15 Jan An Olive Branch, the story of Elizabeth White
My apraxia journey began around 2000, when my parents were first told that I had Childhood Apraxia of Speech when we lived in Idaho. My parents had never heard of apraxia before and had to do their own research, thus starting their own journey in being my biggest apraxia advocates. In Idaho, I attended a private speech therapy practice while attending an early intervention preschool and then had speech in public school during kindergarten and first grade which is around the time when my parents first heard the word “apraxia.” Shortly after that, my family moved to Malawi, Africa, for two years where my speech therapy consists of my mother practicing my speech sounds with me (and she’s not a SLP). After Malawi, I spent a couple of years in Montana and then back to Texas, doing school-based speech therapy.
It is difficult to know fully how apraxia challenged me in school. Apraxia is my life, it is a part of me, and something that I learned to live with. Before I knew the name “apraxia,” I already knew communication was hard for me. I wasn’t oblivious to my classmates’ jokes about my speech, and I am still not oblivious to adults’ sideway glances when I speak. But that never stopped me. Apraxia taught me determination and empathy. Apraxia taught me to not give up. I graduated high school a year early, I studied abroad in England at the age of 18. Then, I moved to a new city at 23 to start graduate school and earned my master’s degree in the middle of a global pandemic.
I was once asked if I could get rid of my apraxia, would I? I honestly did not have an answer. Do I get mad at my disfluencies? Or, when I ended up saying something else instead of my intended? Of course, I do! But I also know that apraxia got me to where I am today. I am a licensed school social worker and someone at my organization told me that they hired me because I had a mission. Evidently, during my interview, I brought up apraxia and how I was well-aware that my speech is inconsistent, and it is something I am conscientious about in my daily life. But I explained how I was a shy, quiet student who although did well academically and behaviorally, I could have used a social worker to empower me. I could have used someone to tell me that any challenges that I have are not a hindrance or a setback, instead it is just a hurdle, and one can learn how to jump over a hurdle. I mean, track & field runners do it. It can’t be that hard.
For families, my advice is: You are doing great. It gets better. Keep encouraging and empowering your Apraxia Star in taking those risks and challenges. One day, they will be grateful for you. For professionals, believe in your Apraxia Star. Let them know that you are behind them 100%. Make time for the families and listen to them. The parents know their child well and they want to be their child’s biggest advocate. Leave time at the end of the sessions to update the parents and to check in on them.
Message of hope: Apraxia is not an end-all. You can still accomplish so much and do the same thing as your able-bodied peers. Apraxia was once seen as a weapon against me, now it’s an olive branch. I use it to connect to my students, to my clients, to my colleagues, and to my friends.
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My apraxia journey began around 2000, when my parents were first told that I had Childhood Apraxia of Speech when we lived in Idaho. My parents had never heard of apraxia before and had to do their own research, thus starting their own journey in being my biggest apraxia advocates. In Idaho, I attended a private speech therapy practice while attending an early intervention preschool and then had speech in public school during kindergarten and first grade which is around the time when my parents first heard the word “apraxia.” Shortly after that, my family moved to Malawi, Africa, for two years where my speech therapy consists of my mother practicing my speech sounds with me (and she’s not a SLP). After Malawi, I spent a couple of years in Montana and then back to Texas, doing school-based speech therapy.
It is difficult to know fully how apraxia challenged me in school. Apraxia is my life, it is a part of me, and something that I learned to live with. Before I knew the name “apraxia,” I already knew communication was hard for me. I wasn’t oblivious to my classmates’ jokes about my speech, and I am still not oblivious to adults’ sideway glances when I speak. But that never stopped me. Apraxia taught me determination and empathy. Apraxia taught me to not give up. I graduated high school a year early, I studied abroad in England at the age of 18. Then, I moved to a new city at 23 to start graduate school and earned my master’s degree in the middle of a global pandemic.
I was once asked if I could get rid of my apraxia, would I? I honestly did not have an answer. Do I get mad at my disfluencies? Or, when I ended up saying something else instead of my intended? Of course, I do! But I also know that apraxia got me to where I am today. I am a licensed school social worker and someone at my organization told me that they hired me because I had a mission. Evidently, during my interview, I brought up apraxia and how I was well-aware that my speech is inconsistent, and it is something I am conscientious about in my daily life. But I explained how I was a shy, quiet student who although did well academically and behaviorally, I could have used a social worker to empower me. I could have used someone to tell me that any challenges that I have are not a hindrance or a setback, instead it is just a hurdle, and one can learn how to jump over a hurdle. I mean, track & field runners do it. It can’t be that hard.
For families, my advice is: You are doing great. It gets better. Keep encouraging and empowering your Apraxia Star in taking those risks and challenges. One day, they will be grateful for you. For professionals, believe in your Apraxia Star. Let them know that you are behind them 100%. Make time for the families and listen to them. The parents know their child well and they want to be their child’s biggest advocate. Leave time at the end of the sessions to update the parents and to check in on them.
Message of hope: Apraxia is not an end-all. You can still accomplish so much and do the same thing as your able-bodied peers. Apraxia was once seen as a weapon against me, now it’s an olive branch. I use it to connect to my students, to my clients, to my colleagues, and to my friends.
Be inspired by more stories today and learn about how you can Give Hope!
Visit, FIND HOPE, GIVE HOPE
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