Viva Las Vegas, Oh and Apraxia
Vegas- the city of sin and escapism. Go for the weekend with good friends, bachelorettes, or even golfing. The point of Vegas is to escape.
But what I can never seem to escape is Apraxia and this accent of mine. Is it frustrating, yes at times. But is it an opportunity? It certainly is and I do try to see it this way-if I don't, I'd be very bitter about the whole thing.
Anyways, on the plane from Burbank to Vegas, I was talking to a recent graduate who spent the last 6 months working at his Mom`s Speech Therapy Clinic. In him explaining his job, we could definitely see eye to eye on the Apraxia and Speech Therapy Journey. From insurance battles, committed parents, and just wanting to help children find their voice, but then also the ugly side of such journeys- the money involved, the depression and sometimes just the overbearing or naive parents.
He went on to say, “Some of the parents become speech therapists themselves; always on time and drilling home practices in non-stop. But some of the others, we`ve had parents yell at us for diagnosing their child-after they requested a consultation-and never come back to us. The resources spent and even just trying to bond with the child for them to just never come back, it frustrates me as a business owner but also as someone who just wants to help a child. Their speech won`t magically get better at 7 or 10 years old unless they get the help they need to now.”
To say the least-this conversation was the most impactful I have had on a 50 minute flight to Vegas.
As soon as I landed though, I made it a point to turn off my 'advocacy' hat. I need to for various reasons- I'm on vacation, my goal is to spend time with college girlfriends, and just be a quintessential woman in vegas for a weekend😉. Now as a nearly 30 year old, I do not want to explain why I speak the way I do at all times of the day, especially when I'm holding a Titos Cosmopolitan.
So for your enjoyment, just to see how many times my speech has come up during a 3 day vacation:
- I told 5 people during 3 days about Apraxia.
- Then, I told 12 others that I was from Boston, London, or Australia; including 2 bar tenders in a very loud bar when I really just wanted my overpriced cocktail.
Your girl here can't escape Apraxia or this accent, even on a girls trip to Vegas, but hey I try to make the most of it and of course set the boundaries I'm comfortable with.
Who else possibly has to explain to people why they speak the way they do? As much as I enjoy the advocacy efforts, sometimes it's easier to just set my boundaries and enjoy my quality time as any person would.