When you first heard the word Apraxia, I imagine you were either two of these things: worried or confused. We can often times get so caught up in the difficulties of this speech difference, that we fail to recognize what children will gain from it. We lose sight of the whole picture, and we don’t recognize who they’ll become as adults. Here are five characteristics I have found common in people with Apraxia:
1.) Hard Working.
Children with Apraxia are hard-working, and you cannot change my mind otherwise. We have these children in speech therapy rooms fighting for their voices. They know in these sessions they have to give it their all; why do you think they get worn down after so long? The work they put in carries into adulthood. You don’t just develop these characteristics for no reason.
2.) Determined.
Now, let’s talk about determination. Let’s look at it this way; you’re in speech 3-5x a week. It’s exhausting. It gets old. When I was a kid, I would be like bummer; I have to go back? However, underneath the surface, I always knew I had determination in me. I always had the determination to learn the next sound or word. Determination can take you great places in life, you don’t give up until you have what you want.
3.) Adaptable.
I haven’t heard much about the word adaptable in the Apraxia community. However, I see it in these kids. There’s this young girl named Ashlynn who’s the child of my friend Laura Smith. I see Ashlynn combatting obstacles every week. Things that are dx say she wouldn’t be able to do; she is doing. She is adapting to new conditions. In my life like Ashlynn, I have had to learn to adapt to new conditions; when I went to college, I got a job, and meet new people in my day to day life. We have the ability to adapt to new conditions and turn what people would have counted as our weaknesses into our strengths.
4.) Brave.
Children who have Apraxia are brave. They know this isn’t going to be easy,. However, they still push forward. As they age, they develop this sense of bravery. They wake up every morning pushing through the words, although their brain is trying to hold them back. It would be easy to dodge these situations, however, they aren’t ones to go down without a fight. They will grow up and have a sense of peace for their inner-child self.
5.) Resilient.
Children with Apraxia gain resilience. They’ve been in difficult situations because, as we know, life isn’t always pretty. However, they learn how to recover quickly. After that, they learn how to stand up for themselves, and become their own advocate. Life is going to have a thousand reasons to knock them down, but they will stand back up each time.
Be your child’s advocate until they become their own. When they do, Apraxia will give them things they never had. I’m not saying Apraxia isn’t difficult, because as we know, this is a challenging diagnosis. However, your child wouldn’t be who they are, or you wouldn’t be who you are without Apraxia. I am who I am today because of Apraxia.