Apraxia of speech is a disorder some parents have never heard of, and which can be misdiagnosed in
children.
In attempt to bring awareness to the disorder and to raise money for a national, non-profit organization
dedicated to the needs of children with apraxia, a Bowling Green mother has organized a benefit walk.

The walk, being held in Bowling Green for the first time, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at City Park.
Registration begins at 10:15 a.m.
Beth McIntosh is coordinator for the walk. Her son Eli, 4, was diagnosed with apraxia when he was 2 1/2
years old.
Apraxia, according to apraxia-kids.org, is a motor speech disorder. Children with the disorder "have
great difficulty planning and producing the precise, highly refined and specific series of movements of
the tongue, lips, jaw and palate that are necessary for intelligible speech."
McIntosh explained that children with the disorder "know exactly what they want to say, but they
can’t make their mouth and tongue work together to get the sounds out like they should."
Some parents are not aware the disorder exists.
Or, McIntosh said, "the kids are labeled as just having a speech delay, which is not the case."

Her son has benefited from various resources in the community and therapy.
"We expect that, by the time he starts school, most people will be able to understand him,"
McIntosh said.
So far, Saturday’s walk has between 160 and 200 participants signed up and $12,000 has been raised.
In addition to creating awareness and raising money, McIntosh said the goal is to link families affected
by apraxia to each other and to community resources.
Already signed up are 14 families impacted by the disorder.
"And we are hoping to find even more because we know they exist and we want to bring even more
together," she said.
Jennifer Ostrowski, of Bowling Green, has a 3-year-old son with apraxia. He was diagnosed last year.
"It was very overwhelming at first," Ostrowski said. "I can see the frustration when
people don’t understand what he is saying."
He now completes speech, physical and occupational therapy and also attends preschool.
Being able to network with other families impacted by the disorder helps, she said.
"We can share with each other our struggles, accomplishments and resources," Ostrowski said.

Resources will be available at the event.
There will also be a silent auction and raffle, and emergency vehicles for kids to check out.
The adult walker fee is $20, and the child walker fee is $10. However, a person can participate in other
activities at the park without paying the fee.
The money goes to the disorder’s national, non-profit organization, Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Association of North America
Online: www.apraxia-kids.org/bgwalk