18 Feb Never Give Up: Braydon’s Story
Braydon was our first-born and we thought he was perfect in every way. It wasn’t until he was 2 that we started noticing that he never really said many words other than “car”. Everything was “car”. If he wanted a glass of milk he would say “car”. If he wanted to watch tv he would say “car”. He never really babbled or try to imitate sounds. At 2.5 we had him tested by Early Childhood Intervention and his comprehension was well above his age. This caused him not to qualify for speech services even though his verbal was well below his age level. Eventually he would qualify for ECI and begin receiving services.
In the meantime, we were blessed to be connected with Tiffany Indiero (a now Apraxia Kids Boot Camp graduate) who first suggested apraxia and guided us through this new world. She introduced us to Apraxia Kids and all the resources available. By this time, we had 2 more children, making life with intensive therapy and 3 under 3 very busy. We saw a pediatric diagnostician who further diagnosed Braydon with OCD, SPD, social/emotional anxiety, and severe ADHD.
However, it wasn’t until we attended the National Apraxia Kids Conference in San Antonio that my husband and I took the time we needed grieve. We allowed the challenge of raising a child with life-long disability to truly soak in and accepted the responsibility all of that comes with. What a transformative experience that was. We were surrounded by people who “got it”, who could cry with us, who could help us figure out the next steps, who lift us up in our darkest moment.
Leaving the conference, we were on a mission. We would fight for our child and do whatever we could to help him through this marathon. Braydon is now 11 years old. He is the happiest little boy I know. He does not let his speech hold him back from making friends where ever he goes. He still has many hurdles to overcome, but without the support of the apraxia community, I know we would not be where we are today.
We do not walk for our child, we walk with our child. Our entire family walks to celebrate all of our sacrifices and accomplishments. Apraxia does not just effect Braydon. Apraxia effects the whole family, but not in the negative way it might sound. Myself, my husband, our children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and family friends have learned so much traveling down this road with Braydon.
We have learned to never give up. Braydon never gives up on anything. No matter how tired or fed up he is, he goes to speech therapy and occupational therapy without complaint. We have learned that hard work and resilience makes us stronger in the end. Braydon spends hours doing homework that takes most children 15 minutes to do, but getting an A on an assignment makes it that more rewarding when you know you have given your all.
We have learned that small sacrifices are necessary to reach a goal. Braydon (and the rest of us) have had to give up many things in order to keep up with his required therapies. When you are little and you are pulling out of your driveway to go to the next activity while the other children are playing in the street, is hard. However, when Braydon masters a sound or does well on something in school, we all celebrate and feel just as accomplished as he does.
The walk is a family event, not just for Braydon, but for all of us. We are all in this together; his successes are our successes and we could not be more proud to walk alongside such an incredibly resilient little boy.
We also walk to support and spread awareness for childhood apraxia of speech. We know and have born witness to the importance of early intervention, so the more we can spread the word, the more likely it is to reach a family that may not have this info. We love the community of people that attend the walk. It is the most supportive and loving group of people who come together to celebrate all our Apraxia Stars. Finally, we walk to raise funds for Apraxia Kids. We are involved in a lot of Non-profit Charity Organizations and never have we seen a group do/give so much back to the public. They support all the many factors involved in apraxia that includes not only information/financial support for families, but also educational support for professionals that work with children with apraxia of speech.
Braydon and his family attended the 2018 Houston Walk for Apraxia, and fundraised over $1,000 to be a member of the Champions Club. Apraxia Kids is grateful for “Team Braydon” for helping to continue our mission of strengthening the support systems in the lives of children with apraxia of speech. Thank you to Braydon and his family for sharing their story of hope.
Find a local walk near you and help give a voice to children with apraxia of speech.
Braydon was our first-born and we thought he was perfect in every way. It wasn’t until he was 2 that we started noticing that he never really said many words other than “car”. Everything was “car”. If he wanted a glass of milk he would say “car”. If he wanted to watch tv he would say “car”. He never really babbled or try to imitate sounds. At 2.5 we had him tested by Early Childhood Intervention and his comprehension was well above his age. This caused him not to qualify for speech services even though his verbal was well below his age level. Eventually he would qualify for ECI and begin receiving services.
In the meantime, we were blessed to be connected with Tiffany Indiero (a now Apraxia Kids Boot Camp graduate) who first suggested apraxia and guided us through this new world. She introduced us to Apraxia Kids and all the resources available. By this time, we had 2 more children, making life with intensive therapy and 3 under 3 very busy. We saw a pediatric diagnostician who further diagnosed Braydon with OCD, SPD, social/emotional anxiety, and severe ADHD.
However, it wasn’t until we attended the National Apraxia Kids Conference in San Antonio that my husband and I took the time we needed grieve. We allowed the challenge of raising a child with life-long disability to truly soak in and accepted the responsibility all of that comes with. What a transformative experience that was. We were surrounded by people who “got it”, who could cry with us, who could help us figure out the next steps, who lift us up in our darkest moment.
Leaving the conference, we were on a mission. We would fight for our child and do whatever we could to help him through this marathon. Braydon is now 11 years old. He is the happiest little boy I know. He does not let his speech hold him back from making friends where ever he goes. He still has many hurdles to overcome, but without the support of the apraxia community, I know we would not be where we are today.
We do not walk for our child, we walk with our child. Our entire family walks to celebrate all of our sacrifices and accomplishments. Apraxia does not just effect Braydon. Apraxia effects the whole family, but not in the negative way it might sound. Myself, my husband, our children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and family friends have learned so much traveling down this road with Braydon.
We have learned to never give up. Braydon never gives up on anything. No matter how tired or fed up he is, he goes to speech therapy and occupational therapy without complaint. We have learned that hard work and resilience makes us stronger in the end. Braydon spends hours doing homework that takes most children 15 minutes to do, but getting an A on an assignment makes it that more rewarding when you know you have given your all.
We have learned that small sacrifices are necessary to reach a goal. Braydon (and the rest of us) have had to give up many things in order to keep up with his required therapies. When you are little and you are pulling out of your driveway to go to the next activity while the other children are playing in the street, is hard. However, when Braydon masters a sound or does well on something in school, we all celebrate and feel just as accomplished as he does.
The walk is a family event, not just for Braydon, but for all of us. We are all in this together; his successes are our successes and we could not be more proud to walk alongside such an incredibly resilient little boy.
We also walk to support and spread awareness for childhood apraxia of speech. We know and have born witness to the importance of early intervention, so the more we can spread the word, the more likely it is to reach a family that may not have this info. We love the community of people that attend the walk. It is the most supportive and loving group of people who come together to celebrate all our Apraxia Stars. Finally, we walk to raise funds for Apraxia Kids. We are involved in a lot of Non-profit Charity Organizations and never have we seen a group do/give so much back to the public. They support all the many factors involved in apraxia that includes not only information/financial support for families, but also educational support for professionals that work with children with apraxia of speech.
Braydon and his family attended the 2018 Houston Walk for Apraxia, and fundraised over $1,000 to be a member of the Champions Club. Apraxia Kids is grateful for “Team Braydon” for helping to continue our mission of strengthening the support systems in the lives of children with apraxia of speech. Thank you to Braydon and his family for sharing their story of hope.
Find a local walk near you and help give a voice to children with apraxia of speech.
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