THE Big Banana in Coffs Harbour was lit up blue to raise awareness for a rare disorder, Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS).
A person with Apraxia has a good understanding of speech and knows what they want to say, however they have difficulty carrying out the complex movements that are necessary to be intelligible.
This is a life-long disorder, which impacts one in 1000 people in Australia.
Five-year-old Audrey from Boambee East, who has Apraxia, proudly watched the Big Banana turn blue on Wednesday 14 May.
She posed for photos with her family, friends, day care educators and speech therapist, who had all come out in the cold and rain to show their support.
Audrey said it made her feel special, her mum Jacinta told News Of The Area.
“Audrey understands everything that is said and knows what she wants to say.
“However, when she goes to speak, the messages get mixed up between the brain and mouth muscles, making it difficult for [her] to talk and to be understood.”
Jacinta said she noticed Audrey was not babbling as a baby and was delayed in other milestones such as rolling, sitting, and walking.
Through speech and hearing assessments at Coffs Harbour Hospital over 12 months, the family was told it was likely Audrey had CAS.
“We started researching and trying to find support services in the area.
“In the Australian Support Group – Verbal Dyspraxia/ Childhood Apraxia of Speech – I found a response to a post made by a speech therapist who was located in Brisbane and completing her PhD in Apraxia.”
The family travelled to Brisbane, where they received an official diagnosis from Dr Maryane Gomez.
“We were so grateful to have connected with Maryane as she was able to educate and inform us about specific speech therapies, which were evidenced-based, for treating Apraxia.”
Audrey needed to receive intensive speech therapy several times a week.
After an anxious few months, they found local speech therapist Amelia who has “changed our lives.”
Amelia worked with Dr Gomez, who has completed further professional development in Dynamic Tactile and Temporal Cueing, and keeps up to date with the latest evidence-based approaches to ensure Audrey receives the most effective treatment.
As a result, Audrey’s language skills continue to expand.
“Amelia has given Audrey the gift of speech,” Jacinta said.
Audrey’s family is grateful for the community of care within the network of allied health professionals in Coffs Harbour.
“Kids in Motion physiotherapist Kay was fantastic; she provided us with lots of leads for speech therapists and coordinated a Key Word Sign workshop so we could strengthen our communication with Audrey.
“Audrey also attends occupational therapy with Indie at Excel.
“Without these local allied health professionals, we were looking at having to relocate to a capital city.”
By Andrea FERRARI
