SLP Mommy of Apraxia

Category: Childhood Apraxia of Speech

  • Apraxia Awareness Month 2024 is right around the corner!

    Apraxia Awareness Month 2024 is right around the corner!

    Apraxia Awareness Month is May of 2024! The first EVER Apraxia Awareness Day was recognized only 11 years ago on May 14th, 2013. Right on the heals of Ashlynn’s diagnosis in 2012, this day filled my cup!

    Each year since it has grown bigger and bigger! One thing that’s a MUST is to wear your apraxia awareness gear! For a short time, my store is offering shirt sales through April 11th 2024. That’s the last day to ensure you will get yours in time for Apraxia Awareness month, which is just month away! Look for more posts on other ideas to help spread awareness leading into next month!

    Grab yours by APRIL 11TH to ensure delivery by May 1st! Link to store here!

    May is Apraxia Awareness Month
    Apraxia Awareness Advocate Like a Mother
    May is Apraxia Awareness Month
    May is Apraxia Awareness Month

    Tag me, SLP Mommy of Apraxia on social media in May during Apraxia Awareness Month 2024 with the hashtag #slpmomyofapraxia2024 and #apraxiaawarenessmonth2024 so I can reshare you wearing your gear!

  • Parent experience at an apraxia diagnosis

    Parent experience at an apraxia diagnosis

    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 her almost every night. Though she made progress, progress was so slow. I blamed myself.

    I finally raised my white flag before her third birthday and took her to Child Find. That’s where the SLP would inform me, “Laura, this is apraxia.”

    Apraxia

    Forever etched into my brain is that one statement. I remember it hit me like a ton of bricks. I also remember knowing instantly it was true. The amount of therapy Ashlynn was getting from me with only minimal results didn’t make sense, unless, apraxia.

    I grieved most of that year. I grieved so many things. I grieved my seemingly failure as an SLP. I grieved she would have to work so hard just to speak. I grieved she would always throughout her entire life live with a communication disorder. Then guilt appeared for grieving since she was at least healthy, happy, and still my same beautiful child.

    Years later, I would learn of the term “disenfranchised grief.” I did a talk with Dr. Iuzinni-Seigel for speechpathology.com and she introduced me the term. Disenfranchised grief is grief with no place to go. This is EXACTLY how I felt.

    I’ve since learned that many other parents feel relief at diagnosis. The journey was so long and so hard they had to fight to find an SLP who would listen to them.

    Since the Apraxia Diagnosis

    It’s been a long road since those early days. I picked myself up and kept putting one foot in front of the other. At some point I woke up and realized I have a private practice, A Mile High Speech Therapy, specializing in CAS. I wrote a book called Overcoming Apraxia that is now part of college coursework in speech pathology. I have given workshops nationally and internationally. Most of all though, Ashlynn is still my amazing ray of sunshine. Her beautiful smile, tenacity, and attitude toward adversity have taught me more than anything could.

    Many parents want to attend my workshops but the cost is prohibitive. Workshops and webinars can cost 100’s if not 1000’s of dollars for attendees. Furthermore, many workshops are not open to parents. That’s why I’m so excited to announce my newest endeavor called Apraxia Space. For just $75.00, parents and caregivers get access to at least SIX online live webinars given by myself and another apraxia specialist. Guest lectures are already scheduled along with live parent presentations of their apraxia journey. In addition, there will be a 24/7 private online community.

    We have participants WORLDWIDE from Italy, Australia, and Canada! Registration for this first founding member cohort ends April 1st. Be sure to save your spot! Register here: https://apraxia-space.mykajabi.com/

    I look forward to seeing you there!

  • Denver Apraxia Festival!

    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 attended and even coordinated numerous walks for apraxia. Something that was always noticeably missing was the presence of older kids. There was plenty of young children but the attendance for tweens and teens was almost non existent. During my time as a coordinator, I would seek out older tweens/teens to be a guest speaker in hopes of drawing more older children; yet the events largely remained child centered.

    Since Jordan came on the scene in 2019, confidently and unapologetically owning his apraxia, more tweens, teens, and young adults have “come out of the shadows” to do the same. The festivals were a conception designed by Jordan where he wanted to celebrate each individual with apraxia and have a “party.” Embedded in the event would be this idea of being proud of having apraxia and allowing a space where no one felt that they had to mask and could be their authentic self in a fun, accepting environment.

    Last year, my dream of having older kids and younger kids at an apraxia event came true! The Denver Fall Festival brought in around 250 people with a mix of younger AND older kids. The legendary DJ Archie was definitely a BIG hit. Just look at these cuties with CAS!

    Since my daughter was first diagnosed, I also always had a dream of having a spokesperson for apraxia. This dream is what caused me to hunt down Ronda Rousey, go viral, and make Good Morning America. Though that was great for awareness, no one seemed interested in being a spokesperson for apraxia. No on that is, until Jordan. Jordan’s social media grew at an exponential rate and he has written three, wildly successful children’s books! He founded The Apraxia Foundation with his core principles of apraxia pride and acceptance.

    I’m so proud to support Jordan and everything he is doing to help others in the apraxia community. He is truly and inspiration and proof our children with apraxia can grow up and achieve all of their goals WITH apraxia. At the festival, Jordan made sure to talk to each and every child with apraxia and give them a heartfelt, personalized message of encouragement. It was truly touching and humbling to watch. Jordan has said he wanted to be who he needed when he was younger, and he is definitely the living embodiment of that.

    Since Jordan has put himself out there, so many other young adults have been inspired to do the same with many reporting they used to feel ashamed they didn’t “grow” out of their childhood apraxia of speech.

    I can’t wait to see the magic again this year, October 7th in Centennial, Colorado! See you all there!

  • What’s new in my speech therapy office?

    What’s new in my speech therapy office?

    Poke-a-dot books

    I am absolutely OBSESSED with the Poke-a-Dot books! I recently had a few new clients with a high interest in dinosaurs, so I knew the Poke-a-Dot dinosaour book was a MUST have for the clinic.

    While I was at it, I decided to also “add to cart” the Poke-a-Dot Old MacDonald and the Poke-a-Dot Goodnight Animals. You can never have too much of a good thing right? If you’re looking for ideas on how to use these books in therapy, check out my instagram post on five goals to target using the Poke-a-Dot Ocean book.

    Dinosaurs and more dinosaurs, oh my!

    To appease a few of my clients with an insatiable appetite for all things dinosaurs, I also added some dinosaur magnets that are versatile. They stick to the file cabinet and also are fun to “fish for” with a simple fishing magent!

    Add a dinosaur chunky puzzle by Melissa & Doug to not only work on speech but fine motor skills!

    While I was there, I couldn’t resist adding another Melissa & Doug sound puzzle to my collection. Did you know you can also “fish” for these pieces as well? Kids love to fish and this is such a fun and easy way to incorporate more fun into a simple puzzle activity! For ideas on goals to target in therapy using this activity check out my Instagram post here.


    Laura Smith, M.A. CCC-SLP is a 2014 graduate of Apraxia Kids Boot Camp, has completed the PROMPT Level 1 training, and the Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol (K-SLP). She is the author of Overcoming Apraxia and has lectured throughout the United States on CAS and related issues. Currently, Laura is a practicing SLP specializing in apraxia at her clinic A Mile High Speech Therapy in Aurora, Colorado. 

  • Child Apraxia Treatment and DTTC for CAS

    Join me for my first episode in Season 2 of the SLP Mommy of Apraxia Podcast as I talk to Breanna Waldrup, speech/language pathologist and director of the private non-profit Child Apraxia Treatment. We talk about her role as the director of the foundation, it’s mission statement and elements of Dynamic Temporal Tactile Cueing (DTTC) for the treatment of CAS.

  • Having an Apraxia Sister is Hard.

    Having an Apraxia Sister is Hard.

    We are in the middle of a pandemic called COVID 19. 

    History books will write of it, and you will have remembered living it. 

    The Corona Virus – or COVID 19 put the world to a stand still.  Never before in the history of my lifetime or even your grandparents lifetime had the world come to a stop as it did in 2020. 

    Everything you could imagine was cancelled. 

    Basketball. Swimming.  School. Church!! When I was a child church was never cancelled. It was a phenomenon never before seen. 

    You’re Aunt Kris is a certified teacher and we were beyond blessed to have her teach you while me and daddy worked.  I had a schedule full of remedial skills to ensure you wouldn’t regress; however Kris tweeked the schedule and provided quality instruction that helped you learn.

    Even so…in the midst of it, you and Ashlynn were rough housing.  I told you to stop multiple times as I was worried someone would get hurt. On this particular day you two were rough housing normally but Ashlynn ended up flipped over from the couch slamming her head on the tile.  After telling you two calmly and numerously to not fight my patience flew out the window and I snapped at Jace, “What is wrong with you??? Go to your room!!”

    As he ran to his room he cried, “I’m sorry Ashlynn!.”

    Ashlynn was wailing.  I was scared. She doesn’t cry over physical pain.  She doesn’t.  For her to be crying I was extra worried she was even extra hurt.

    “Having an apraxia sister is hard.” 

    He didn’t say it with contempt.  He didn’t say it with anger.  He said it matter of fact with a tinge of sadness.  I asked him what was hard about it. He hung his head and said,

    Everything.

    I didn’t know what to do but to validate him and hug him.  I told him I knew it was hard, and I was sorry. It’s hard for her too having all of her disabilities.  It’s hard on me too. But this family does hard things.

    And that was that.  He left and went back to playing. Playing with HER. He’s a good kid my Jace.

    Laura Smith, M.A. CCC-SLP is a 2014 graduate of Apraxia Kids Boot Camp, has completed the PROMPT Level 1 training, and the Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol (K-SLP). She is the author of Overcoming Apraxia and has lectured throughout the United States on CAS and related issues. Currently, Laura is a practicing SLP specializing in apraxia at her clinic A Mile High Speech Therapy in Aurora, Colorado.