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Why I Walk for Apraxia!

As a Speech-Language Pathologist and the owner and director of Speakeasy for Kids, I’ve had the privilege of spending my career helping children find their voices. And when I say voices, I mean all of them.

Some children come to us knowing exactly what they want to say, but their brains and mouths just aren’t quite working together to make it happen. For children with apraxia, producing speech can take an incredible amount of planning, practice, patience, and persistence.

I’ve seen the hard days. I’ve seen the frustration. I’ve seen the tears.

But I’ve also seen the moments that make all of us stop what we’re doing and celebrate—a sound that finally comes out, a word that suddenly clicks, a phrase they’ve worked on for weeks, or that priceless look of “I DID IT!”

Those moments are why I do what I do. And they are why I’m walking for Apraxia.

I’m walking for every child who has something to say and is working incredibly hard to say it.

I’m walking for the families who become their child’s biggest cheerleaders, advocates, therapists, and researchers.

I’m walking for the SLPs who can somehow turn repetitive speech practice into a game, a song, a dinosaur activity, or whatever it takes to keep a child motivated.

And I’m walking because difficulty speaking does not mean difficulty thinking, feeling, understanding, loving, laughing, or having something important to say.

After all these years, I still get excited about the little things. Maybe especially the little things. Because when you know how much work went into that one sound or that one word, you know it isn't “little” at all.

It’s a victory.

I’m proud to walk alongside our Speakeasy for Kids team and the many families and professionals who are working to give children with apraxia the support, understanding, and opportunities they deserve.

Every child has a voice. Sometimes we just have to help them find the path to it. 💙

Please join me in supporting this important cause. Every donation helps raise awareness, support families, and advance the resources and research needed to help children with apraxia communicate more successfully.

And yes…after all these years, I still have a pretty good collection of bubbles, stickers, puppets, and ridiculous therapy voices. Some things never change. 💙