#apraxia awareness day

[clownrecess]

I want to talk about AAC representation on TV, and why it is so so important.

I am currently only aware of five nonspeaking characters in TV shows and movies, and only two of them are represented in a way that makes me as a nonspeaking person feel actually seen. The majority are disrespectful mockeries of nonspeaking people.

It is so important to be able to see people like you. It is so important. Without representation, it feels like people who look like me and act like me are weird or that we are at least meant to feel that way. It feels like we are not seen, and listened to. If we were, and we were fully accepted as existent humans with complex thoughts and identities, we would be shown on television the same way speaking people are. There would be a main character who has a best friend that is a nonspeaking autistic who works in fashion. There would be a main character with speech apraxia who loves making clay mation and makes a career out of that. There would be a queer nonspeaking person with cerebral palsy who is a video game designer. AND MORE (obviously). We would be shown as people with cool and unique careers, interests, etc. Currently, most of the "representation" is either there to help another character get further development, or the character is litterally just "look!! I am disabled!" and exists purely as a character with absolutely zero personality that only exists to exist as a disabled character.

If I had representation that showed people like me as ACTUAL PEOPLE, my disability would not only be so much less stigmatized, but I would feel less anxious to exist in public.

The frequency of which I am fake claimed would decrease, my confidence would increase, staring would decrease, etc.

As someone who uses an AAC device every day, I want to see more representation and understanding of this technology in the media. Let’s start including all types of communication in our storytelling and break down the stigma surrounding AAC devices.

[theautisticdoctor]

Entry #011

Stress Signals

How do I know that I am being triggered? Everyone has stress signals, some are rather obvious stress signals, some are more subtle. Again, it's worth to start notice what makes you uncomfortable to start understanding what triggers you. And often your body tells you first. This is especially true for me, because I have a lot of trouble with recognizing emotions due to alexithymia. I think I started to notice my bodily uncomfortabilities first and my emotions second. You can use the information in my previous posts to help you find out what stress signals you have upon being triggered. I'm just going to share a list with behavioural traits and bodily feelings that make me aware of that I'm being triggered. Maybe it’ll help you make your own list of stress signals.

Tremors

Repetitive body movements

Headache

Migraine

Jaw clenching

Nausea

Racing thoughts

Disassociation

Feeling ungrounded / disconnected

Isolation

Selective mutism

Mutism

Stuttering

Aphasia

Apraxia / dyspraxia

Fixation on special interests

Exhaustion

Craving sugar

Hyperventilation

Itchy skin

Feelings of unrest and uneasiness

Fast beating heart

Hibernation

Executive dysfunction (see beneath)

Joint pain

Muscle spasms

Disturbed day-night rhythm

Executive Dysfunction

Problems with planning

Problems with organising

Problems with initiation

Rigid thinking

Problems with time management

Problems with finishing a task

Problems with evaluation

Emotional dysregulation

[zebulontheplanet]

Hi! I hope your day is going fantastic and the rest of your week is wonderful!

I was just wondering if you were aware of any terms that are like semiverbal/speaking, but for reasons other than autism? I’m not autistic, but I deal with alogia, word salad, disorganized thoughts/speech, and general difficulties verbally communicating constantly, and it really limits my verbal speaking skills a lot. I don’t want to use an autism specific term (assuming semispeaking/verbal is).

Ofc if you aren’t sure, that is perfectly fine!! Thank you for your time either way! Love your blog :)

Hi there anon! This is a great question.

Semiverbal/semispeaking is NOT an autism exclusive term. Anyone can be semiverbal/semispeaking. The same way anyone can be nonverbal/nonspeaking.

Different disorders cause different verbality, and that’s a known fact! So you can absolutely identify with being semiverbal and not being autistic or saying it’s for different reasons outside of autism.

Knew and know people who are semiverbal due to brain injury, schizophrenia, apraxia, etc etc.

Thank you so much for your kind words and I hope this answers your question. Have a lovely day anon and I wish you the best!

[echofromtheabyss]

Something really frustrating in ND discourse is that as we shifted from the LD model to what became the ND model, focus shifted away from things that actually cause functional problems (such as dyslexia, apraxia/dyspraxia, processing, etc) to social and mood optics, it's like other aspects of ND experience became totally invisible. This is where a lot of "it's not a disability" people may be coming from; sure, if your main issues are social, and or lack of tolerance from other people, the solution is social. But plenty of problems aren't social and I am very, very self aware about many of my social issues actually being downstream of other aspects of my ND experience, and many of my social experiences aren't even the root problem. In particular - the focus shifted from how well students were doing and or adjusting, to optics of obedience (ADHD) and conformity (more contemporary approaches to autism which heavily focus on social optics as the primary disability of autism).

Guess what? There are parts of my ND stuff that I VERY much experience as disabling. It's disabling that my cognitive bandwidth is basically a monodirectional, monotropic pipeline about the figurative width of a straw. It's disabling that I can sit in one place all day and not move even if I have to pee and I'm hungry and getting weaker and weaker. It's disabling that I even lose control, sometimes, over some things about my body when that pipeline is jammed - an example of something I used to experience was going physically limp when I laughed or cried, and also, laughing spells that would go on for several minutes once they started. My losing speech is actually connected to this same mechanism. A vast chunk of things I experience, in fact, that I find to be functional limitations, are connected to this same mechanism.

It's actually a problem that sometimes I can't drive safely while engrossed in a conversation. It's actually a problem that I can't process stuff while sitting in a group of people. I have a very limited amount of time before the dissociation in begins. I'm not able to mirror other people's movements easily which actually becomes a functional learning limitation in some settings, and much social impairment I've experienced is actually downstream of this, because of being unable to mirror other people's expressions and gestures. I got my left and right mixed up for a very long time. I know that some ND people pick up sign languages but I suspect I'd be one of those that finds it difficult. This is not a case of "the world not being made for me." These are functional limitations that I have to have workarounds for. I manage better as an adult than I did as a child largely because I'm able to choose my environments more, but I'm lucky enough to not have to work where this would be a problem, and these same learning issues actually have caused me significant adaptational problems at work - I basically hit a brick wall trying to work in health because I couldn't pass practical exams, and ended up stuck doing home care. The big career problem I have is how many jobs have been lost to technological obsolescence that were formerly available to a broader socioeconomic strata of NDs - the majority of them.

None of this stuff relates to how other people treat me as an ND person; the things that got me recognized as ND fairly early (though we weren't using the term "ND" at the time; there are various reasons for this) are things I experience as functional limitations.

None of this stuff is really talked about in ND discourse anymore despite all of these things being fairly common comorbids with autism spectrum stuff. It is literally only some older autism communities that still talk about functional autism comorbids or learning disabilities.

[noodle-shenaniganery]

heya!- was gonna send you a dm but you've got them closed so figured this is the next best place to ask haha.

you reblogged my MLP communication cards saying that 'nonspeaking' was a permanent term, im so sorry i wasnt aware! i thought 'nonverbal' was permanent and 'nonspeaking' wasnt, like selective mutism/verbal shutdowns. is there a better word i can use? (or should i just refer to it as selective mutism/verbal shutdown?)

i'll make sure to edit the post as well ^^

thank you so much! :)

Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know I had them closed. That has been fixed, thanks for pointing it out! 😅

So, from my understanding, the terms “nonspeaking” and “nonverbal” are both meant to describe long-term/permament states. People can become nonspeaking/nonverbal due to brain damage, regression, etc., but it’s not something that changes on a day-to-day basis.

“Nonspeaking” means “incapable of speech and/or cannot functionally communicate through speech (some nonspeaking people may have apraxia or tics where they say words but it’s not technically communication),” while “nonverbal” means “cannot functionally communicate through words (written or spoken)”. This doesn’t mean that the individual is completely incapable of communication, it’s just not through words. Some nonspeaking people use the term nonverbal to describe themselves, and that’s fine, it’s just a slightly different definition. Both terms are neutral in connotation.

When it comes to alternative terms for temporary losses of speech, there are a plethora of terms you could use. Really, it’s staggering how many exist. Which one of them you use is largely up to preference, as long as you’re not stealing nonspeaking/nonverbal people’s terminology.

It’s really good that you are willing to change, though, so thanks for asking! I hope this helped you. Also, as a My Little Pony fan, I think the cards were very nice. And cute. And cool. :D

[camp-counselor-life]

It is the end of May. May is many things, including:

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month

Jewish American Heritage Month

Mental Health Awareness Month

Mobility Awareness Month

Awareness months of: BPD, Fibromyalgia, Celiac, Cystic Fibrosis, Hepatitis, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Huntington's Disease, Lupus, Lyme Disease, Asthma & Allergy, MS, Melanoma, Brain Tumors, Neurofibromatosis, and Apraxia

A lot happens in May. May is also a chaotic month in the world of camp, as it's almost go time and all of that prep work that makes summer camp possible is happening.

I want to leave you all with little reading as we wrap up the month, a few websites to peruse.

Jewish Camps: There is a rich history of summer camp in the Jewish community, since 1893. Check it out.

Diversify Outdoors has this list of API-led organizations in the outdoors.

ACA has this overview of Lyme Disease (and tick bite in general) prevention that's worth a skim.

Speaking of medical conditions with awareness month this month, check out this ACA article on tree nut allergies and camp. I also recently saw a post going around saying that allergens like pea protein (a legume like peanuts) and sesame (a top 10 food allergen) are often hidden in places you wouldn't' expect, so be sure to be vigilant this summer (in partnership with kitchen staff) to ensure safe food for your kiddos.

Lastly, I want to direct your attention to the mental health queue tag, as it includes many articles, suggestions, and resources for mental health, often with a summer camp emphasis.

I could not hope to provide resources on everything that May represents. I didn't even list them all out, even just months, let alone awareness weeks and days. But if you have a few minutes, even if you can only read just one, you might learn something that will help you or enrich your understanding of summer camp and the campers you work with.

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 5.14

Holidays

Armed Forces/Amateur Radio Crossband Test Day

Bond with Your Dog Day

Carlsbad Caverns Day

Childhood Apraxia of Speech Awareness Day

Drunk Driving Memorial Day

Fahrenheit Day

Ferdowsi Day (Iran)

Flag Day (Paraguay)

Hastings Banda Day (Malawi)

Help Clean Up Your Street Day

International Chihuahua Appreciation Day

International Day of Prayer for Eastern Christians

International Dylan Thomas Day (a.k.a. Dylan Day)

International Ring 14 Day

Kamuzu Day (Malawi)

Mary Seacole Day (UK)

Midnight Sun at North Cape (Norway)

Molecular Gastronomy Day

Motorcycle Riders Day

National Bruce Day

National Dance Like a Chicken Day

National Day of Safety for Tow Truck Operators (Canada)

National Decency Day

National Good Hair Day

National Metaverse Day

National Mills Day (UK)

National ODP Day (UK)

National Om Day

National Travel Insurance Claims Day

National Underground America Day

National Unification Day (Liberia)

Online Romance Day

Resistance and Liberation Day (Lebanon)

Rose Day (South Korea)

Sex Differences in Health Awareness Day

Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day

Stars and Stripes Forever Day

Underground America Day

World Topiary Day

World Verbal Dyspraxia Awareness Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Brewster's Day

Buttermilk Biscuit Day

Marshmallow Fluff Day

National Brioche Day

2nd Sunday in May

Bring Mom Out For a Beer Day [2nd Sunday]

Children’s Day (Spain) [2nd Sunday]

Lilac Sunday [2nd Sunday]

MILF Appreciation Day [2nd Sunday]

Mother’s at the Wall [2nd Sunday]

Mother's Day (US) [2nd Sunday]

National Sports Sunday (UK) [2nd Sunday]

National Veal Ban Action Day [2nd Sunday]

Rural Life Sunday [2nd Sunday]

Soil Stewardship Sunday [2nd Sunday]

Ziua Tatălui (România) [2nd Sunday]

Independence Days

Israel (Declared, 1948)

Paraguay (from Spain, 1811)

Tavil (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

Wintroopstan (Declared; 2015) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Augustus (Positivist; Saint)

Baabra Sheep (Muppetism)

Baisakhi (Vaisakhi; Sikh)

Boniface of Tarsus, the fourth of the Ice Saints (Christian; Saint)

Carthagh, Bishop of Lismore (Christian; Saint)

Eid al-Fitr celebrations continue (Islam)

Engelmund of Velsen (Christian; Saint)

Gefjon’s Blot (Pagan)

Izumo-taisha Shrine Grand Festival begins (Shinto; Japan)

Mars Invictus Festival (Ancient Rome)

Matthias the Apostle (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion)

Michael Garicoïts (Christian; Saint)

Mo Chutu of Lismore (Roman Catholic Church)

Monty Python Day (Pastafarian)

Pontius (Christian; Martyr)

Thomas Gainsborough (Artology)

Victor and Corona (Christian; Saint)

Wonder Warthog Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 22 of 60)

Premieres

The Adventures of Robin Hood (Film; 1938)

All This Useless Beauty, by Elvis Costello (Album; 1996)

Barbie Girl, by Aqua (Song; 1997)

The Bee-Deviled Bruin (WB MM Cartoon; 1949)

Coffee and Cigarettes (Film; 2004)

Combat Rock, by the Clash (Album; 1982)

Conan the Barbarian (Film; 1982)

Good Bye Lenin! (Film; 2003)

The Hebrides (a.k.a. Fingal’s Cave), by Felix Mendelssohn (Concert Overture; 1832)

Hungary Hobos (Disney Cartoon; 1928)

Hyde and Go Tweet (WB MM Cartoon; 1960)

It’s Got Me Again! (WB MM Cartoon; 1932)

Lemonade, by Beyoncé (Album; 2016)

Letters to Juliet (Film; 2010)

Little Old Lady (from Pasadena), recorded by The Everly Brothers (Song; 1964)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Film; 1999)

Mighty Like a Rose, by Elvis Costello (Album; 1991)

My Dinner with Andre (Film; 1999)

Now That Summer is Gone (WB MM Cartoon; 1938)

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, by Dr. Seuss (Children’s Book; 1960)

People Got To Be Frees, recorded by The Rascals (Song; 1968)

The Platters, by The Platters (Album; 1956)

Robin Hood (Film; 2010)

Sailing the Seas of Cheese, by Primus (Album; 1991)

So Like Candy, by Elvis Costello (Song; 1991)

Troy (Film; 2004)

Unbelievable, by EMF (US Song; 1991)

Vapor Trails, by Rush (Album; 2002)

Washington Confidential, by Jack Last and Lee Mortimer (Book; 1951)

Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen (Novel; 2011)

We Will Rock You (UK Musical; 2002)

Today’s Name Days

Bonifatius, Christian (Austria)

Mate, Matija, Matko (Croatia)

Bonifác (Czech Republic)

Kristian (Denmark)

Edith, Eede, Eedit (Estonia)

Tuula (Finland)

Aglaé, Matthias (France)

Bonifatius, Christian, Corona, Ismar, Pascal (Germany)

Aristotele, Isidoros (Greece)

Bonifác (Hungary)

Corona, Costanzo, Mattia (Italy)

Aiva, Duda, Elfa, Krišjānis, Krišs (Latvia)

Bonifacas, Gintarė, Teisutis (Lithuania)

Karsten, Kristen, Kristian (Norway)

Bończa, Bonifacy, Dobiesław, Jeremi, Jeremiasz, Wiktor, Wiktoriusz (Poland)

Isidor (România)

Irina (Russia)

Bonifác (Slovakia)

Matías (Spain)

Halvar, Halvard (Sweden)

Ashleigh, Ashley, Ashlie, Ashlyn, Ashlynn, Ashton, Berk, Berkeley, Bourke, Burgess, Burke (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 134 of 2024; 231 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 19 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 1 of 28]

Chinese: Month 3 (Bing-Chen), Day 25 (Ren-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 23 Iyar 5783

Islamic: 23 Shawwal 1444

J Cal: 13 Bīja; Sixday [13 of 30]

Julian: 1 May 2023

Moon: 22%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 22 Caesar (5th Month) [Augustus]

Runic Half Month: Ing (Expansive Energy) [Day 5 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 56 of 90)

Zodiac: Taurus (Day 25 of 30)

Calendar Changes

Huath (Hawthorn) [Celtic Tree Calendar; Month 5 of 13]

May (a.k.a. Maius; Julian Calendar) [Month 5 of 12]

[brookston]

Holidays 5.14

Holidays

Armed Forces/Amateur Radio Crossband Test Day

Bond with Your Dog Day

Carlsbad Caverns Day

Childhood Apraxia of Speech Awareness Day

Drunk Driving Memorial Day

Fahrenheit Day

Ferdowsi Day (Iran)

Flag Day (Paraguay)

Hastings Banda Day (Malawi)

Help Clean Up Your Street Day

International Chihuahua Appreciation Day

International Day of Prayer for Eastern Christians

International Dylan Thomas Day (a.k.a. Dylan Day)

International Ring 14 Day

Kamuzu Day (Malawi)

Mallard Day (All-Souls College; Oxford, UK)

Mary Seacole Day (UK)

Midnight Sun at North Cape (Norway)

Molecular Gastronomy Day

Motorcycle Riders Day

National Bruce Day

National Dance Like a Chicken Day

National Day of Safety for Tow Truck Operators (Canada)

National Decency Day

National Good Hair Day

National Metaverse Day

National Mills Day (UK)

National ODP Day (UK)

National Om Day

National Travel Insurance Claims Day

National Underground America Day

National Unification Day (Liberia)

Online Romance Day

Peony Day

Resistance and Liberation Day (Lebanon)

Rose Day (South Korea)

Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day

Stars and Stripes Forever Day

Underground America Day

World Topiary Day

World Verbal Dyspraxia Awareness Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Brewster's Day

Buttermilk Biscuit Day

Condensed Milk Day

Marshmallow Fluff Day

National Brioche Day

Independence & Related Days

Israel (Declared, 1948)

Paraguay (from Spain, 1811)

Tavil (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

Wintroopstan (Declared; 2015) [unrecognized]

2nd Tuesday in May

Childhood Depression Awareness Day (a.k.a. Green Ribbon Day) [Tuesday of 1st Full Week]

National Slow Down Move Over Day (Canada) [2nd Tuesday]

Taco Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Weekly Holidays beginning May 14 (2nd Full Week)

Cannes Film Festival (Cannes, France) [thru 5.25]

Festivals Beginning May 14, 2024

Cannes Film Festival (Cannes, France) [thru 5.25]

Google I/O (Mountain View, California)

Organic Week 2024 (Washington D.C.) [thru 5.16]

Orlando Fringe (Orlando, Florida) [thru 5.27]

Sweets & Snacks Expo (Chicago, Illinois) [thru 5.16]

Taste of Greenwich Village (New York, New York)

Feast Days

Antonio Berni (Artology)

Augustus (Positivist; Saint)

Baabra Sheep (Muppetism)

Baisakhi (Vaisakhi; Sikh)

Boniface of Tarsus, the fourth of the Ice Saints (Christian; Saint)

Carthagh, Bishop of Lismore (Christian; Saint)

Christ’s Ascension (Christian; Commonly accepted date, 33 CE)

Engelmund of Velsen (Christian; Saint)

Erembert (Christian; Saint)

Festival of the Midnight Sun (Norse; Everyday Wicca)

Gefjon’s Blot (Pagan)

Henri Julien (Artology)

Izumo-taisha Shrine Grand Festival begins (Shinto; Japan)

Mars Invictus Festival (Ancient Rome)

Mary Mazzarello (Christian; Saint & Virgin)

Matthias the Apostle (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion)

Michael Garicoïts (Christian; Saint)

Mo Chutu of Lismore (Roman Catholic Church)

Monty Python Day (Pastafarian)

Ninefold Chant (Celtic Book of Days)

Pontius (Christian; Martyr)

Return to All-Day-Life (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Richard Estes (Artology)

Thomas Gainsborough (Artology)

Victor and Corona (Christian; Saint)

Wonder Warthog Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 22 of 60)

Premieres

The Adventures of Robin Hood (Film; 1938)

All This Useless Beauty, by Elvis Costello (Album; 1996)

Barbie Girl, by Aqua (Song; 1997)

The Bee-Deviled Bruin (WB MM Cartoon; 1949)

Carte Blanched (The Inspector Cartoon; 1969)

A Cat, a Mouse and a Bell (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1935)

Coffee and Cigarettes (Film; 2004)

Combat Rock, by the Clash (Album; 1982)

Conan the Barbarian (Film; 1982)

The Cricket in Times Square, by George Selden (Children’s Book; 1960)

The Einstein Intersection, by Samuel R. Delany (Novel; 1967)

Goldielocks and the Three Bears (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1934)

Good Bye Lenin! (Film; 2003)

Hallowed Ground, by Violent Femmes (Album; 1984)

Hatch Up Your Troubles (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1949)

The Hebrides (a.k.a. Fingal’s Cave), by Felix Mendelssohn (Concert Overture; 1832)

Hungary Hoboes (Disney Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1928)

Hyde and Go Tweet (WB MM Cartoon; 1960)

It’s Got Me Again! (WB MM Cartoon; 1932)

I’ve Got Ants in My Plans (Ant and the Aardvark Cartoon; 1969)

Jesephslegende, by Richard Strauss (Ballet; 1914)

The Last Roundup (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1943)

Lemonade, by Beyoncé (Album; 2016)

Letters to Juliet (Film; 2010)

Little Old Lady (from Pasadena), recorded by The Everly Brothers (Song; 1964)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Film; 1999)

Mighty Like a Rose, by Elvis Costello (Album; 1991)

Mildred Pierce, by James M. Cain (Novel; 1941)

Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf (Novel; 1925)

My Dinner with Andre (Film; 1999)

Now That Summer is Gone (WB MM Cartoon; 1938)

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, by Dr. Seuss (Children’s Book; 1960)

People Got To Be Frees, recorded by The Rascals (Song; 1968)

The Platters, by The Platters (Album; 1956)

Puddy’s Coronation (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1937)

Robin Hood (Film; 2010)

Sailing the Seas of Cheese, by Primus (Album; 1991)

School Days, featuring Flip the Frog (Ub Iwerks Cartoon; 1932)

So Like Candy, by Elvis Costello (Song; 1991)

Tropical Fish, featuring Farmer Al Falfa (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1933)

Troy (Film; 2004)

Unbelievable, by EMF (US Song; 1991)

Vapor Trails, by Rush (Album; 2002)

Washington Confidential, by Jack Last and Lee Mortimer (Book; 1951)

Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen (Novel; 2011)

We Will Rock You (UK Musical; 2002)

Woody Dines Out (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1945)

Today’s Name Days

Bonifatius, Christian (Austria)

Mate, Matija, Matko (Croatia)

Bonifác (Czech Republic)

Kristian (Denmark)

Edith, Eede, Eedit (Estonia)

Tuula (Finland)

Aglaé, Matthias (France)

Bonifatius, Christian, Corona, Ismar, Pascal (Germany)

Aristotele, Isidoros (Greece)

Bonifác (Hungary)

Corona, Costanzo, Mattia (Italy)

Aiva, Duda, Elfa, Krišjānis, Krišs (Latvia)

Bonifacas, Gintarė, Teisutis (Lithuania)

Karsten, Kristen, Kristian (Norway)

Bończa, Bonifacy, Dobiesław, Jeremi, Jeremiasz, Wiktor, Wiktoriusz (Poland)

Isidor (România)

Irina (Russia)

Bonifác (Slovakia)

Matías (Spain)

Halvar, Halvard (Sweden)

Ashleigh, Ashley, Ashlie, Ashlyn, Ashlynn, Ashton, Berk, Berkeley, Bourke, Burgess, Burke (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 135 of 2024; 231 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 2 of week 20 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 3 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ji-Si), Day 7 (Wu-Yin)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 6 Iyar 5784

Islamic: 6 Dhu al-Qada 1445

J Cal: 15 Magenta; Oneday [15 of 30]

Julian: 1 May 2024

Moon: 44%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 22 Caesar (5th Month) [Augustus]

Runic Half Month: Ing (Expansive Energy) [Day 5 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 57 of 92)

Week: 2nd Full Week of May

Zodiac: Taurus (Day 25 of 31)

Calendar Changes

May (a.k.a. Maius; Julian Calendar) [Month 5 of 12]

[comiccrusaders]

May 14th is Apraxia Awareness Day! @Apraxia_KIDS https://ow.ly/W9lA50Ry1EW

[nonspeakingkiku]

1, 7, 8, 14, & 19?

Thanks for asks ☺️

1. (if comfortable) tell us about your condition? as much info as youre comfy with sharing.

Kiku has multiple things. Dyspraxia/apraxia, hEDS, POTS, Kiku's Migraines affect mobility stuff, sciatica, and chronic pain from injuries. Oh and Fibromyalgia.

7. do you have a sort of comfort item or safety blanket that helps you feel better, especially on the worst days?

Yes. Kiku has a lot of comfort itmes, including Awoo (a slumberkin werewolf), Jelly/Juice (slumberkin rainbow jellyfish), a new shark friend who doesn't have a name yet, and teddy (a teddy bear print blanket Kiku has had since Kiku's first christmas).

8. name 3 things you hate about hospitals/doctors/nurses/the medical system

Uhh... Everything lol. 😅. uhh, Medical trauma, lack of insurance, doctors who don't listen.

14. least favourite/worst disability rep?

Ummm... Not sure.

19. least favourite aspect about cripplepunk?

Not aware of any 😅

[flower-queen-of-the-internet]

Apraxia Awareness Day

Hi! Little bit about me. I was diagnosed with apraxia also known as dyspraxia when I was 2. When I was diagnosed I had very little sounds and I’ve likely had all words and sounds drilled into me by a SLP (speech-language pathologist), I love my apraxia although it definitely affects me and will affect me all my life.

What is Apraxia?

Apraxia is a motor based speech disorder. It’s a spectrum disorder so like autism if you’ve met one apraxic you’ve met just one. Childhood Apraxia of Speech is equal to a diagnosis of developmental verbal dyspraxia.

Signs of apraxia of speech (verbal dyspraxia):

1. Very little babbling as a baby

2. Difficulty putting syllables in the correct order

3. Difficulty saying complex words

4. Being able to pronounce a sound or word one day but not the next

5. Incorrect inflections or stresses

6. Omitting sounds

7. Limited vocabulary

8. Grammar issues

9. Trouble coordinating jaw, lips, tongue

One of the major Speech therapy programs which helps is called PROMPT and is made for CAS. It’s a multi-sensory approach. Although CAS has the word childhood in it, apraxia is a life-long disability and it’s there to symbolize it’s from birth rather than only affects you in childhood. Which is a distinction which isn’t always spoken about.

It’s Me!

I’ve known that I’m apraxic my entire life. I was given the definition that my brain sends messages to my muscles but they don’t respond. I’m a person who if I opened my mouth and I wasn’t focusing you would just hear an accent (a British one). When I’m focusing I’ve been told that my “real” voice sounds like a different person. I can’t flow well or use intonation when I’m speaking in my “real” voice. To me, I have two voices my normal one that everyone hears and I constantly say the wrong articulation in and my “real” one I have when I’m concentrating in speech therapy or in one moment. Where I hit almost every R through the technique over pronunciation. I’ve done acting for a decade now and onstage I use my normal voice. On the other hand, I can’t move my facial expressions on command. I’m always being told I didn’t know you had a disability (I’ve apraxic and I have a LD). As I apparently don’t sound like it. It’s hard because at the same time when I mispronounce a word people laugh at me and tease me and make fun of me. It’s not on me. I can pronounce a word one day and not the next. I hate it, really really hate it as it’s something that feels impossible to control and I’ve done years of speech therapy (and still going) for it. Worse, it’s usually the people I’ve known for a long time including my family (not my parents they are wonderful in supporting me) who do it. I’ve been bullied for not being able to pronounce one of my best friends names. She never told me I was mispronouncing her name as she knows I struggle with Rs and based on the letters in her name I will probably always struggle. She’s never mentioned it but the fact that people who’ve known just how much speech therapy (as it actually tends to be friends who’ve known me for years...) Who’ve felt the need to do so in my hearing range as I sat in that room pains me. My journey has continued from that day. I used to get accommodations in school through my guidance counsellor and LS teacher in middle school. In high school my LS teacher didn’t even know that apraxia/dyspraxia existed let alone that I had it. She knew that I did speech therapy and thus had a speech impediment. This year I’m getting accommodations. I’m getting 25% extra time in presentations and orals to allow me to say all my thoughts as I speak slower to be understandable and I struggle with stumbling over words, articulation and clarity of speech. As well as, in all presentations and oral exams my pronunciation, articulation, and clarity of speech cannot be marked. As that’s out of my control, I also don’t take a spoken language class which helps. As that would usually not be included for that. I take Latin which honestly doesn’t include much speaking in Latin. In the past few years I’ve started advocating for disabilities including apraxia/dyspraxia in my community and online. Through speaking with other people online I’ve started to feel like a belong. I’ve also started talking to people about the side of being the kid in the situation. Its to be noted that I don’t plan to go out quietly. I want to go to the UK and attend dyspraxia events, I want to arrange events where I live, and I want to get further connected into it here. I’m constantly offering myself to be a helpful ear as I’ve done all of this research. I’ve been heavily interested almost none stop for the past 4 yrs. Whenever I have a spare moment I’m looking up LDs, adhd, autism and dyspraxia. I’ve read everything that I can get on it. I enjoy talking about accommodations and if it is fair (it totally is and I stand by my opinion!) This is just a little on my experience of being apraxic. In the future, I’m planning to look at the motor coordination side and focus more on dyspraxia as a whole which I’m not really doing for today.

My Poem

I hate being misunderstood

It's a constant though

I'm consistently reminded that I don't truly speak English

Though it's my mother tongue

My first language

My parents gave up teaching me

French, Greek, Hebrew or any-other

Because i couldn't speak English

I wish it was as easy as growing up

I wish it was as easy as everyone says

I wish that when I say my best friends names people understand me

Because they don't

Because the people who’ve known all along

When they've been there every step of the journey

Yet they can sit around a table and laugh

Laugh at the fact you can't say your best friend's name

Like this is a joke

Like this isn't my life

Each day in and out

Like I'm not here

Sitting, listening to them

Bug me

Listen to them

Again and again

Like I'm a kid

But, I'm 16.

I'm 16, and I can speak

I will speak

I will speak out for those who have a similar story to my own

And different ones too.

I can speak and I will

You might not understand each and every word. It might be like your dyslexic and the letters flip. That's the way words sound when they come out of my mouth to a listener. I thought it was only unfamiliar ones. I guess I was wrong..

Because I can talk

Because I will talk

Because I will not stay silent

Because I'm a girl who's dyspraxic

Because I'm a girl who's disabled

Not differently abled

Because I can talk and always will

But most of all because I'm me and I can speak.

-A Dyspraxic Gal who has lost her voice more than once

[hyukaroki]

so computer decided to shut itself off midway and not save my full on essay and as much as id love to rant about ruikasa arthritis has already been kickin my ass this week and i dont wanna push it too much

–

ok first i must start this off with their silly lgbtq hcs or a lot of this is gonna make no sense. i am saying this as if any of this will ever make sense to anyone but me

tsukasa is aroace, demi-queerplatonic, achillean, transmasc, demiblux, and i cant find it for the life of me but ive seen it before and its this xenogender thats a mix of princegender and pupgender and thats tsukasa right there fr. tsukasa uses pup/pet/woof/he prns 

rui is aroace, queerplatonic, pan, agender. rui uses web/comp/.exe/nya/they/he/she prns

–

tsukasa has bpd too but both pup and rui are autistic. tsukasa is a big sensory heavy guy and gets overstimulated super easily while rui is like an immovable force and there is not enough simulus in the world. rui has apraxia and tsukasa has echolalia 

occasionally there will be times where both struggle to form sentences, tsukasa will take over by repeating lines hes learned in plays or song lyrics that wxs have covered. nene and emu are aware of these facts and have gotten used to them and are able to understand both well even when non verbal

rui struggles to take care of herself as web never gets those feelings of like when your hungry, you have to pee, your thirsty, stuff like that. in response, tsukasa (who never feels thirsty and also never knows that he has to pee btw) will randomly bring nya food and water throughout the day pet also sends them texts that r like “rui i know you are about to piss yourself cus i am too”. but at the same time rui worries for tsukasa a lot cus pup doesnt like others to know pet is struggling so randomly rui will also text tsukasa completely random like the first thought in .exes head cus they know tsukasa ADORES getting texts from rui especially big notification texts so rui will just send 20 texts talking about nothing really just in the off case tsukasa is having a bad day additionally rui just really loves to text tsukasa 

they copy each other a lot, a lot of it is unconscious. tsukasa echos the way rui mispronounces things and a lot of comps sentence structure. pup was afraid itd make rui feel insecure but she doesn’t mind. they color coordinate outfits accidentally a lot, also theyve kind of adapted eachothers styles and wear clothes thatd you go hrm that looks like something rui/tsukasa would wear

rui paints both of their nails, one cus its cute and two cus its a small attempt to get tsukasa to stop biting pets nails. they wear matching nail colors where like the pointer finger is the other persons main nail color yk. tsukasa always makes an attempt to show off woofs hands as much as possible when they are painted cus pups partner did an amazing job and you should be rlly jealous rn

tsukasa is terrified of dragonflies and butterflies due to their misleading pretty appearances to what pup considers a terrifying face. had a night when he was little where pet was convinced there was a snake in woofs bed and refused to sleep it in but was afraid to get yelled at by pups parents for waking them up so he slept on the floor terrified. i say this to say tsukasa has like delusions idk if thats the right word a lot. mainly they deal with pet feeling like there are bugs crawling all over him, rui has to reassure him a lot

[hopeinspires-blog2]

MySilentSister

Hi everyone! My name is Desiree Hope, and WELCOME to my first blog post! Here I will be talking about the extremely rare neurological disorder that affects 1 in every 10,000 girls! Wondering what I’m talking about? Well, I’ll tell you, it’s called Rett Syndrome. Rett Syndrome is a rare genetic mutation affecting the brain development in girls, and anyone involved will lose their ability to walk, talk, eat, and breathe easily. Every aspect of their life will be challenged; movements they could do one day will be gone the next. In simpler terms, loved ones affected by this disorder will have the brain capacity of a ten-month-old baby while being trapped inside a semi-grown human body. The first stage happens when she is 6-18 months; during these months, she would have been crawling, playing with toys, and maybe even mumbling a few noises. But instead, she will no longer crawl and sit; she will lose interest in toys, stop making noises and lose eye contact. Stage two will begin between ages 1-4 years; she will lose her hand skills and speaking. She will start clapping, tapping, and wringing her hands together, and she might begin to move her hands to her mouth almost as she is trying to bite them. She will also start having breathing irregularities, like hyperventilation. Stage three begins between 2-10; she will start to plateau, meaning she will experience apraxia, motor problems, and seizures. Lastly, stage four is also known as the deterioration stage, and unfortunately, this lasts for years, maybe even decades. Here she will have the lowest mobility, muscle weakness, rigidity, with some muscle tone because of the abnormal posturing of an arm, leg, or the top part of the body. If she was walking once, she will no longer. Rett Syndrome is a severe disease that hits home for me; my older sister Crystal was diagnosed at a young age. Since then, my life has been wildly affected; I don’t take the things I can do every day for granted. My sister was robbed of living everyday life and instead condemned to a lifetime of struggles. Despite what she goes through, her smile still manages to brighten up any room she is in, and her infectious laughter warms up everybody's heart! So as Crystal’s sister, I want to be her voice and speak out about Rett Syndrome! I have started fundraising with rettsyndrome.org to help raise funds and awareness about Rett Syndrome, last year was the first year, and we raised nearly $2,500! Though there is no cure right now, with potential donations, THERE IS HOPE! Please click the link below, donate and help us find a cure! All proceeds will go to rettsyndrome.org to research and finding a cure!

https://www.rettsyndrome.org/get-involved/donate/donate-now/

[stuffandthings]

It’s May 14th also known as Apraxia awareness day and I want to talk about preparation in media.

Lately, all kinds of media have been moving forward, showing many types of people in this world. Which is great! but not everyone has that person to look up to in their favorite show, book, or podcast.

As someone which a speech disorder, no one talked like I did in the media I consumed. The few times there was actually a character with a speech disorder they would either be the butt of the joke or their goal was to “cure” their speech disorder. These things did not help me feel confident with my voice and probably added to the hate of my voice. It was only in the last few years that I finally heard someone like me on social media and hearing that brought up a lot of emotions, I was nearly crying just hearing his voice and proceed to watch everything he had just so I can hear someone like me finally.

I hope in the coming years there are more pieces of media that have characters with speech disorders and that their whole personality doesn’t revolve around how they talk. I myself am trying to help this problem by kinda writing a book, it’s a basic fantasy story but the main character talks like me. I hope to one day to finish and publish it so the world can know that we are more than our speech disorder. 

[thenonconformistcurmudgeon]

Lost and Found

John was a retired elevator operator.  A forced retirement as the downtown building came under new ownership and installed a modern lift.  At 66, and after 32 years on the job, folks said it was time to enjoy the golden years anyway.  A few building occupants gathered over a grocery store cake with some soda in plastic cups.  He appreciated the function but was already expecting to miss the small talk chatter with the building inhabitants and transitory guests.  He would especially miss the repartee with Ernest the long-time doorman.  Although he never visited Ernest in his home, he knew all about his family, home, and Sunday dinners with the in-laws.

A year later, John was intensely unmoored.  Time seemed precious and fleeting. He’d stop by to occasionally see Ernest but over time realized the repartee was not so witty.  It was after one of these visits, wandering aimlessly downtown, John stepped into a lobby of a non-descript low slung building to get out of the cold for a minute and to put on his gloves.  As he entered, a fellow said you must be here for the meeting and led John to a small room where many people had already gathered.  To this day, John can’t remember the type of support group it was, but knew it was one, and was impressed by the sense of community, comradery, purpose, and good-will.

After the experience, John decided he would go to as many support groups that he could, no matter the topic.  He would study the various diseases, causes, interests and have his own concocted story to tell at each of the meetings. He became an expert at telling a believable good yarn.  To further demonstrate his connection to a cause or disease, he bought various colored ribbons to wear to the gatherings.  Many could be used countless times as there are fewer colors than there are diseases/causes. For instance, a blue ribbon could represent alopecia, apraxia, restless leg syndrome, men’s health while navy blue Krabbe disease, colon cancer and for some reason also alopecia. Copper color is for Herpes Simplex Virus awareness and also paralysis.  Green includes dwarfism and eye injury prevention awareness.  Orange included ADHD, Agent Orange, and Self Injury Awareness.  Well, you get the picture.

John worried that if he was seen at too many meetings in one city, his fraudulent ways would be exposed.  To avoid that shame, he devised a plan to travel the country far and wide, stop in very small towns, go to a meeting and move on. Although John was experienced when it came to vertical travelling, not so much when it came to the horizontal kind. He studied maps, looked for small towns with varied self-help groups.  As on a limited budget, he planned to stay at Super 8’s, Motel 6’s, and Airbnb rooms with a price no higher than 35 dollars.  Just his luck, turns out, these out of the way spots tend only to have these accommodations.

John headed out and travelled forth and back across these less than united states. The following is a partial itinerary of his 14-month road trip.  In Onarga, Illinois he stayed in a $15 Airbnb room and had good hash browns at the truck stop. The group he attended was for normal sized people addicted to porn with midgets.  In Staples, Minnesota he had a good burger at Twisted Sister and stayed at America’s Best Value Inn.  The meeting he attended was for husbands of women who play hockey and leave them without a meal.  In Fort Payne, Alabama he stayed in a shipping container Airbnb and went to the Smoking Butt BBQ.  The support group was for spouses of shuffleboard judges who are too consumed by the passion of the sport.  In Moneta, Wyoming, he stayed in a cozy camper and ate at the Cheese Barrel.  The group was for ancestors of people who died in stagecoach accidents.  John thought that this was one of the saddest groups of all but he liked their can-do spirit to get up and go on.  He couldn’t afford to stay in DC but did drop in to the support group for people who previously worked for Ralph Nader.

John’s stories kept his audience spellbound.  The stories were passionate, often generating tears in the listeners. The locals took him as a kindred spirit, opening up their hearts and minds back to him.  Offers for meals and lodging would come along but John said he was just passing through. In many cases, John suggested that the group consider deciding on a color for a ribbon for their cause if they didn’t already have one.  This was invariably greeted with great enthusiasm and sometimes they would leave it up to John to pick the best and most consequential color.  After the assemblages, John felt exhilarated and found the temporary adoration intoxicating.

His last meeting was in a staid New England small town where a couple named Niven and Julie led the group.  It was a combination of folks who were addicted to wearing smoking jackets and/or addicted to extra gluten.  However, the fourteen months of travel, poor accommodations, poor diet and maintaining the fraud had worn him down.  He was not prepared for the meeting with a story as per usual.  When it was John’s turn to talk, he broke down weeping, bared his soul regarding his bogus stories. He said, “I just love these groups, the warmth, the compassion, the acceptance, the connection, the validation of a life.” He apologized to these strangers but surprisingly was told that they fully understood him and to some degree they all felt like phonies in some way or another.

When John returned home, he decided to reform.  He started a support group for people who are addicted to support groups. He could then tell his story in good conscience.  Sharing was healing for all.  After a few meetings, the group disbanded but decided on regular get togethers for coffee or a walk in the park. They decided no ribbon was needed for their association.  Notably, Ernest was a member of the group.  They were better friends than ever.  Ernest invited John to Sunday dinner with the in-laws.  Although he still missed the clanging of the metal grate shaped with diamonds opening and closing inside the elevator, he no longer felt emotionally adrift.    

[meridiandesigns]

You are strong! But some days we all need a little more awareness, and a few extra spoons! (in blue!)

The blue awareness ribbon represents those with pain,ards, AGS, alexander disease, alopecia, angelmans, ankylosing spondylitis, apraxia, arthritis, arthrogryposis, autonomic dysfunction, behcets, bursitis, carpal tunnel, charge syndrome, child abuse, chondromalacia patella, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic fatigue, CIDP, colon cancer #cancer, colorectal cancer, lipodystrophy, cyclic vomiting, dandy walker, syndrome, dermatomyositis, dyspraxia, dystonia, erbs palsy, polyposis, familial dysautonomia, fibromuscular dysplasia, fibrous dysplasia, gout, guillain barre, huntington's disease, hydrocephaly, hypotension, pots, histiocytosis, ichthyosis, infant airway defects, arthritis, dermatomyositis, klinefelters, histiocytosis, laryngomalacia, leukodystrophy, malaria, mccune albright, me/cfids, metachromatic leukodystrophy, misophonia, myalgic encephalomyelitis, chronic fatigue, syncope, osteoarthritis, osteogenesis imperfecta, palindromic rheumatism, paralysis, rheumatica, polymyositis, tachycardia, pots, reiters, restless legs, reye syndrome, rheumatism, sensory processing disorder, spinal stenosis, stevens johnson, syringomyelia, temporal arteritis, tendinitis, transverse myelitis, tcs, ushersyndrome, vocal cord dysfunction

And the dark and light versions of the design are available on my Threadless store in a variety of products and background colours!

threadless dark- https://meridiandesigns.threadless.com/designs/blue-awareness-ribbon-dark threadless light- https://meridiandesigns.threadless.com/designs/blue-awareness-ribbon-light

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