She is a fighter, not of guts and glory, but one of understated grace.
0906, 2016

She is a fighter, not of guts and glory, but one of understated grace.

Well, Ashlynn completed Kindergarten.  It was pretty anti-climactic to be honest.  For some reason, her school doesn’t believe in Kindergarten graduations.  Okay, it’s not for “some reason,” it’s because the philosophy of the school is that graduations signify an end and Kindergarten is just a beginning. I get it…kind of.  Actually no, I don’t get it at all.  If that were the case, we wouldn’t celebrate any graduation because technically

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Why I’m angry and even more passionate as we approach the 4th annual Apraxia Awareness Day.
1005, 2016

Why I’m angry and even more passionate as we approach the 4th annual Apraxia Awareness Day.

I love Apraxia Awareness Day, ever since I celebrated my first one when Ashlynn was new to the dx.  It’s always a time of excitement, renewed hope and resolve, support, and community who comes together filling up facebook and my newsfeed with their apraxia fighters. I’ve been honest and open about telling my own early experience with apraxia, which wasn’t much.  I’ve been the first one to admit I barely

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2805, 2015

Speaking in scripts with a story in her eyes

Thanks to funding from Small Steps, I have Ashlynn back in therapy with her private SLP, who is also my mentor and now friend.  The other night she was updating me on her progress and what happened in the session.  I take my daughter to her house, so occasionally her husband or dogs may walk by and apparently distract Ashlynn.  She was remarking on Ashlynn’s ability to hold a pretty

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Why we’ll never stop working
3004, 2015

Why we’ll never stop working

I’ve been down lately.  Really, really down.  It pretty much started at Ashlynn’s re-evaluation meeting and went downhill from there.  For all the work she’s done, for how far she has come, for what she knows in the face of so many challenges,  it was like a slap in the face. It’s really not anyone’s fault.  It’s just the way it is.  I’m dealing with mixed expressive/receptive language issues now.

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3004, 2015

Kaufman DVD and Treatment Kit 1 Giveaway!

Today is May 1st, which marks the beginning of better speech and hearing month!  More importantly though, the Third Annual Apraxia Awareness Day is May 14! To celebrate, I’m offering giveaways all month for apraxia related products.  First up are the immensely popular Kaufman DVD and Instructional Kit 1 COMBO.   This kit was honestly instrumental in helping my daughter cross the bridge from being a nonverbal, ineffective imitator, to

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Why nature weighs more heavily than nurture
1601, 2015

Why nature weighs more heavily than nurture

Nature versus nurture.  It’s a phrase that comes up in my profession, even if it’s unspoken.  I’m in the business of child language development, and nothing raises more eyebrows about nurture than a child who can’t talk…. or who has poor vocabulary knowledge…… or is lacking in language skills. Oh it comes up in psychology too.  We’ve all heard the stories of twins separated at birth and raised in different

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