Swipe 🤣💙➡️
Today is Apraxia Awareness Day 💙
I always tell my sweet daughter Nefi, Nefertiti, that she is a force and that one day she will advocate for many autistic people. She will help bring clarity, compassion, and understanding to a community that is so often misunderstood. I am so proud of my girl ✨
Many autistic individuals are also apraxic, meaning there can sometimes be a disconnect between the brain and the body, making it difficult to control movements or speak verbally.
This is not an intelligence issue.
This is not a hearing issue.
This is not a lack of understanding.
For many, speech is a motor challenge. The thoughts may be there. The understanding may be there. The words may exist clearly in the mind, but the body may not always cooperate.
That is why we must always presume competence.
Communication does not only happen through spoken words. A keyboard, spelling to communicate, AAC, gestures, typing, S2C, pointing, writing, or other forms of expression are all valid and powerful ways to communicate.
An autistic child’s body may sometimes betray them, but that does not mean their mind is empty.
Every child deserves patience.
Every child deserves dignity.
Every child deserves access.
Every child deserves to be understood.
This Apraxia Awareness Day, may we listen differently, support more intentionally, and remember that every voice matters, whether spoken or not.
Some voices are heard with words.
Some are heard through presence, persistence, and the courage to keep trying.
But all voices matter 💙
#ApraxiaAwarenessDay #AutismAcceptance #PresumeCompetence #AutisticVoices #AAC Neurodiversity SpellingToCommunicate CommunicationForAll
