Dylan Kindle is a senior in the UConn Speech Language and Hearing Sciences undergraduate program. In search for observation hours to fulfill Dylan’s program requirements he stumbled upon the opportunity of a lifetime. 

Dylan participated in a travel abroad experience through a company called Therapy Abroad. After extensive research into the program and many conversations with those who are involved Dylan decided to embark on a two week trip to Thailand in which he would be working with and observing the pediatric population, specifically those using AAC (Augmentative Alternative Communication) devices. With one of Dylan’s interests being in ASL (American Sign Language) AAC seemed like the perfect opportunity to bridge the gap into the field of Speech Pathology. 

Dylan’s time in Thailand included experiences with Thailand’s traditional medicine, a Thai boxing class, a cooking class, a visit to an elephant sanctuary, zip lining and of course observation hours with the pediatric population. 

The most impactful part of Dylan’s trip included experiences helping a child with Autism discover the power of AAC and gain the confidence to use the device. Dylan states “that rewarding moment definitely would be my favorite part. It's knowing that you can help somebody. Even before I knew I was gonna go into Speech, or even ASL, I knew I wanted to help people. I just didn't know what major. And so that's definitely the best part for me, I think, because I saw that I helped somebody.”