Tag Archives: speech language pathology

Now We’re Talking | What Would Gia Say?

Welcome to our fourth installment of the blog interview series “Now We’re Talking!”. In this interview, we talk to Sheila from the blog “What Would Gia Say?” and learn about her and her daughter Gia’s journey with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). A special thank you to Sheila, and enjoy!

Q: Tell us about you and your family?

A: My name is Sheila and I’m a stay-at-home mom to a seven-year-old boy named Nicholas, and a six-year-old girl named Gia. My husband, Jeff, and I have been married for 12 years and are raising our family together in Arizona.

Our daughter, Gia, was diagnosed at three years old with Childhood Apraxia of Speech and mixed expressive and receptive language disorder. During that same time, we were referred to an occupational therapy (OT) team that helped Gia with her motor planning and some mild sensory dysfunction. She’s since been discharged from OT, but is still working hard toward her speech and language goals. With Gia beginning her first grade year in school, we are eye to eye with the next phase of CAS: the possibility of reading and writing issues. This is the side of CAS that you really don’t think about when your child is first diagnosed and all you want to hear is the words, ‘I love you’. But no matter what comes of Gia’s apraxia, our family is ready for the next fight.

Q: How has writing and sharing your story helped you and your family?

A: I started my blog, What Would Gia Say?, for a number of reasons, one being that I love to write and I always have. I’m just able to express myself better on paper than in person, and for that reason, writing is extremely therapeutic for me. I was also looking to connect with other apraxia families; I wanted to help them and I wanted them to help me. When your world is turned upside down like that, you are desperate to find others who are living your same story. You feel alone and just want to relate to someone – anyone! I also had this intense need to educate the public about CAS. It was so rare that I would come across someone who had heard of apraxia, and being who I am, I was determined to change that. Now, after just a few years of writing my first post , I can honestly say that starting my blog was one of the best decisions I could have made for myself. I could have never imagined the response I would get by sharing my story; it has accomplished everything I’d hoped for and so much more.

Q: What kind of support system have you built for Gia?

A: My husband and I both have the most loving and supportive families. They are Gia’s biggest cheerleaders, and my greatest source of strength. There can be a lot of ups and downs in this journey, and you really need that unconditional support that only family can give you.

Gia’s therapists have been such a huge support to us too, and not just for the obvious reasons, but for the ways they go above and beyond their job description. They’ve seen Gia and I at some of our most vulnerable moments and we truly feel safe with them.

Outside of family and friends, your support system is really what you choose to make it. I’ve personally made the decision to put myself out there and share Gia’s struggles, and because of that, we receive endless amounts of support, quite literally from across the world. I owe a lot of that to my blog, as well as my attempts to raise awareness of CAS through social media. I also belong to a local Facebook group called, Arizona Apraxia Support Group. I feel so grateful to be raising Gia during a time that support is so easily accessible.

Q: Tell us about your experiences with your Speech-Language Pathologists and speech therapy.

A: Speech therapy has just sort of fallen into place for us, and I know not everyone is that lucky. I’ve spoken with so many people who don’t have access to proper therapy for their child, and it’s a real shame. We live just five minutes from Foundations Developmental House (FDH), which was started by Lynn Carahaly, who created the Speech-EZ Apraxia Program. Gia is so happy and comfortable there; it’s like her second home. I honestly could never say enough about FDH and our SLP’s! They’ve given our family the greatest gift. Seeing someone other than yourself show such dedication to helping your child is a feeling beyond words. They are our angels.

Speech-Language Pathology is one of the most under-appreciated professions there is. There’s so much more to what they do than people realize, and it takes an unbelievable amount of talent and skill. On top of that, they face the high expectations of worried parents everyday and with very little recognition. I could go on and on about this subject, because I’m very passionate about it. I just hope to one day see SLP’s celebrated for what they do and for the many lives that they change.

Q: What are some resources that you think all parents of children with CAS should know of?

A: Well the obvious answer would have to be CASANA. They are the ultimate resource: whether it’s the latest apraxia research, opportunities for financial support, or finding an SLP near you who’s experienced in treating CAS; they are your go-to, end-all source of information.

I also love the website, understood.org, especially for the later years of CAS. This is the only site I know where you can create a profile of your child, and receive personalized resources and tips that are specific to their struggles. It’s so well done! I would recommend it not only to CAS parents, but to anyone with a child that needs extra help in any area of development.

And of course, we can’t forget about other parents; sometimes there’s no better resource than that.

Q: Are there any tips or tricks you have learned to help Gia over the years?

A: Repetition, repetition, repetition! Apraxia is such a mystery, but I’ve just learned over time that repetition is the key for Gia. Whether it’s a simple speech sound or a misuse of her pronouns, Gia needs to practice it hundreds of times before it comes naturally to her. When you’re up against something that fights you that hard, you can’t depend solely on your SLP’s. So I make sure I’m always aware of Gia’s speech and language goals and do my part at home to get her there. This usually means correcting her errors in a positive way and having her repeat back the best she can. But I’m careful not to correct her every single time, because no matter how positive I make it, I don’t want her to always feel like she’s failing. So sometimes, I won’t actually correct her, but I’ll simply model the correct way to say something by repeating her sentence back to her, and other times I won’t say anything at all. You just have to find the right balance for your child.

Q: Is there a memorable moment you would like to share about Gia?

A: The moment that Gia said her name correctly for the first time was by far my most memorable. The long /g/ was just always a difficult sound for her, so she substituted it with the short /g/ and became “G-ia” for years. I admit it was cute, but really heartbreaking at the same time. This became speech goal number one for me. I kept making three month goals for getting her name down, and three months kept coming and going. But one day it just clicked, which sure seems to be the apraxia way. It was October 12, 2016 (yes I remember the exact date) when she said “Gia” for the first time, unprompted, all on her own. We just stared at each other and smiled. I could tell she knew what she had just accomplished. Then I cried and we had a super cheesy, movie-like moment and the rest is history; she’s been “Gia” ever since! It sounds so small but this was everything to me.

Q: What advice would you give another parent in your position?

A: Much like I spoke about earlier – it’s so important to follow up on your child’s therapy at home. They are with you the majority of their time, so you’re an integral part of their success. Ask their SLP questions, familiarize yourself with their speech goals and support your kiddo accordingly. There are countless ways to help them while keeping things fun and positive. You can reinforce language skills by telling stories to each other, reading them repetitive books, or playing board games. There are a lot of great speech and/or literacy apps out there; some more fun, and some that would feel more like a therapy session. As much as we’d like to, we can’t count on our beloved SLP’s to do all the work.

Q: If you could travel back in time, what would you tell yourself when you found out that Gia has Childhood Apraxia of Speech? 

A: You can’t fix this, Sheila! You just can’t. No matter how hard you try or how much you read, you can’t fix it. Let the disorder take its course and don’t blame yourself along the way. You don’t have control over this one, and ya know what, Sheila? That’s OKAY.

Now We’re Talking | A Blog About Raising My Autistic Son

By Chatterboxes

For our next chapter in the “Now We’re Talking” blog series, we interviewed Lynne from A Blog About Raising My Autistic Son. Her blog title, chosen by her son, is very self explanatory and readers can find all kinds of great posts about family life, autism, Aspergers, and more! We think Lynne’s blog is a great read for parents; its full of honest accounts, heartwarming and funny family stories, and lots of valuable advice.

Thank you to Lynne and her family, and please enjoy this installment of “Now We’re Talking”!

Q: Tell us a little about you and your family.

A: I’m married to Nick and we have four children, including one set of twins, aged 12 to 18. Our eldest son, Edward, was diagnosed with Asperger’s in 2009 when he was 8 years old.

I’m a speech and language therapist working with severe/profoundly deaf adults on a cochlear implant program in the UK. I spent the first few years of my career working with children who had a wide range of communication difficulties, including children who had Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), however once I started my own family, I made the switch to working with adults.

Q: What made you want to share your story through a blog?

A: After a few failed attempts at writing a book in 2015, a friend suggested blogging, and I haven’t really looked back since then. We’re now in a good place as a family and Edward is thriving. I wanted to share our story, including the ups and downs, to give some hope and practical ideas for other parents out there who are new to the role of raising children with ASD.

My blog is called “A blog about Raising My Autistic Son” and Edward was the one who chose the name – he said it should say exactly what it was and rejected all my other proposed titles! He also insisted that we use pseudonyms and no family photos – so apologies for the cartoon image!

Q: What was it like when you first realized that your son had autism?

A: Due to my professional background, I’d had hunches that there was something a bit different about Edward from a very early age. For example his eye contact was fleeting and he could concentrate for hours on one thing without getting distracted or bored. However, he also could do some things (such as show affection and play imaginatively) which didn’t fit with my stereotype of what a child with ASD was like.

I spent years yo yo-ing between thinking he had autism and thinking I was being overly analytical of his every move. It was a long journey recognizing that the evidence was pointing towards the fact that my son was on the autistic spectrum. I then had to convince Nick that it was a good idea for us to have Edward assessed, and after getting him on board, I had to persuade our general practitioner to refer Edward for an ASD assessment. It then took another 18 months before we were finally told that Edward had Asperger’s Syndrome (now called ASD).

To be honest by the time that day came, I felt relieved and vindicated. A diagnosis meant I could ask for more support at school and advocate for Edward with more credibility and authority. I also felt relieved for Edward who was already becoming aware that he was different from the other kids at school. Being able to tell him he had Asperger’s, and explaining both the strengths and weaknesses that come with it, helped him to understand himself better.

Q: How has ASD affected your family life?

A: Over the years, we’ve grown to understand how best to communicate with Edward and how he communicates with us, so that the strategies we use have become second nature.

Here’s a few examples:

Edward understands language very literally, so if we want him to understand something, we have to say exactly what we mean. This sounds so simple, but it’s actually quite a challenge to do that in practice. When Edward was little, he would sometimes tap his glass with his knife as he liked the sound it made – the rest of the family hated it. If we said “stop making that noise!” He would just start banging his knife against the plate (making a slightly different noise). However if we said, “stop making noises with the cutlery and start eating your dinner” he’d nearly always do what we asked. We learned that in order to make things easier for him to understand, we had to use more words and be very explicit in what we wanted him to do. Now that he’s older, we don’t have to be quite as literal, as he has learned a lot of metaphors and understands that language can be used creatively.

We also learned not to rush (ok to be honest I’m still trying to learn this one). Trying to do things in a hurry just lead to a lot of anxiety and things would invariably end up taking longer! Planning ahead is really helpful – knowing what is going to happen and what helps Edward to stay calm and function better. If I realize there’s going to be something on TV that Edward and I would enjoy watching together, I can’t spontaneously suggest we watch it there and then, as it’ll interfere with his pre-planned schedule for the evening and he finds it hard to change his plans at short notice. I need to book in a time to watch a program with him!

We’ve also learned that Edward is listening to us even when his body language and eye contact (or lack of it) indicates otherwise. Edward can look at us when we speak to him but this uses more effort and can make it harder for him to process what we are saying.

I’ve also written a lot more about how we’ve adapted our communication and how we helped Edward develop his communication skills in my blog.

Q: Are there any resources that more people should know about?

A: Reading “Asperger’s Syndrome: A guide for Parents and Professionals” by Tony Atwood was very helpful in giving us the confidence to seek an assessment for Edward. We also found “Can I tell you about Asperger’s Syndrome?” by Jude Welton very useful. This slim line, easy to read book was one that we loaned out to family friends (adults and children). It explains very simply what it is like for a child to have Asperger’s Syndrome.

Blogs didn’t even exist in 2008/09, but if they had I’d have tried to find one which gave me some practical ideas and hope. Many of the books I read when Edward was little painted a very bleak future for him; one of social isolation, mental health problems, and school refusal. I would have loved to read about some more optimistic outcomes, and have heard directly from autistic people and other parents about things which had helped them make family life flow more smoothly.

Q: Did you and your son utilize speech therapy? If so, please tell us about it.

A: Like many children who have Asperger’s Syndrome, Edward developed speech and language fairly typically. In fact, his vocabulary was very advanced for his age. However, he didn’t always communicate as you’d expect. At times, he was apparently not aware of family and friends or their greetings, or even that a response from him was expected. However, he could also talk at length about a subject of interest to him with little awareness of whether or not the other person was interested in what he was saying. He did see a speech and language therapist as part of his assessment for ASD, and she focused primarily on his social use of language. She saw him mainly at school and gave advice to his teachers.

In my current role working with deafened adults, I do a lot of work on psychosocial communication. This approach helps people to identify why communication has broken down and helps them to develop the skills and confidence required to repair communication breakdowns. Over the years I’ve taken this approach home and used it with Edward to help him learn to think more consciously about communication and the things he can do to make it work well. I’m a great believer in using role play as a way of practicing and trying out new communication strategies, and so our family has role played a lot of different scenarios with Edward over the years.

Q: What advice would you give to a parent who is in a similar situation?

A: As a parent, you are the best advocate for your child. Seek out all the support available and learn as much as you can about your child’s condition at a pace you can manage, and find help from other parents, support groups, and professionals. Don’t start viewing your child as someone with a problem to be solved – have fun with them, spend time with them, and keep your expectations for them as high as possible.

If you have a child with ASD, you’ll need to develop a thick skin so you don’t take things too personally – you will be raising a child who is absolutely committed to saying what they believe to be true at any one time, with no social filtering or softening. If you are raising a child with ASD, there will undoubtedly be times where social rules have been broken on all sorts of levels, leading to very embarrassing moments. Take time to use these moments to educate your child (after the event) but also find someone who you can laugh with about these excruciating moments – it’ll make you feel a lot better.

Q: If you could travel back in time, what would you tell yourself when you first realized that your son had ASD?

A: I think I’d have pushed for an earlier diagnosis. Prior to diagnosis, Edward was beginning to be viewed by people as a difficult child, and all this negativity meant that Edward started to view himself as being a ‘bad’ person. Once we had the diagnosis, it reframed everything; it didn’t excuse unacceptable behavior, but it made sense of why things were often challenging. Edward started to view himself more positively- he wasn’t bad; he was autistic. He was different but not in any way less.

Now We’re Talking | Girl With a Funny Accent

By Chatterboxes

Welcome to our second installment of Now We’re Talking!

In this post, we interview Alyson Taylor, who was diagnosed with Developmental Apraxia and shares her stories in her own blog: Girl With A Funny Accent. Alyson is a passionate and dedicated advocate in the apraxia community, and wants to help connect parents and their children through her writing and community service.

Thank you to Alyson for collaborating with us, and enjoy reading!

Q: Tell us a little about you and your adult life.

A: My name is Alyson Taylor and I was diagnosed in the mid-nineties with Developmental Apraxia of Speech. This was rather intimidating given the limited information about the disorder; there wasn’t even a Wikipedia page! Through supportive family, friends, and resources, I was able to mostly overcome Apraxia. The only reminiscent effect I have from it is an accent, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

In my fight to overcome Apraxia, I learned the value of working hard and persevering to find success academically, professionally, and personally. I attended and graduated with my Bachelors in Political Science and Spanish from Emory University, a nationally ranked Top-20 University located in Atlanta, Georgia. Professionally, I now work at Warner Brothers Consumer Products Legal Department as a Contracts Administrator. However, I cannot forget my true passion of volunteering, advocating, and blogging about Apraxia and assisting the Apraxia community in any way possible.

Q: What was it like growing up with Apraxia?

A: Annoying, but manageable. There were days where I dreaded going to school. Especially when attendance was taken and we had to say “Here!”

I could not say it correctly and some kids would chuckle or comment on my poor pronunciation. The bullies were honestly the worst, but it got better as I got older. Actually, come High School my “accent” was cool.

My Speech Therapy was mediocre. I attended from when I was three years old to sixteen years old, when I personally decided to quit attending. Therapy was necessary, of course, and helped me find my voice. I enjoyed it as a naive child who only wanted prizes and games. However, as I got older and knew exactly why I was attending speech therapy, I was quickly annoyed with it. The last thing I wanted to do as a teenager was repeatedly hear, “You said this wrong, try it again.”

On a brighter note, growing up with Apraxia equipped me with an outstanding work ethic. When you work vigorously to simply verbally communicate, something I could not do until I was seven, you tend to put forth extra effort and energy into everything thereon after; such as, homework, studying, and even playing sports. Growing up with Apraxia truly taught me the value of working hard and accepting failure as a means to future success. Most adults are still learning this, yet I experienced it at such a young age.

Q: What inspired you to start blogging about your experiences?

A: My blogging could serve as a bridge between two isolated groups: the parents whose child was diagnosed and the children themselves.

As I started volunteering and increasing my involvement with the Apraxia community, I quickly discovered that the adults did not have the same perspective of their children diagnosed. Several parents described the scientific analyses and descriptions that professionals could provide them and their own Apraxia frustrations, but none could grasp what their child was thinking. Sadly, parents just aren’t psychic.

It was strange and quasi-frustrating the way adults spoke about such a disorder. They spoke about it with such a different, objective perspective. While inwardly, I’d think, how could they NOT understand? I grew up with the children’s perspective, not the adults. I knew their child’s frustration well because I’ve lived it. I felt that I had to do something to resolve this; to give parents their child’s perspective. Thus, I began to blog to bridge communications. Perhaps with my blog posts, parents can parallel it with their own child’s experiences.

Q: How has having Developmental Apraxia of Speech affected your adult life?

A: Fortunately, it has not impacted my professional or my academic adult life. But, it does impact my social interactions on a daily basis and not in the way you’d initially think. I love talking and usually I’m the loudest one in the room, but everyone thinks I have an accent!

I can’t go anywhere without someone asking me, “Where are you from? I hear an accent.” Even a couple days ago I had to explain to my Uber driver that I had a rare speech disorder, DAS. For the most part I’m honest in describing my Apraxia.

However, I also take the opportunity to have some fun with this. When I am not in the mood to describe my neurological speech disorder (which, let’s be honest, is not the most amusing cocktail conversation) I pretend I’m from London, Australia, or I’ll have the inquisitive person guess and just agree to whatever country they say. It definitely makes it interesting, especially when my friends need to play along with my white lies when we go out.

Q: What resources helped you the most growing up?

A: My dedicated parents, fantastic teachers, and the speech pathology program at California State University Northridge (CSUN). My parents were diligent in discovering why I couldn’t verbally communicate and when an Autism Specialist suggested we attend CSUN. We could not have found a better program.

CSUN has one of the leading Speech Pathology programs in the nation and after evaluating and diagnosing me at three years old, they enrolled me as a case study for their Speech Pathology department. CSUN had tried several techniques in order to find the best way to treat my Apraxia, while also recording it for future children diagnosed. CSUN was honestly the best resource; they gave me therapy 1-3 times a week for thirty minutes to an hour. This was more individualized time than I ever received through the public school district.

Q: Are there any new resources, or ones that you’ve just discovered that you would recommend to parents?

A: The Apraxia resources now compared to the nineties are absolutely amazing! The top 3 resources I would recommend are: CASANA, iPad communication apps, and any local support groups in your community.

CASANA, Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America, is the only non-profit exclusively dedicated to the Apraxia Disorder. They organize charity walks and are fully dedicated to researching the cause and treatments for Apraxia.

Also, the technology now, such as the iPad apps, is also extremely helpful in simply helping non-verbal children communicate with their parents. I would have loved to press a button to tell my parents that I wanted milk and cookies.

Nothing can beat interactions with others face-to-face either; I have attended and read about support groups specific to parents with children diagnosed with Apraxia. My greatest advice would be to go online, such as Facebook, and try to find these groups. Perhaps there’s even a group near where you live.

Q: Are there any, special moments from your childhood that stand out to you that you would like to share?

A: The two most pivotal childhood moments were the first time I met my best friend, Nicole, who treated me like a normal kid and the second was when my little sister, Sara, taught me that I actually did speak differently.

I met Nicole when I was only five years old and non-verbal at the time. She was four and she was quite the sociable girl. While I hid behind my mom’s leg, she constantly stood next to me and pulled me out of my shell. We had long play-dates and I would babble unintelligibly, but she always understood everything I said. She always treated me like I was normal, when I constantly felt different being in special-ed and speech therapy. Thankfully, we are still best friends today!

My little sister Sara also played a significant role. I was about nine years old and she was three when I was trying to teach her how to talk. It was amazing being a big sister and teaching her words. I tried to teach her to say, “Rose,” but she kept saying “Wose.” After several minutes of her merely mimicking what I was saying incorrectly, my parents corrected me aloud, “Alyson, pull back your tongue when you say ‘R.’”

I was mortified. My parents were teaching me, the big sister, how to speak at the same time my baby sister was learning to speak. That’s when I realized speech therapy wasn’t just for games and toys, they were hiding the fact that I spoke differently and needed to fix it.

Q: What advice do you have for parents raising a child with Developmental or Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

A: Remember when you hadn’t met your child yet. You would envision the future of your child- a football star, president, a doctor, a Supreme Court justice? Then after your child was born and later received an Apraxia diagnosis, those expectations and dreams vanished. The frivolous dreams seemed impossible; you only wanted your child to survive and at least speak aloud.

My advice is to raise your child as you would the one you dreamt about. If your child were “normal,” you would still sign them up for Scouts, a sports team, or a school club. Do the same for your child diagnosed with Apraxia. Do not ever lower your expectations for what your child can accomplish, because then they have permission to lower their own expectations in themselves. That’s the last thing any child needs to do, especially when they have the potential to be an amazing, successful adult.

Q: If you could go back in time, what would you tell yourself as a child?

A: The advice I’d give my child-self could not even fathom. However, I would tell myself that future success and happiness cannot be defined by anyone else, but it is grown from within.

I spent years hoping for people to define me as a “normal kid.” I wanted to desperately fit in and go a whole day without any comments about my speech. Come to find out, as a young adult, that only I can create and find my own happiness and confidence. Waiting for others to define me as “normal” would not give me true satisfaction.

My professional and academic accomplishments could only come from the work I put in. I couldn’t ask my speech pathologists, my teachers, or even my parents to make me truly happy, confident, and successful. I had to find it and create it for myself. My parents of course supported me in any opportunity that opened up, but I had to work for these doors to open and sometimes fight twice as hard to keep them open.

Now We’re Talking | SLP Mommy of Apraxia

By Chatterboxes

Welcome to our new blog series: Now We’re Talking!

We are partnering with bloggers who have a passion for writing and sharing their experiences with communication concerns, speech delays, disorders, autism and more. Our hope is to provide Chatterboxes families and parents all around with comfort, advice, and a network that is understanding and supportive!

Our first Now We’re Talking interview is with the wonderful Laura Smith, a mom who regularly shares about her life and young daughter on her blog: SLP Mommy of Apraxia. Laura’s story is unique in that she is a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP for short) by profession, but is also a parent of a child with Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

Laura was kind enough to collaborate with us and answer some questions, so enjoy our first installment of Now We’re Talking!

Q: Tell us about you and your family.

A: My name is Laura Smith and I’ve been married for almost 12 years and have two little ones: ages seven and four. My seven-year-old has a diagnosis of Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Developmental Coordination Disorder (sometimes known as dyspraxia), mixed receptive and expressive language impairment, dysarthria, hypotonia, and sensory processing disorder.

We do a lot as a family together including camping and jet skiing around the lakes and reservoirs of Colorado, and skiing in the mountains during the winter season.

Q: Why did you choose to become a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)?

A: It actually kind of chose me. In college, I initially wanted to be a broadcast journalist, but quickly discovered the market in Denver was saturated. Not willing to leave my home town, I went to an advisor who asked me about some other interests of mine. I ended up being connected with the speech disorders department and took an introductory class and loved it. I decided to get my degree in Speech Communications with an emphasis in disorders, with my master plan to work in the customer relations department at Chrysler (as I was working at a Dodge Dealership at the time putting myself through college).

Through a series of serendipitous events, I completed an SLPA training program and went on to work as one in the schools. I met my mentor and my future daughter’s SLP who convinced me to apply for graduate school and complete my master’s degree in speech/language pathology.

Q: What made you want to start blogging and share your story?

A: Ever since I learned how to write, I have loved writing. I had numerous diaries and journals over the years. When my daughter Ashlynn wasn’t talking, I was caught up with being a new mom, pregnant with my second, and extremely sad I couldn’t help my daughter speak. I stopped writing completely during that time. After Ashlynn was finally diagnosed, I had a big pity party, wondering if this was some colossal joke; but then I thought that maybe I had been given this child with one of the severest speech disorders because I could help other people. I started my blog initially as a way to get back into writing since it had always been therapeutic for me. As it evolved, I realized I was helping others by sharing our story and the therapy of writing turned into a passion.

Q: How has having a child with apraxia affected your daily routines?

A: Oh my gosh, how has it not? For us though, she has global apraxia, which is just a term adopted by parents to describe that motor planning issues are a problem globally throughout the body. This greatly affects ALL activities of daily living. The time it takes to do anything, from getting dressed to eating a meal, is increased probably three-fold when you have a child with global apraxia.

Daily routines that are most affected by having a child with just CAS is the massive inconvenience of therapy. Kids with CAS need frequent and intense therapy, and this means we are in the car more than we are ever at home. Driving to and from therapy is not only time consuming, but in many cases it is expensive because therapy is usually not covered by insurance.

Q: How has your background as an SLP blended with being a mom?

A: It’s funny because you can’t turn off being an SLP. I’m sure any SLP reading right now can relate to this. We are just always on. Even when I’m not trying to, I end up analyzing all aspects of language.

It actually blended well with being a mom, but there did come a point where I had to tell myself I couldn’t be her mom AND her SLP. I can carry over all the targets, do homework, and be the best facilitator of carryover you will ever see; but at the end of the day, I need to be her mom first. Being a mom is a big enough job as it is!

Q: Who is in your support system and how do they help you?

A: I’m so glad you brought this up, because I really feel like people need support regardless of what struggle they are having in life. There is something instantaneously comforting when you meet another human being to which you only have to say “me too” and you both understand each other. It’s almost an immediate bond.

When Ashlynn was first diagnosed, I found a Facebook support group named Apraxia Kids: Every Child Deserves a Voice. It was immensely helpful to me, although I still felt very alone because I thought I must be the only SLP on the planet who had a child with CAS. Through that group and with my blog, I have now found many SLP’s nationwide and we have our own Facebook group and it is the best thing ever. I am grateful every time an SLP joins with a child who has CAS because I know they will NEVER have to feel alone. There is a crazy amount of guilt in being an SLP who has a child with a speech disorder, and not just any speech disorder, but one of the MOST severe. We have all agreed our experiences have taught us a lot about nature versus nurture. Both sides of the family have also been very supportive and loving which has been wonderful as well.

Q: How does having that strong support system help you and your family?

A: I’m better, stronger, and healthier because of all the support we have. It allows me to be a better mom and advocate for my daughter. On my down days, there are always people to carry the weight. I never feel alone, even on days I may feel overwhelmed. Actually, even my Facebook page SLP Mommy of Apraxia/Dyspraxia is a huge source of support for me. When I am feeling down, there are so many people who comment and reach back out to lift me up. Support like that is priceless.

Q: Do you have any tips/tricks that you swear by?

A: It sounds cliche, but don’t underestimate the power and effectiveness of routines, a consistent schedule, and even the use of a visual schedule.

Ashlynn had and still has anxiety around what is going to happen and wants to know her schedule and activities for the day. She’s seven now and loves keeping a calendar! It’s actually a great way to naturally practice and talk using different tenses (future, past tense) and time concept words (yesterday, tomorrow, next week), which is not only helping language skills but building those executive functioning skills as well.

Q: What advice would you give another parent in your position?

A: Reach out and find others who are walking your path. There is so much comfort when you have found people who understand you, from the inside looking out. Educate yourself as much as you can. There is nothing cliché in the phrase “knowledge is power.”

Remember this diagnosis is a marathon not a sprint. Celebrate each and every success, no matter how small.

Finally, love and embrace your child for who they really are. I think in the initial stages I had this mindset I could fix her. I have recently realized I don’t need to fix anything about her. I need to give her the skills and opportunity like I would any other child to learn, grow, and thrive; but I need to love and accept her for all of her wonderful and unique talents that make her a truly amazing individual.

Q: If you could travel back in time, what would you tell yourself when you found out that your daughter had apraxia?

A: Cry it out. It’s okay. Let it all out. There now. Pick yourself up and carry on.

Life is to be lived! Ashlynn is still the same ray of sunshine she was before someone told you she may always struggle to speak. You won’t believe it now, but you will trip across blessings; so, so, so many blessings along your journey and be the better for it. You will be filled with more compassion, empathy, and understanding than you ever thought you needed. You will know true strength and bravery through the eyes of your child and she will inspire you in ways you never thought possible.

Laura is CASANA-certified for advanced training and clinical expertise in Childhood Apraxia of Speech, has completed the PROMPT Level 1 training, and the Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol (K-SLP). She has lectured throughout the United States on Childhood Apraxia of Speech and related issues. Laura is committed to raising and spreading CAS awareness following her own daughter’s diagnosis of CAS and dyspraxia. She is the apraxia walk coordinator for Denver, and writes for various publications including the ASHA wire blog, The Mighty, and on a website she manages slpmommyofapraxia.com.

In 2016, Laura was awarded ASHA’s media award for garnering national media attention around apraxia detailing her encounter with UFC fighter Ronda Rousey, and also received ASHA’s ACE award for her continuing education, specifically in the area of childhood motor speech disorders.