Georgia speech therapist boosts young clients' confidence through free haircuts

A haircut can go a long way toward boosting confidence, but for people with sensory needs, the cut itself can be challenging.

A Dawsonville speech therapist is using fun, hands-on lessons to help children and young adults feel more comfortable.

What looks like a simple haircut lines up with many goals at Prosper Therapy Services in Dawsonville.

"I consider it like art, so it's an enjoyable experience to provide something for people that have difficulty with them," said Kevin Simmons. He's a certified speech-language pathologist who specializes in speech services — helping children and young adults who live with sensory needs.

One of the ways he helps is through free haircuts.

On the day CBS News Atlanta visited, Simmons had Liam in the chair. He has been cutting his hair for years.

"I'm showing him the tools so that way he's comfortable knowing what's approaching his head. We did the countdown technique, taking a lot of breaks. And now, as you see, he's very motivated by music. So we have music going on and his favorite cartoons," Simmons explained.

Simmons' work has taken him across Georgia and throughout the South. His specialty is making house calls.

"I love doing home haircuts because they're naturally in their home environment. They have someone, mom or dad, caregiver in their space," he said. "And so when we start with that natural component, it's already off on a good start."

The approach is different for each child.

"It may be doing a scissor haircut, meaning I just use scissors and a comb and water, and that may just be for one child," Simmons said. "On the other hand, it may just be clippers. They may be scared of scissors. So I'm always asking questions."

Simmons says some of the biggest wins come in baby steps.

"Even if I don't get the haircut done — there's been multiple times where we haven't gotten the haircut — but I tell families this is a win. They met someone new. They saw the clippers. I'm always counting wins," he said. "So sometimes it's just silence, sometimes there's happy tears, but at the end of the day, it just makes me happy because we're making artwork."

Once the hair is brushed away and the cape comes off, Simmons hopes his clients leave knowing this is about more than a haircut.

"There's loud sounds. There is the physical with hair touching you, but I want something to feel comfortable and safe to know that they can do it again and make it enjoyable," he said.

A 20-minute haircut building confidence that lasts much longer.

You can help sponsor a sensory-friendly haircut by donating toward supplies and travel expenses.