents involved…She shows the team members mutual respect, which makes for effective collaboration.”

“We’re so fortunate to have found Jackie! First and foremost, my son absolutely loved working with her. My son Todd had worked with several speech therapists and had not improved. We immediately began seeing an improvement in Todd’s speech. He was actually sad when, after only eight months, he no longer needed her guidance. I would highly recommend Jackie to anyone who is looking for a patient, caring, compassionate and truly gifted speech pathologist.”

“Jackie diagnosed my son with Childhood Apraxia of Speech, at age 4, which is a motor speech disorder (not a developmental delay), where he knows what he wants to say, but his brain has difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words…Jackie plays games and engages the kids on a level where they will learn and not get overly frustrated. When we started my son didn’t want to go because it was hard and he wasn’t familiar with Jackie. She took my suggestions on how to reach him and he now wants to go because he has a good time while learning to speak. Thank you so much Jackie, you are truly a blessing.”

“Jackie’s work is thorough and her knowledge of swallowing function and mechanism is superior. She is a dedicated worker and is compassionate to her patients. On the personal side, Jackie is a cheerful person, always willing to help and gets along well with her coworkers. I would recommend Jackie highly and she will be an asset to any Speech Therapy Department.”

“Ms. Paterson is a highly competent speech-language pathologist…Ms. Paterson is a highly effective communicator who is able to speak to others in a style that indicates her acceptance of the other person and is conciliatory. Ms. Paterson has excellent leadership qualities. Ms. Paterson is extremely comfortable in leading the rehab team in the area of speech-language evaluation and treatment. Ms. Paterson is extremely respectful of others. She has high regard for patients, families, caregivers and other health care providers. Ms. Paterson is definitely a team player.”