Strategies to promote speech and language in the pre-verbal or minimally verbal child with Apraxia
0901, 2015

Strategies to promote speech and language in the pre-verbal or minimally verbal child with Apraxia

The great thing about speech and language, is that it a task that can be worked on in any activity.  Familiar routines in the home provide the perfect platform for encouraging speech and language, because this “routinized language” is predictable and context based. A fellow SLP and mommy of apraxia, Kim from Landonjourney.blogspot.com and I teamed up for Part I in my series of parent strategies to promote speech at

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A tale of two roles: navigating my role on both sides of apraxia.
2810, 2014

A tale of two roles: navigating my role on both sides of apraxia.

I first met a fellow mommy of apraxia at the Denver Apraxia Walk.  She was pleasant with kind eyes, and said she felt her 5 year old son needed a change up in speech therapy services. The next week her son was scheduled for therapy at the private clinic in which I work. In most cases, I have my parents come with their child into my office.  I NEED them

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Did I cause her apraxia?
2701, 2014

Did I cause her apraxia?

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

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0905, 2013

“I Will Wait” Struggles have made victory that much sweeter.

Ashlynn’s progress continues to grow by leaps and bounds.  So many times I catch myself smiling and my eyes well up with tears to see her knock down all of her obstacles. Last month she learned to jump for the first time at 3 1/2.  At the beginning of the year, it broke my heart to watch her try on a classroom trampoline.  On their turn, all the other kids

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0402, 2013

Ashlynn’s at four words! Update

Ashlynn is literally making leaps and bounds in her speech.  Sometimes, I feel like we are actually having a mini conversation.  I think the greatest aspect is her being able to tell me where she’s hurting, or even tell me what she wants to eat.  She tries to repeat everything now, and even has some sponteaneous four word utterances!  The past week, her new thing was “too” as in, “Ashlynn

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2909, 2012

Oral apraxia

Looking back, there were SO many signs that told me Ashlynn had apraxia. Before she even spoke, there were things she couldn’t do that I knew wasn’t normal. However, my family, my husband’s family, and even my husband told me she would do it on her own time, or all kids develop differently, or to stop being so critical of her. Despite my training and perhaps wanting to believe them,

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