Local Magazine Article on Apraxia

I am so excited! This past week I took Sarah to the library while Alex was in preschool and I found a free local parent magazine. It is distributed all over our city at schools, doctor's offices, some churches and business related to kids, etc. I've seen it before and read it in the pediatrician's waiting room before but not paid too much attention to it, until now. The April issue was dedicated to Autism Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month, and it got me thinking. It was full of informative articles and advertisements and listed tons of support groups and local events, etc. I contacted the publisher of the magazine that very day about doing an article on Apraxia in May, which is Better Hearing and Speech Month and he was very interested and said this is exactly what he wants for the publication, and our community. He said he'd like to do a question and answer type of article and let me answer the questions. Well, I told him that I have my own ideas about what questions and answers would be beneficial to the community, so I shared the following with him.... "What is Developmental Verbal Apraxia?" (a.k.a. Verbal Apraxia, Dyspraxia) ... Signs and Symptoms of Apraxia ... What is the Difference Between a Delay and a Disorder? ... Important Things for Parents to Know ... Recommended Resources and Services ... Things Parents Can Do at Home ... and My Personal Experience as a Parent with an Apraxic Child. He liked what I had presented to him and told me he would probably print the information I sent him basically "as is" although he may tweak it as he finishes his research on the topic from the links I sent him. He said he would send me the final draft to review before it goes to print. I am soooooo excited and encouraged. I have also created an online support group for local moms in my city through Yahoo who have children with apraxia. They will be sharing the web address to the group in the magazine as well. I really hope to connect mothers together locally who have children with apraxia for support, as this journey can often feel lonely. More than anything, I hope that this article brings awareness to parents who don't realize that their child is suffering with apraxia, and not just a "delay". I don't know why this feels so good, but it does. I feel like our journey can help others in theirs, and that gives me some peace.