Girl With A Funny Accent

Pardon the delay on this post, it's just felt so overwhelming with the holidays, work, and of course trying to stay inspired to write. I feel exhausted all the time lately! Recently, I completed my application to potentially present at the CASANA 2017 National Conference on CAS (Childhood Apraxia of Speech). It's been a personal dream of mine to speak at such a venue, so we shall see.

The application was pretty straight forward: what are you presenting on, strategies for presenting, your resume, etc. All pretty clear, but it was difficult to clearly organize and illustrate my thoughts in a formal application. Organizing, providing details, planning, etc - the task consumed me and I began to lose sight of my personal passions and goals for Apraxia Awareness. Not constructive at all to lose sight of your personal motivation when you need it the most.
Yearning for inspiration, I decided to look in my past. I pulled out an old filing box I've had for a few years (and never ope…

Any moment I verbally communicate, I am vulnerable to an individual's curiosity about my speech or my 'accent.'

Just imagine-any opportunity you talk is an opportunity for someone to ask about your speech. In the grocery store, the bank, at work, even on a date and out with girlfriends, I have been and will always be asked about my speech.

When I talk, my speech is a dead giveaway that there's something different about me. I know this and I've grown accustomed to it.

You could probably imagine the natural frustration that comes with this. Always being asked, "So, it sounds like you have an accent..." I try not to let their curiosity or inquisitive questions bother me. I often consider the alternatives and silver linings: at least I am no longer nonverbal, at least now I can tell people about my speech, at least I have a voice.

My friends and family, perhaps get more frustrated when people ask about my speech. So much so they often ask, "Don't you…

I have made amazing friendships on my Apraxia Adventure. 
There are individuals I consider my Apraxia Guardian Angels. They are people who see and have only seen me for who I am, not my Apraxia nor my 'funny accent.' I'm sure your child has or will meet their own Angels. I was blessed to have met one of my first Angels (outside of family members) when I was a non-verbal five year old. 
Her name is Nicole and she's been my best friend through practically my entire Apraxia Adventure. 
Eighteen years later, she is generous enough to share her perspective in being my friend and what it was like given my Apraxia.

Please enjoy.  I’ve known Alyson since I was four years old. When we first became friends she did not speak very much, but that didn’t matter because I always knew what she meant. I think I was drawn to her because she was living in her own little world that existed in parallel to everyone else’s. She had to. She created her own reality and it was a pleasure to escape t…