06 Jun Growing Through Apraxia – Jayden’s story, told by his parents
Jayden’s story began like most kids diagnosed with apraxia. Delayed speech and frustration to be understood were a few of the warning signs. At age 2 ½, before his apraxia diagnosis, Jayden was accepted into early intervention and progress was slow to non-existent.
At four years old, Jayden received his official apraxia diagnosis, and it was at this time that we were told his apraxia was so severe that he may never have intelligible speech. We refused to let this be his future and we knew there was hope for Jayden as he has a cousin four years older who also has severe apraxia. We saw how his family advocated and got him the resources he needed. With hard work, his cousin gave us hope that Jayden could also find success.
We advocated for Jayden to receive appropriate services in the school that would allow him to be successful. Jayden had to put in the hard work daily, but over time his progress started to show. Speech started to build but it was all of life’s successes that needed to be accomplished and celebrated, like riding a bike or handwriting. Along his journey, Jayden created new milestones that we never would have thought he could accomplish. In 2020, Jayden was invited to the Apraxia Kids National Conference where he had the opportunity to speak to 500 adults about his apraxia journey and was a session speaker with his father at the 2022 conference to talk about advocacy.
Jayden continues to provide hope and advocates for kids with apraxia as he knows the importance of the message. Although Jayden has graduated out of speech and no longer needs an IEP, struggles still exist. As if English wasn’t hard enough for him, his school requires that every student take a foreign language. He took on the challenge and although it’s safe to say Jayden probably won’t be fluent any time soon, he is passing the class and never looks for the easy way out. Jayden is proof that any kid can prove their diagnosis wrong.
Hope can be a powerful thing to have on your side, and always remember to celebrate the small accomplishments along the way.
Watch Jayden speak at the 2022 Greater Hartford Walk for Apraxia:
Be inspired by more stories today and learn about how you can Give Hope!
Visit, FIND HOPE, GIVE HOPE
Jayden’s story began like most kids diagnosed with apraxia. Delayed speech and frustration to be understood were a few of the warning signs. At age 2 ½, before his apraxia diagnosis, Jayden was accepted into early intervention and progress was slow to non-existent.
At four years old, Jayden received his official apraxia diagnosis, and it was at this time that we were told his apraxia was so severe that he may never have intelligible speech. We refused to let this be his future and we knew there was hope for Jayden as he has a cousin four years older who also has severe apraxia. We saw how his family advocated and got him the resources he needed. With hard work, his cousin gave us hope that Jayden could also find success.
We advocated for Jayden to receive appropriate services in the school that would allow him to be successful. Jayden had to put in the hard work daily, but over time his progress started to show. Speech started to build but it was all of life’s successes that needed to be accomplished and celebrated, like riding a bike or handwriting. Along his journey, Jayden created new milestones that we never would have thought he could accomplish. In 2020, Jayden was invited to the Apraxia Kids National Conference where he had the opportunity to speak to 500 adults about his apraxia journey and was a session speaker with his father at the 2022 conference to talk about advocacy.
Jayden continues to provide hope and advocates for kids with apraxia as he knows the importance of the message. Although Jayden has graduated out of speech and no longer needs an IEP, struggles still exist. As if English wasn’t hard enough for him, his school requires that every student take a foreign language. He took on the challenge and although it’s safe to say Jayden probably won’t be fluent any time soon, he is passing the class and never looks for the easy way out. Jayden is proof that any kid can prove their diagnosis wrong.
Hope can be a powerful thing to have on your side, and always remember to celebrate the small accomplishments along the way.
Watch Jayden speak at the 2022 Greater Hartford Walk for Apraxia:
Be inspired by more stories today and learn about how you can Give Hope!
Visit, FIND HOPE, GIVE HOPE
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