No matter how you say it, it's not pretty. But our guy Cooper has made huge progress over the past year.
This time last year was when the alarms first went off in my head that something "just wasn't right."
This time last year Cooper had about a dozen words TOTAL. A dozen. That's it. And he was almost 3!
This time last year we had no idea what we were dealing with. Autism? Asperger's? Or was it just a speech delay? Why was our Cooper engaged in the world, but not speaking? Why was our Cooper normal in every aspect of toddlerdom, but language? Why was our Cooper getting so frustrated that he would bang his head into the wall when he couldn't get us to understand (I am dead serious about that too)?
Tests, exams, evaluations, and finally an Apraxia diagnosis, followed by LOTS of speech therapy ...and I feel like Coop is a different kid. Really. He has gone from about 10-12 words to full blown sentences. Clarity and articulation are improving. The tantrums are long gone. We have many thanks to give. Cooper's journey started exactly a year ago and if he's made this much progress in one year, I can't imagine where he'll be this time next year.
Coop still has a lot of work ahead of him, but the future is bright with promise. Apraxia is tough. It's a patient recovery process. A long one filled with repetition. For those of you that know me well, you know patience is something I have none of. But this challenge that has been presented to my darling son has forced me to have miles of patience.
Apraxia is something that doesn't come with a "mild" or "severe" label. There is no way to tell. That was, perhaps, the hardest thing about the diagnosis. There is no way to know what 3, 5, or 10 years will look like down the road. Only work to do, hope to have, and as a parent...fear to overcome. Fear that my baby, my Cooper, will never talk like everyone else. Fear that all those words trapped inside his head will never come out of his mouth. Fear that he will be teased endlessly about the way he talks. Fear that not being able to say what he is thinking will forever change him.
This week is dedicated to Cooper - and his ongoing recovery from apraxia, the people we have met along the way, and the hope we have for the future.
He is amazing and so are you & Chris...
congrats on your journey and how far you all have come :)
Posted by: Missy | June 07, 2009 at 06:28 AM
Congratulations to Cooper and his first year in this journey! What'a fighter - and what great parents! He's lucky to have you! What an amazing boy!
Posted by: Erica | June 21, 2009 at 08:43 PM