KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. Share your story idea with Isabella.
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Finding your voice can be tough at any age, but it's especially so for kids still developing the skills to communicate effectively with others.
One of Kansas City's youngest residents is using play to find her words at Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City's The Children's SPOT.
Hildi Platter doesn't love veggies, but loves playing.
"I don't like mushrooms," Hildi said as she created a play sandwich for her doll. "Let's make a ham and cheese [sandwich]."
Hildi also loves the character Rumi from KPop Demon Hunters, a movie all about finding the courage to use your voice. She even dressed up as one of the pop stars for Halloween.
"What made you want to be Rumi for Halloween?" KSHB 41's Isabella Ledonne asked.
"I like everything about her," Hildi responded.
Her mom, Janette Platter, explained that the film has been a family favorite over the last few months.
"It is interesting, the themes of the movie about anxiety and trying to be yourself, the vulnerability that they have to bring," Platter said. "I've wondered about how much she's picking up on that, like on purpose."
Hildi was diagnosed with selective mutism a year and a half ago, a rare condition impacting a child's ability to speak or communicate in certain situations.
"They're literally afraid of the anxiety they have toward speaking," speech language pathologist Kirsten Schalekamp said. "There are kids that don't speak to their families and there are kids that don't speak in a lot of circumstances."
Platter described the toll of seeing her daughter struggle to express herself to adults beyond her family.
"I mostly just wanted her to feel safe, I wanted her to feel comfortable enough to talk," Platter said. "Seeing that desire in her, that she really wanted to be expressive and to be known, was hard to see her feeling like she was trapped by this inability to speak, even though she wanted to."
But after a few months of play therapy at The Children's SPOT, Hildi has overcome that fear.
"It was really breaking that serious barrier and making it really fun, and from that day on, she spoke to me," Schalekamp said. "Just kind of giving her the tools that she can then use to communicate, whether it's the basic needs to express at school or going beyond that and expanding."
Platter explained that it has made a huge difference not only in Hildi's life, but also for other members of their family and community.
"[Her] special teachers tell me about how [she] doesn't only speak up when she needs something, but will often raise her hand to speak up for a friend in class who needs something," Platter said.
Hildi has even found her voice in other languages, showing off her Spanish skills to her mother, Janette, and reporter Isabella Ledonne.
"We would just celebrate all together, as Hildi kept learning to feel brave," Platter said. "I think that's anything that we could hope for as parents, that she feels safe and that we get to see other people take in her joyful, vibrant presence in the world."
Hildi is thriving in kindergarten with new tools to find her voice, just as Rumi did in Hildi's favorite movie.
"I look back at how I felt this time last year, the concerns that I had and the fears that I had about how she would feel going into kindergarten," Platter said. "To see that all of those fears are unfounded, that she feels safe, feels really, really good."
The Children's SPOT has helped thousands of children overcome speech barriers since its opening 45 years ago.
"I know there is a huge need in our community," Schalekamp said. "[The Children's SPOT] has benefited so many families and affects the community as a whole."
Parents and families can learn more about rehabilitative speech services here.
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