Lainie's been going to K-State Speech and Hearing Center for six months now. For six months, two days a week, we spend nearly 2 1/2 hours (1 hour session, 45 minutes there, 45 minutes home) dedicated to her speech. That doesn't include the hours working on "homework", practicing the word lists for the week and incorporating them into our conversations, making her say the words to get what she wants, having her repeat us to clarify what she wanted to communicate. It's exhausting. Some days, I'm asking, "Is it worth it?" Thankfully, I have Jay and my mom to be our cheerleaders, to remind me of progress made, to help me forget, if only temporarily, the long road she has ahead.
What does apraxia mean to us? Here's a sample of a good day:
On good days, we can understand her most of the day. On good days, she might try to communicate at school and daycare. On good days, she can find the word she's looking for, at least until supper time. By supper, she's so tired for the effort of talking that it's rare for her communicate clearly.
On bad days, I think I'd understand Lassie more than my own daughter. On bad days, she goes to the playroom and plays by herself, because she gets frustrated at not being able to express her thoughts and emotions.
But on good days, her smile shines bright and her pride is clear with every word she says.
1 comment:
I think of you guys and speech-related stuff often so it is good to hear an update. That actually sounds a lot like Ronan except he only does one word at a time. We may not be dealing with anything as complicated as L (well, we don't really know what we are dealing with) but I hear ya on the cheering for progress vs. the feelings of frustration. I know she has awesome parents and an awesome team to work with her and no one could do better!
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