Apraxia of Speech & Phone Calls — Jordan’s Journals

“I first got a phone when I was eight years old. As you may imagine, my sixteen-year-old sister was so jealous. “Why does he get a phone, but I don’t? I’ve had to wait until I was sixteen!” She didn’t understand that my parents got me a phone as a recommendation to encourage me to speak with my apraxia of speech and in case I got lost.”

I got lost before as a child. It was outside of my classroom. When you can’t say your name at five years old, suddenly nobody knows who you are. Your name is your identity. So, my mom got a necklace for me that said my name and her phone number. And eventually, she got me my own phone. Although I never called others, I found a love for texting because it wasn’t as difficult.

I could finally write my full thoughts and ideas. And gosh, did I love it. Do you know why I write so much now? I can communicate things I’ll never be able to entirely with my mouth. I’m a writer at heart when speaking can be more difficult.

Phone calls are more difficult. I had speech therapy practicing phone calls. My speech-language pathologist would practice this with me as a young adult. She would go into a different room, call me, and we would practice various things within a phone call setting such as picking up, saying hello, how are you, and numerous more questions. Answering questions can be increasingly difficult for people with apraxia, so practicing this within a phone conversation is a different element with applied pressure. Also, people with apraxia have troubles when any type of pressure is applied to their speech. So, given these complexities, it makes sense why phone calls would be more difficult.

The time in speech therapy really helped. I also observe I have fewer difficulties while talking with AirPods in because holding the phone up to my mouth can make me not move my tongue, lips, and jaw like how I want to. However, without anything up against my face. It’s easier.

We all have to find what works for us. And working on these different things for your children will help long-term success with speech therapy and other speech skills they will need as successful adults with apraxia of speech.

Love,

Jordan Christian LeVan