I’m no Longer Sorry for My Apraxia

You or your child’s speech disability is something you should never apologize for. We should never say sorry for the parts of us who have contributed to who we are today. In a world full of perfectionists and people pleasers, dare to be unapologetically yourself and own your story.

 My Disability Isn’t Unfavorable

It’s no secret people with disabilities get treated differently from the public. I mean, unfortunately, that’s the reality we live in. Do you know in some states, social workers can deny people based on their disability status or other forms of self-identification and expression? It’s almost like people who act like my disability is unfavorable. However, my disability is not unfavorable. It’s part of who I am.

Apraxia has no Shortcuts

Apraxia has no shortcuts. However, with the correct treatment, your child or yourself will make tremendous progress. We need to remember the goal is to perfect the speech; the goal is to promote their speech and have a happy life filled with support.

Apraxia of Speech

AOS is a neurological disorder that affects the brain pathways involved in planning the sequence of movements involved in producing speech. The brain knows what it wants to say, but cannot properly plan and sequence the required speech sound movements.

Apraxia: When the Words Just Won’t Come

Apraxia and Dyspraxia are often used in the same way but are quite different. Apraxia is a neurological disconnect in the language center of the brain. Many children with Apraxia can have other motor delays or sensory integration issues but that are considered separate issues.

Growing Up With Apraxia In The Netherlands

I share my story to create more awareness. In the Netherlands, there are still many parents whose children have been diagnosed, but do not know what the future will bring.

I Never Knew if I Would Ever Speak – The Apraxia Diaries

I was an anxious child. I never knew when the next word would come out, and if it did, would I be able to articulate it fully? The comorbidity of Anxiety sat ride beside my Apraxia. So, every day, I was fighting a battle with not only my motor planning speech disorder but also my brain.

I Was Born Unable to Speak, and a Disputed Treatment Saved Me

I have nonspeaking autism, which means my ability to communicate verbally is limited to a few words and well-practiced short phrases. Thanks to apraxia, even that is mostly unintelligible, except to those who know me well. While no one demanded that Stephen Hawking rely only on his speech to prove his smarts, it’s different with nonspeaking autism. Because we are born trapped, we never had the chance to prove ourselves before losing the ability to speak.

In a chatty world, losing your speech can be alienating. But there’s help

People with motor speech disorders often can understand everything you say. They want to respond and contribute to the conversation, but their disorder means people don’t understand what they say or they speak too slowly.

Our Journey With Apraxia: This Is What I Have Learned

People often ask me to describe what I’ve learned as the parent of a child with apraxia. It isn’t always easy to put into words. In fact, lately I have been struggling on this journey — and it is a journey, with highs so high you’ll remember them forever and lows so low you’ll curse the word apraxia and the first person who ever uttered it to you.