We Love Someone with Childhood Apraxia Of Speech

Join our team's awareness effort: Saturday, October 5, 2024

Location: SouthSide Works Town Square (412 27th Street, 15203)

Not sure if you can make it?  That's ok!  Register on our team and help us raise awarenees.

In November 2016, our family finally had a word to use when speaking about my son’s speech delay… apraxia. He was 4.5 years old and had already been receiving speech therapy for almost three years. He had made some progress, but we, my spouse and I, knew we needed to take a deeper dive into the situation. Why did we wait so long to investigate further? The answer is simple, we already were taking him to speech therapy, working on speech at home, and he made some progress, so we thought our son was on the right path. What triggered the further investigation? His frustration level was so high that when he was trying to tell me something, he broke down and simply said, “I can’t know.” And so, our journey began.

After his diagnosis, I was looking for answers. We never heard of “apraxia” before. Thinking a few months of speech therapy would cure the problem, we kept feeling his diagnosis over and over each time we spoke to his SLP. It took a while for us to understand this was a long journey, and I don’t believe we had a true visual until I kept researching and found Apraxia Kids (CASANA) online. I continuously reviewed their website and followed them on Facebook, looking for the answers to all my questions. Unfortunately, as I dug deeper, I learned how serious of a diagnosis this was and the Apraxia Kids website turned into my lifeline of hope.

Later, in 2017, we attended our first Walk for Apraxia. Once again, this fueled us with inspiration and a feeling of not being alone.

Apraxia Kids has impacted our lives by providing us the knowledge and resources to help our child. Because of Apraxia Kids, we have been able to discuss concerns with doctors and his speech therapist with confidence, present materials to his teachers and school staff so they understand how apraxia affects him and what methods work best when interacting with him, and feel a sense of community. Since his diagnosis, we have gone from clueless apraxia parents to knowing there is a place for him in the world, but he just needs a different approach to reach his goals.

Now we face the teenage years. Although I continue to search for answers about my child’s future, I feel our experiences are relatable to others. At times, my child’s journey from birth to now might be a representation of what another family is or will be going through. I am happy to speak to families and offer a realistic view that things will be tough, but they will manage to get through. I am privileged to take what I have learned and share it, especially when families are looking to raise awareness within their network or community. I am grateful to be able to share Apraxia Kids with them and offer a sense of hope.

Before my spouse and I started a family, I had visions of what my future would be. None of those visions included the woman, wife, and mother I am today. I have my family to thank, for taking me down this path as they have introduced me to many different avenues I never considered. I have the apraxia community to thank, for endlessly inspiring me to keep putting one foot in front of the other. And I have Apraxia Kids to thank, for offering a sense of hope, focus, and clarity so my spouse and I can stay strong during the difficult times of our apraxia story.

Then I realize, this isn’t my story at all. It’s the story of my Apraxia Star that has truly made an impact on the apraxia community. I’m just his voice.  We invite you to be a voice with us.  

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Do you believe, “Every Child Deserves a Voice?”

We do… and we invite you to join our team at the Walk for Apraxia.  By joining our team, you will walk beside us as we celebrate all the Apraxia Stars and support our efforts to raise funds for Apraxia Kids.  With these funds, Apraxia Kids will continue to strengthen the support systems in the lives of children with apraxia of speech by educating professionals and families; facilitating community engagement and outreach; and investing in the future through advocacy and research.

Unable to walk?  That’s ok!  You can still participate in helping our team meet our fundraising goal by making a donation now.

Together we can accomplish amazing things for our Apraxia Stars.