ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The microphone turns on and the words begin flowing from Preston Ayotte and his father Michael's podcast PM Sport Talk.
“It's a great bond between me and my dad. It's a great way for us to talk to each other more easily and more,” says Preston.
The two work so effortlessly at analyzing and comparing play-by-play and player statistics that it's hard to imagine that Preston was once a child who struggled to speak. Even his mother, Jen Ayotte, says she was shocked when she first heard her son's voice during recording.
“I was shocked,” Jen says, recalling the first time she heard the podcast. “I thought, 'Is that my child?' It's just shining from ear to ear.”
Preston is on the autism spectrum and has worked hard to overcome his speech delay. Initially, the easiest way to communicate with his son was through sign language, but Jen and Michael say they couldn't help but worry about his health.
“Of course, watching him go through difficult stages of learning things that are easy for other kids was tough as a parent to watch him struggle,” Michael said. say.
“I remember the first thing he said was 'no' and I was so excited. Even though he was saying 'no,' I was so happy because he was talking.” ” Jen added.
She said that after Preston finally started speaking around the age of 3, she quickly realized that although he had a hard time expressing his thoughts, he did have a brilliant mind.
“We read books to him every night, and one night, about a year after he started talking, he took the book away from me and read the whole story. I was like, Wow. -I thought that was a little strange for his age. Then I realized he wasn't saying a word. He had memorized the entire book, and it wasn't just one book. I memorized books and books by heart,'' Jen recalled to News 8's Michaela Singleton.
Preston's amazing memory came in very handy after his father introduced him to the sport. That's when they both said something clicked.
“I think sports are very exciting,” Preston says. “You have to go through a lot in the game and like I said, it allows me to connect with my dad.”
“He doesn't just talk about what the players do on the field, he knows who the players are and what they do off the field. You really learn everything,” Michael says.
Preston said she has seen many speech-language therapists over the years, but they have felt like classes and studies, and not always enjoyable. There, Jen learned about Chad Cassano and his voice studio, which she said has been doing a great job supporting people in the special needs community in recent years.
“When I started my business, I didn't realize it at the time, but the work of a voice actor has great meaning for people who are socially challenged or have difficulty speaking. But when you give them their own space with a booth and a microphone, they open up amazingly! ” Cassano says.
“We started with one person, then we went from five to 10 people, and now Cassano Studio serves over 100 people, about 95 of whom have some kind of disability.” The best thing that has happened to me is that I have made a difference in people's lives, met new friends and in the end we are all so happy doing what we love. ” he says.
So Preston began speech therapy at Cassano Studio, where he began studying voice acting, as his dream was to one day become a sports announcer.
“When he watches the games, he turns down the sound and broadcasts it. He does the commentary,” Michael says.
“Even when I'm playing a video game or a sports video game, that's what I'm doing there. When the game is live, I pretend like that too,” Preston added.
“This really made me enjoy speech therapy,” he says, too.
“We took Preston to a few sessions, and just once my wife couldn't take him, so I took him. Chad and I were talking about sports and he said, I think we realized that these two guys were really knowledgeable,” Michael recalls when asked how the PM Sport Talk podcast started.
“[Chad]Come join us in our booth and talk sports with Preston! I'm usually a pretty shy person, so I thought, well, I don't know, but maybe I can do it. “I never expected it to develop into what we're doing now,” he says.
And from there it was off to the races. His YouTube subscriber count on the PM Sport Talk page currently exceeds 3,000 and continues to grow daily. Preston said she is proud of her progress and so are those around her.
“I've noticed a change in my voice, which is very exciting,” says Preston.
“The same shock I felt at his first words is exactly what I felt when I heard my son speak on a podcast. A kid with a speech delay who overcame it to become an announcer. You can just imagine what a great talent he is. It's really amazing to see him get this far,” says Jen.
“If you listen to him talk now, you'd never know he had a speaking problem. It's just amazing to think that maybe I could be a part of his journey in some small way.” It’s a feeling,” Michael says. “It’s been a great journey hearing his voice, and I hope it only gets better from here.”
Preston also added that he is very grateful for all the love and support he has received, especially from his parents.
“I'm really grateful to my parents because they worked so hard to get me to speak. That alone fills me with gratitude,” he concluded.
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