Cash\'s voice
Donation protected
I am raising money for... Our son Cash to be able to get the best treatment possible for speech apraxia. For those of you that know us well, Cash struggles with communicating on a daily basis. Cash was diagnosed with speech apraixa right at the age of 3, which is really the earliest they say they can diagnose it, my hope for the future is that changes soon. Cash had a turbulent arrival into our arms and our hearts, the little guy got stuck,it's our belief that the doctor called a c-section a little to late. Cash came out with bruises on the left side of his tiny face and a little black eye, but otherwise 100% PERFECT! One of the main causes of speech apriaxa is damage to the left side of the brain. Cash has developed right on schedule in every other way, however around 2 when he started talking (or trying too) he didn't say much, but his few words were understandable, Mum-mum which he now calls me Mo-me ;) , Dada, Juice and so on... slowly we started noticing his vocabulary wasn't growing. And then came the frustration, for all three of us, Cash knew what he wanted to say but couldn't, and as his parents, we hated not being able to understand him. For a short time I honestly thought he was just being stubborn, because one day he could say juice or fruit snacks whatever he needed/wanted just fine, or at least the way my ears were trained to hear him. Then the next day it was just jargon and episodes of tantrums, on both our parts.... it was right around when our daughter Layla was born, so at the time it seemed like maybe he was doing it for attention. Let me tell ya, I still carry guilt for getting frustrated with him, I wish I would of known sooner....
The real struggle began around 2 years ago, once realizing there was a problem it made it hard for me to work or really do anything since no one else could understand his wants or needs. I started pushing for him to get help through the schools out here, only to get the run around for years. My next step was private therapy, so at 3 1/2 we got a diagnoses! Yea, right???? Not so much, for whatever reason, his secondary insurance wouldn't pick up the remainder of the bills. So we had to pull him from that due to cost, plus I had gone back to the schools (the free route) with hope of getting him in, this went on for sometime....To say he slipped through the cracks at the schools would be an understatement. If anyone has wondered where the hell I have been the last two years, I have been on the phone with those yahoos, well and keeping Layla out of harms way ;) and spoiling Memphis; )
What I feel is the truth of the matter is the reason we were put off, and got no answers, is that there is not enough knowledge of speech apraxia. Any doctor or specialist we went to would tell me to have him checked for autism, because he wouldn't make eye contact and wanted me to speak for him.... Which he knows the guy won't understand him anyways, so why waste everyone's time...and if I was 4 years old and had some big nosed, bald dude in my face, I would most likely look away as well. And if it wasn't that.... then it was assumed that he must have a lisp, or a st-udder...
So as any normal mother would..... ;) I got fed up and went back to school for speech pathology. I will raise awareness, one way or another! Through all the digging and research I found ONE woman that felt the same over 30 years ago, Nancy Kaufman she has dedicated her research to speech pathology, she is the only person I am aware of that knows everything about speech apraxia... So that is where we head next, our insurance won't cover it and just the initial evaluation is normally $300. But the truth is I am running out of options. Cash will already be a year older than the other kids, because of his birthday, So next fall I would really like to see him start kindergarten. But unless his speech improves we are not sure that is a option.
But most importantly, I want Cash to stay the bright, loving ,free spirited kid that he is. In his preschool class he is never afraid to give an answer or suggest an idea, and he has plenty of really good ideas....But I see him pulling away in social settings and wanted to be with me more than anyone else, which no complaints here, It just took him so long to come out of his shell , it would kill me to see his little light dim at all. Cash has given me so much in just 5 years.... I wouldn't change a thing in our lives...Without him being just the way he is, I may of never felt such a strong bond, love or felt such compassionate in my life. And he might not of learned to express himself through drawing and building things. No I would not change one second of my time with my son, but I will say; I am SO looking forward to millions of REAL conversations with him.
The money collected will go towards... Cash's initial evaluation with Nancy Kaufman, and therapy sessions either with her or someone she recommends. Past medical bills, and future sessions if needed, and some of Nancy Kaufman's Materials, such as her flashcards, games and therapy tools for Cash and I to do at home.
Supporters can also help by... Raising Awareness of Childhood Speech Apraxia
Here are two very good sites to take a look at if you are interested in learning more about it
http://www.apraxia-kids.org/
http://www.kidspeech.com
We have also decided to try a pizza kit fundraiser, I will post a link to that as soon as I can.
Caleb and I also wanted to say that we are deeply touched that so many of you wanted to help us make this happen! We are SO blessed to have such wonderful friends and family! And with all of you, our three beautiful babies and each other, we might just be some of the luckiest people in the world!
The real struggle began around 2 years ago, once realizing there was a problem it made it hard for me to work or really do anything since no one else could understand his wants or needs. I started pushing for him to get help through the schools out here, only to get the run around for years. My next step was private therapy, so at 3 1/2 we got a diagnoses! Yea, right???? Not so much, for whatever reason, his secondary insurance wouldn't pick up the remainder of the bills. So we had to pull him from that due to cost, plus I had gone back to the schools (the free route) with hope of getting him in, this went on for sometime....To say he slipped through the cracks at the schools would be an understatement. If anyone has wondered where the hell I have been the last two years, I have been on the phone with those yahoos, well and keeping Layla out of harms way ;) and spoiling Memphis; )
What I feel is the truth of the matter is the reason we were put off, and got no answers, is that there is not enough knowledge of speech apraxia. Any doctor or specialist we went to would tell me to have him checked for autism, because he wouldn't make eye contact and wanted me to speak for him.... Which he knows the guy won't understand him anyways, so why waste everyone's time...and if I was 4 years old and had some big nosed, bald dude in my face, I would most likely look away as well. And if it wasn't that.... then it was assumed that he must have a lisp, or a st-udder...
So as any normal mother would..... ;) I got fed up and went back to school for speech pathology. I will raise awareness, one way or another! Through all the digging and research I found ONE woman that felt the same over 30 years ago, Nancy Kaufman she has dedicated her research to speech pathology, she is the only person I am aware of that knows everything about speech apraxia... So that is where we head next, our insurance won't cover it and just the initial evaluation is normally $300. But the truth is I am running out of options. Cash will already be a year older than the other kids, because of his birthday, So next fall I would really like to see him start kindergarten. But unless his speech improves we are not sure that is a option.
But most importantly, I want Cash to stay the bright, loving ,free spirited kid that he is. In his preschool class he is never afraid to give an answer or suggest an idea, and he has plenty of really good ideas....But I see him pulling away in social settings and wanted to be with me more than anyone else, which no complaints here, It just took him so long to come out of his shell , it would kill me to see his little light dim at all. Cash has given me so much in just 5 years.... I wouldn't change a thing in our lives...Without him being just the way he is, I may of never felt such a strong bond, love or felt such compassionate in my life. And he might not of learned to express himself through drawing and building things. No I would not change one second of my time with my son, but I will say; I am SO looking forward to millions of REAL conversations with him.
The money collected will go towards... Cash's initial evaluation with Nancy Kaufman, and therapy sessions either with her or someone she recommends. Past medical bills, and future sessions if needed, and some of Nancy Kaufman's Materials, such as her flashcards, games and therapy tools for Cash and I to do at home.
Supporters can also help by... Raising Awareness of Childhood Speech Apraxia
Here are two very good sites to take a look at if you are interested in learning more about it
http://www.apraxia-kids.org/
http://www.kidspeech.com
We have also decided to try a pizza kit fundraiser, I will post a link to that as soon as I can.
Caleb and I also wanted to say that we are deeply touched that so many of you wanted to help us make this happen! We are SO blessed to have such wonderful friends and family! And with all of you, our three beautiful babies and each other, we might just be some of the luckiest people in the world!
Organizer
Amanda Oumedian
Organizer
