He knew what he wanted to say. But the words didn’t come so easily for the young Cade Culpepper—when and if they did.
Until about age three, the Laurel, Miss., native experienced a language delay that presented a communication challenge for him. Typically, by 12 months of age, children say their first word or words if no speech or language challenges are present.
Culpepper’s family enrolled him at The Children’s Center for Communication and Development at The University of Southern Mississippi in the early 2000s, where its dedicated team of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and developmental specialists employed proven, research-based, cross-disciplinary interventions that helped free his voice.
The center is equipped to address the multiple special needs and diagnoses of children enrolled in its programming at no cost to their families. These include challenges related to speech, hearing or language differences, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, rare genetic diagnoses and other conditions related to premature birth.
After graduating from the center, Culpepper thrived academically, finishing high school at Laurel Christian School in 2019, and moved on to study at Jones College as an honors student. He transferred to Southern Miss and its Honors College, choosing the place where his academic journey began. After earning a bachelor’s degree, he pursued a master’s degree in speech-language pathology at the university, graduating this past May.
“If someone asked me (as a child enrolled at the center) where I went to school, I would tell them I went to Southern Miss,” Culpepper fondly recalls. “Was I completely wrong there? At any rate, that eventually came true.”
Culpepper says those formative years at the center shaped the passion he’ll bring as a speech-language pathologist, which begins in the coming school year at the Laurel Magnet School of the Arts.
“I think there’s something very poetic about needing speech-language intervention growing up, having that therapy open doors to new possibilities, and then using those same possibilities to go back into the same field that helped me, that shaped me so much with some of the same people that helped me so early on in my life,” he said.
Culpepper is a firm believer in the right of every child to education, noting that “language is such a fundamental part of that.”
“Education wouldn’t be possible without the base of language in which learning occurs,” he said. “Verbal communication and nonverbal communication sit at the very core of learning, so the role of the speech-language pathologist is crucial to a child’s overall trajectory in the case of speech or language concerns.”
Culpepper intends to be as staunch an advocate for those with speech-language challenges as his family, friends, therapists and teachers were for him.
“Learning needs to be tailored to the needs of the individual student to maximize success,” he explained. “Whichever methods work best for the student are those that need to be implemented.”
“For example, I remember working with a student and discovering that hands-on play with a mouth model allowed the student to have a better idea of the motor movement needed for the sound. Over the next several sessions, the sound just came alive.”
“A supportive atmosphere and repeating the methods that work can go such a long way,” Culpepper continued. “Also, collaboration is an important part of the therapy experience. The Children’s Center hits the nail on the head with that, engaging various professionals to work with the children in the same room: SLPs, physical therapists, occupational therapists and assistants, among others. I wish it were feasible for other educational settings to get that same level of consistent collaboration.”
Children’s Center Director Sarah Rouse Myers said, “Cade brings such a passionate drive to his pursuit of helping children. He understands what it’s like to be unable to participate fully in life due to communication issues, and he is empathetic and incredibly bright. He brings a resiliency to his work that’s needed as an SLP, supporting families and children with additional needs.”
Ladell Kraft, a retired Children’s Center staff member, concurs with Myers. Kraft provided speech-language therapy and instructional services to preschoolers in a group therapy setting at the center during Culpepper’s time there, as well as clinical supervision of graduate students.
“It’s such a pleasure to bear witness to Cade’s graduation from Southern Miss and his entry into his chosen profession of speech pathology,” Kraft said. “He’ll bring unique experiences and insights into his practice.”
From that young boy learning to unlock his own voice to the man who hopes to help others find theirs, Culpepper credits Southern Miss for shaping who he is today.
“In a way, I experienced Southern Miss and graduated from it three times, including at the center,” he further reflected. “That, along with the journey itself, is a story I couldn’t have written on my own.”