Dynamic Speech

08/28/2025

An important reminder for everyone 🤗 Even through individuals with CAS might struggle to verbalize their thoughts, they can still hear everything you say.

08/22/2025

Check it out!

08/12/2025

Fall openings for pediatric speech evaluations and therapy! Call now to schedule!
440-522-6255

07/09/2025

07/09/2025

Heather Cooper, PT offers over a decade of experience working with clients in the aquatic environment. With Abilibee's home-based offerings, she can bring these unique and powerful treatment options to your home, neighborhood, or other local pool. Treatment where and how you want it!

06/03/2025

For children with autism, the risk of drowning is 160 times more than the general pediatric population. In addition to swimming lessons, teaching water safety is critical.

05/02/2025

There’s a thing that happens to me when I speak for him.
It’s a rising in my throat.
A harder heartbeat. A shaky voice. Sometimes tears.
The lump. The heat. The sting.

Not because I am scared.
But because I love him.

And because he can’t.

I’ve never been good at speaking up. Not even for myself. I don’t like confrontation. I cannot stand making somebody else feel bad, even if they made me feel it first.

But he needs me to.

That’s the thing. That’s the part.
He needs me to. He cannot do it himself.
He needs somebody to speak for him. To ask questions for him. To fight for him and say no for him. He needs someone to ask others to listen to him and he needs a voice that will stand behind him and yell when he’s not being heard.

So even if my voice trembles and my words don’t exactly come out right, and even if the tears fall right there or later in the car, I want to speak for him.

Because sometimes advocating for your child looks fierce, and sometimes it just looks like showing up and saying something.

Today, I spoke for him.

Because he needed me to.

And I’ll keep speaking. I’ll keep practicing. I’ll keep standing up and I’ll keep showing up.

Every single time.
Because he needs me to.

If you’ve ever sat in a room and felt your voice shake,
If you’ve ever cried in the car afterward,
If you’ve ever wondered if it was enough -

I want you to know: it was.
You are not weak. You are powerful.
And you are not alone.

Save this for the days you need reminding.

Keep going.
Love,
Christine x
Special Soul Mama

04/02/2025

03/12/2025

One of the messages I receive most is from people saying that they are constantly being told, “they’re lazy, they’ll catch up when they’re ready,” “just give them some time, my friends, brothers, daughter didn’t speak until they were 3,” or “their sibling’s talking for them, why would they bother talking for themselves?”

Actually NO!

If the child has received a diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), previously known as verbal dyspraxia, they are most certainly not being lazy! They are having to fight for every sound, approximation or word. CAS is a very real neurological speech disorder. Children with CAS have difficulty making the precise movements required for speech but there is no evidence of nerve or muscle damage. They have difficultly sequencing sounds together in words. This makes their speech unintelligible, even to family members.

“Just give them time, they’ll catch up.” Again, wrong! There is no quick fix or cure. Children with CAS need years of intensive, motor planning based speech therapy to have any chance of improving their speech. Learning to talk is a very slow process. I was 15 when I was discharged from speech and language ( after 13 years of speech therapy), when my speech was “as good as it’s going to get.” Now at 23 I still have speech sound errors, word retrieval difficulties and anxiety surrounding my speech.

“Their sibling is talking for them.” Well yes, maybe they are but this is because their sibling, at a relatively young age, already realised that they struggle to make themselves understood, so yes they help them. When I was younger there were times when my sister was the only one who understood what I was trying to say so she would translate for me. It never stopped me from trying to make myself understood but it did help reduce the feelings of frustration.

Please, if some one tells you that they/their child has CAS, don’t dismiss it because you don’t understand it or have never heard of it, take the time to find out what it is and how you can help and support.

CAS is a life long, neurological speech disorder!

03/05/2025

Earlier this month, we welcomed Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month by sharing what developmental disabilities are and just how commonly they occur. Today we're spreading some more awareness with this list - are there any that surprised you?

When we know more about developmental disabilities, we can work together to improve access and inclusion. Want to show your support? Be one of the first 100 families at the Lorain County Resource Fair on March 18 you'll receive a free plush with inclusion pin and information on developmental disabilities. You can learn more about the fair at connectingforkids.org/lorain-resource-fair

ID: Shaded pink and orange image with a list of common developmental disabilities. The list includes ADHD, autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, genetic disorders, language disorders, learning disabilities, and sensory disabilities. The image is decorated with symbols for mobility disabilities, brain-based disabilities, sign language, and blindness.