Apraxia Awareness

Raise awareness of childhood apraxia of speech in your community! Whether it is during Apraxia Awareness Month in May, or year-round, there are many opportunities to inform others of CAS!

Apraxia Kids envisions a world where every child with apraxia of speech reaches their highest communication potential through accurate diagnosis and appropriate timely treatment. We believe that every child deserves a voice.

However, we know that the first time many people hear “childhood apraxia of speech,” is when their child is receiving the diagnosis. Raising awareness means that upon receiving a diagnosis, a parent is aware of what that means, and the speech therapist is aware of how best to support the child and the family.

“The more people that know and understand Apraxia, the more support children and families will have. Early intervention is crucial. A team supporting a child with Apraxia is crucial. I’ve learned along the way, we don’t know what we don’t know. Let’s help people know about Apraxia!”

Click here for a recap of Awareness Month 2023!

How can YOU raise awareness?

You can make a difference in the lives of children with apraxia of speech by raising awareness in your community! Below are some ideas to share your story!

IN THE CLASSROOM

Oftentimes parents present information on their child’s diagnosis to classmates and teachers! Schedule a time with your child’s teacher to go into the classroom either at the beginning of the school year or during Apraxia Awareness Month! Check out our FREE Be the Voice Classroom Kits available with activities and information for students and teachers.”
One parent’s school created a wall of stars where every member of the school including teachers, cafeteria staff, and support staff signed their name in recognition of a student that had apraxia. We love this idea!
Make spreading awareness easy with printable letters, brochures, cards and more with our new Brochures and Printables web page!
Print out our coloring pages to get the students involved! Coloring Page One | Coloring Page Two | Coloring Page Three

IN THE WORKPLACE

Encourage your coworkers to show their support to children with apraxia of speech!
Employee Matching Gifts are donations an employer makes to match its employee’s charitable contributions. You can give your employer and coworkers information about making an ongoing matched gift to Apraxia Kids, to help strengthen the support systems in the lives of children with apraxia of speech.
One parent organized a “jeans day” where coworkers could wear jeans in exchange for a small donation to Apraxia Kids! During Apraxia Awareness Month, workplaces around the country wear blue to celebrate children with apraxia of speech!
Order free brochures from our print store to pass out to your coworkers, and contact your employer to organize a workplace event!

IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Plan an awareness event or organized a community fundraiser! Be the Voice in your community. Please click here to register your event with us so we can support your event!
Download our Apraxia Awareness Month post cards to distribute to community members!

ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Every child deserves a voice, and your stories help give a voice to families affected by childhood apraxia of speech. The easiest way that you can inform others of childhood apraxia of speech is to post about it on social media! Share YOUR story of how CAS has affected your life! Make sure you tag us using #ApraxiaAwareness so that we can read your story!
Want to share your story around the world? If you are an apraxia blogger, advocate, or just someone with a story to tell, we need you! You can be featured on our parent blog!
“Follow Apraxia Kids on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube for shareable content on your favorite social media platforms.”

MAY IS APRAXIA AWARENESS MONTH!

2024 Apraxia Awareness Month Calendar

Our theme for 2024 is: We Are Apraxia Kids. Apraxia Kids is more than just our small staff of eleven – it includes our entire apraxia community! This Apraxia Awareness Month you will get to hear from volunteers, families, SLPs, our Board of Directors, our PAC members, and of course our Apraxia Stars! Thank YOU for being a huge part in our WE! Be sure to follow our social media accounts so you can participate in our daily activities to spread #ApraxiaAwareness throughout May!

Download the official 2024 Apraxia Awareness Month Calendar here!

PROCLAMATIONS

If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to raise awareness of childhood apraxia of speech in your community, here is your chance! File a proclamation for your state, county, or city!

A proclamation is a public or official announcement issued by your local government. 2022 marked the 10 year anniversary of the first proclamation that declared May 14th Apraxia Awareness Day. File a proclamation today!

Learn More

Write To Your Representative

Sharing your story with your legislators allows them to understand the reality of CAS. Your story can strengthen relationships with elected officials and raise awareness for CAS in your state. You can be their resource for advice on CAS! Find your elected officials here –
https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

Download Letter to Rep.

WRITE TO YOUR LOCAL PAPER!

Raise awareness of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) in your local community!

Use our Letter to the Editor template to contact your local paper! You can also use this format to write to a local church newsletter, school newspaper, or parent guide.

When you see your story featured, please make sure to share on social media and tag #ApraxiaAwareness so that Apraxia Kids can share your accomplishment! Together, we can inform more and more people about CAS!

Download Letter to Editor

WRITE TO YOUR LOCAL NEWS ANCHOR!

Raise awareness for CAS by contacting your local TV news outlets and sharing your story. Use this template to inform local anchors of your story and how you’ve been impacted by CAS.

News outlets in your community are easier to contact and obtain coverage because they cover a niche area, so there will be less competition. Your story is likely to be about someone in the community, so it’s very relevant and therefore, very likely to be covered.

To contact a news outlet, you must first find their contact information. For most sites, the contact page is located in the footer.

Do NOT send your email or letter to more than two reporters from the same site. It is recommended to just send to one reporter plus general tip or editorial email.

Download Letter to News Anchor

Apraxia Day of Giving

Make a donation: CLICK HERE

Additional Resources

Download the Apraxia Awareness Day press release here!

Download Apraxia Awareness Day Flyer here!

Download custom official Apraxia Awareness Month graphics here!

HELPFUL RESOURCES

Learn More

WHY IS RAISING AWARENESS IMPORTANT?

“My grandson Evan has battled with Apraxia for the past 7 years since his diagnosis. Through countless hours and years of hard work he continues to overcome the challenges of communication that so many of us take for granted. While communication comes more naturally for him now, the daily challenges of apraxia continue to shape his life. The success of the battle is in many ways dependent on the resources and strength of the apraxia community. We are grateful for the Apraxia Kids organization for the guidance provided to us in this journey. “
“Our son was diagnosed with CAS right after his third birthday and after attending speech therapy for a year. Luckily, his speech therapist pointed us to a great organization called Apraxia Kids. They provide support to families and speech therapists alike. They are a great community where parents can get support from other parents who understand what they are going through. Apraxia Kids also helps professionals learn more about CAS. Apraxia Kids has amazing programs that are helping bring awareness of CAS and helping every kid find their voice.”
“Our son was diagnosed with Apraxia at three years old. We had never heard of apraxia, but felt like sponges ready to soak up all we could to better position ourselves as his advocate. I’m grateful to this day for the Apraxia Kids Facebook groups and website, which gave me access to resources and support. The feeling of community is palpable and the celebration and love for all our children leaves a lasting impact.”
“There is nothing better than giving back to a great organization like Apraxia Kids. A lot of times as a parent you feel helpless watching your child struggle with apraxia but by raising donations you are doing something important and taking control of the situation. You can feel good knowing you are helping your children feel special about themselves!”
“Our son was diagnosed with apraxia at 2 years old. We want to fundraise and contribute to Apraxia Kids as they help all of these amazing children who need so much support! It takes an entire community! They are so vital to this journey for families.”
“Finding and receiving services and support for apraxia has been a long and tiresome journey. The Apraxia Kids website brought me my first hope in learning to treat apraxia and find support. With the Apraxia Kids support groups, I no longer felt I was on my own. Other families were able to offer some tips and a caring ear to my concerns.”
“When our daughter was diagnosed, we had no idea what childhood apraxia of speech was. We scoured the internet looking for answers to our many questions, and were pleased to find Apraxia Kids. It has been an amazing resource for our family, friends, and educators as we all work to understand and raise awareness for this disorder.”
“Every dollar raised helps support children with apraxia of speech. I believe in the work Apraxia Kids does to strengthen the support systems in the lives of children with apraxia so that each child is afforded their best opportunity to develop to their full potential. This is why we spread awareness!”
“Our son received an iPad from the Speech Tablet program three years ago. We were in a major transition in our life and we couldn’t financially afford an iPad. We wanted every tool we could get to help him on this journey. The iPad has been an amazing tool for him. Now, we hope the money we raise for Apraxia Kids, no matter how much or how little, can help other families on this journey.”
“When we were new to this diagnosis, we needed the hope that others provided. The progress that our son has made throughout his apraxia journey is extraordinary, and I have no doubt that the Apraxia Kids family has maintained my peace of mind for many years now. We want others to experience the love from the organization and the local families as we have.”
When you inform even one other person about childhood apraxia of speech, you are making the world a more understanding and compassionate place for children with CAS! Hear from our community members about why raising awareness is important to them!

Families of children with apraxia of speech continue to face a world where most people they encounter have never heard of CAS. Your donation helps ensure that apraxia is not only recognized but diagnosed and treated appropriately.

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