Help Give Albie a Voice
Albie was diagnosed in January with a neurological condition called Verbal Dyspraxia, or Childhood Apraxia of Speech. This is a condition where the brain is unable to send the correct signals to the mouth and tongue to form sounds and words. Without regular speech therapy and a lot of intensive work, a person with Verbal Dyspraxia cannot learn to talk.
A child with Verbal Dyspraxia can find life frustrating, lonely and confusing as they struggle to make themselves understood, affecting their confidence and their ability to form relationships with their peers.
We would like to raise money to donate a speech board to Albie's school. This means that he will be able to use pictures to communicate with his teachers and friends, showing them what he can't tell them. He will be able to show how he is feeling, what he would like to play with or if he would like a snack or a drink.
Albie is almost three now and he can't say any of these things. Even at home with the people who love him most, we still often have to guess what he wants. And sometimes he just gives up, because we don't always guess right. We can't even begin to imagine what that must be like for him. It is lucky he is such a happy and confident boy but he needs the opportunity to be heard and understood, especially at school.
The speech board will remain at the school even after Albie finishes primary, so any other child with speech and language difficulties is able to use it too.
It would be great if we could raise enough money to donate boards to other local schools as well and give other children a voice.
14th May is Verbal Dyspraxia Awareness Day. On May 16th, we will be doing a sponsored walk at Blenheim Palace to raise the funds for the communication boards and raise awareness of Verbal Dyspraxia. If you would like to join us, please let us know and we can provide details nearer the time.
Albie deserves to have a voice while he can't use his own so please join us to turn this diagnosis into a positive, celebrate what an amazing little boy he is and help out other children like him. Thank you.
