Apraxia Monday: I already know how to talk!

“Mom, I tired of going to speech,” she tells me.  I’m driving the minivan and I reach behind to grab Kate’s little ankle.  I give her a squeeze, “I know, pumpkin.  But it’s important.” 

“I already know how to talk,” she assures me.  “Why do I have to go?” 

It breaks my heart.  Mysweet 5-year old really doesn’t understand why she has to go to speech once a week.  Although in my head I have lots of reasons why–prosody, socialization, sequencing, narrative skills–but how do I explain that to my little sweetie?  So I just roll my lips into a straight line, twist back to face her at the next stop-light and say, “Well, I want to make sure you are really, really ready to go to kindergarten.” 

For now, that seems to appease her.  But I know there will come a day when I need to have a better answer for her.  I know there will come a day when she really refuses to go.  I guess I can’t blame her.  Kate has been going to speech therapy once or twice (even three times for awhile!) a week for half of her life!  We all get burned out on doing the same things over and over (unless of course, it’s eating ice cream!) 

I know I will continue to take Kate to speech therapy as long as I need to.  As long as she needs it.  As long as I can convince her that it’s really, really important.  Because it is. 

Other news in the world of Apraxia: 

• CASANA member, Lisa Allseits and her husband hosted the first Midwestern Apraxia Picnic at their family farm in NW Illinois this past weekend.  Did anyone go??  What did you think? 
• Case Western University was recently awarded a grant of $235,000 for a fMRI, an imagining study of speech production in kids with CAS. 
• I met with two great woman in St. Louis this past weekend–Rhonda Bandford, SLP and Amy Moll (apraxia mom who was a guest blogger a few weeks back) who were full of ideas, inspiration, and encouragement.  I’ll pass on some of their tips and ideas next week! 
• Apraxia Info/Edu/Support Group currently forming in the Fox Valley area of Chicagoland (sessions to begin this fall).  Email me now leslie_lindsay@hotmail.com for more information &/or to put your name on the list.  It’s FREE!! 

Happy Monday!