HR0310 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0310 LRB098 11939 GRL 45305 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, May 14 marks the first annual Childhood Apraxia of Speech Awareness Day, which seeks to raise state and national awareness about Childhood Apraxia of Speech, a particularly difficult, persistent, and severe neurological speech disorder in youngsters; and

WHEREAS, Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) causes affected children to have extreme difficulty planning and producing the precise, highly refined, and specific series of movements of the tongue, lips, jaw, and palate that are necessary in producing clear, intelligible speech; it is among the most severe of speech and communication problems in children; and

WHEREAS, While the act of learning to speak comes effortlessly to most children, those with apraxia require years of intensive speech therapy and have lengthy struggles to communicate; although not life-threatening, the disorder is life-altering, as families are left to cope with the emotional, physical, and financial challenges of having a child diagnosed with CAS; and

WHEREAS, Every child should be afforded their best opportunity to develop speech and every child deserves a voice; with early intervention and appropriate therapy, most children with CAS will learn to communicate with their very own voices; these children, as well as their families, deserve our highest respect for their effort, determination, and resilience in the face of such obstacles; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate May 14, 2013 as Apraxia Awareness Day in the State of Illinois to raise awareness about CAS and support the goals of Better Hearing and Speech Month.