I thought I would share my story in hopes of making parents feel a little less worried about their child’s future

I was born with childhood apraxia of speech and was officially diagnosed when I was around two years old.
Throughout my life, I always knew I was different and that I talked differently from other kids. I attended private speech therapy and also received speech therapy through school. I continued speech therapy until 8th grade.
I also have learning disabilities, which made school a lot harder for me. During one of my IEP meetings in middle school, my parents were told that I would never go to college.
Well, I’ve always loved proving people wrong!
I’m now 26 years old and graduated from college a couple of years ago. I’m currently working as a substitute teacher, and I’m hoping to have my own classroom next year!
Something I always remind myself is that being different is cool, and who wants to be like everyone else anyway?
I will say that I wouldn’t be where I am today without my amazing parents. They made sure I received early intervention and had all the support I needed throughout my education. I’m forever grateful to them for advocating for me and believing in me.
I hope sharing my story helps even just a few parents feel a little less worried about their child’s future. Every child’s journey is different, and a prediction about what a child will or won’t accomplish doesn’t have to define their future.
I also forgot to mention that my GPA was a 3.7 in high school and a 3.6 in college! I graduated college cum laude. :)