It was there, I would finally know why Ashlynn had apraxia, dyspraxia, hyptonia, ADHD, dysarthria, SPD, CP, and learning disabilities. The answer was housed in a small set of letter and number combinations called:
BCL11A
It starts with a question: Did I cause her apraxia? I know I’m not the only mom to wonder this, or worse, believe this. This is where the guilt sets in. It set in early and would tap on my shoulder in the shower, at lunch, or when I was trying to go to bed. Even though I’m an SLP, and I tell parents all the time that the speech
Eleven years ago, the world celebrated the first ever Apraxia Awareness Day on May 14th, 2013! After receiving a diagnosis of apraxia in 2012 for my daughter, this day was just what I needed! Apraxia Awareness Day posts flooded my social media feed. Instead of feeling my usual worry, I felt happy and uplifted. Everyone was making social media posters of their littles with CAS. It literally soothed my soul.
It’s been over eleven years identifying as a parent to a child diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech. I’ll never forget that fateful day. I missed her apraxia as an infant, despite being a speech/language pathologist before she was born. I knew she was delayed. Oh yes, I was keenly aware of it. Every well-check visit the list of milestones she was meeting grew shorter and shorter. I worked with
The Denver Fall Apraxia Festival is coming back this October 7th 2023. This event is a fundraising event to benefit The Apraxia Foundation, a newer 501(c)3 founded by an individual with CAS named Jordan Levan. Since I came on the apraxia scene back in 2012 when my daughter Ashlynn was first diagnosed, I have seen the culture around apraxia change, and for the better! When Ashlynn was first diagnosed, I
We are currently in the middle of the COVID 19 pandemic. I have two children. A daughter 10 who has a host of disabilities, and my son 7 who is neurotypical. A positive surprise to this time not in school and inability to play with peers is that my children have bonded. They are currently in my son’s room in his bunk bed having a sleepover. He made sure to