Girl With A Funny Accent

The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scartissue, and the pain lessens, but it is never gone." -Rose Kennedy.

 Sadly, an Apraxia Adventure doesn't only consist of endless hours or speech therapy and mispronouncing words, it has its bullies. I'd be a liar if I claimed that the bullying wasn't awful. If I pinpointed my worst, defeating Apraxia moments-it's definitely the bullies.  First grade, about seven-years-old, I was attending after-school daycare. There was a Trio of Trouble, a group of fourth-grade boys that seemed to stir up chaos wherever they went. They'd rough around, steal toys, and tease people. Unfortunately, these boys were popular just for being trouble-makers. Desperate for social interaction, I would accept any sort of treatment not knowing that I deserved to associate myself with those who cared about me. If only I knew this at seven, right? One day, when these boys decided to speak to me, I was actually naive enough to assume these kids wanted to be my friends.  Sitting at the jungle-gym on the bottom rung, I waited for an available, nearby

If you truly wish to witness the disorder as an Apraxic child, then you must think like a child. Children cannot fully comprehend what "neurological" means nor the mechanics of how a brain tells a mouth how to move. Do not think like a speech pathologist and analyze where Apraxia comes from nor how to treat it. Do not think like an Apraxic child's parent who views Apraxia as an insurance battle. Think like a kid: you crave play-dates, friends at school, and macaroni and cheese for dinner with a side of ice-cream. Imagine, it is the first day of school. Excitedly nervous, you hope to meet a friend and survive this new place. Dressed in new school clothes, you enter a brightly colored classroom with a plethora of toys and kids all around. Saying their goodbyes and promising to return later, your parents leave and a wave of emotions from anxiety and excitement overcome you. There are kids your own age running around, playing, laughing; perhaps school may not

We are Apraxia spokespeople and everyone is a potential listener. We must find and tell them about this speech disorder as well as other speech delays. These listeners are the strangers at your grocery store, teachers, neighbors, and friends that have no clue what Apraxia is. Even though we want to yell and lash out at them for not understanding, we must acquire these listeners through persistent patience, kindness, and just casual conversations about the speech disorder. Indeed, there are nasty people that could not respect or grasp the concept of such a neurological disorder, but there are always those that will listen and learn. This is the only way to perpetuate Apraxia understanding and acceptance from those who simply would not have known otherwise. Sixteen years of Speech Therapy ingrained a personal, unique hatred of the letter "R."You would hate it too, if you had sixteen years of audio recordings, worksheets, and homework to say every word in the English language

I made myself a mighty promise as an elementary school kid. After trying to say "Here" during attendance -some kids  made a comment about how funny I sounded. I was beyond humiliated and even considered never trying to speak again. I swore that I would do whatever possible to ensure that other kids that spoke "funny" would never feel isolated and put down. As an adult, I feel that speaking, being involved, and volunteering for Apraxia children is my way of fulfilling this promise. Hence, why I participated and choose to speak at this Apraxia Walk.  I attended and spoke at the Inland Empire Walk for Children with Apraxia of Speech in early October (I know this is an overdue post). Along with the beautiful weather and a clean park, the uplifting energy through the crowd resulted in such a positive afternoon. There were parents talking to one another about their children's Apraxia, kids playing together in the jungle-gym, and supportive members reading the i