My Sister’s Voice
By: Anushka Bhatt
When my sister Mira turned three, she still hadn’t said “mama.”
Doctors said, “Give it time.” Friends said, “She’ll grow out of it.”
But deep inside, I knew something was wrong.
We later learned she had childhood apraxia of speech, a motor speech disorder that makes it hard for children to say sounds, syllables, and words correctly. Mira knew what she wanted to say—her brain just couldn't coordinate her mouth muscles to make the sounds.
Speech therapy began the day after her fourth birthday. She hated it at first. Flashcards, repetition, mirrors. Some sessions ended in tears. Others in silence. But then, after hundreds of tries, she pointed at a picture of a ball and whispered, “again.”
I still remember that moment like a sunrise. Her voice cracked, but it was hers.
Today, she’s eight. She still sees a speech therapist weekly, but now she won’t stop talking. And honestly, I never want her to.
This experience opened my eyes to how crucial speech-language pathologists are—not just in helping kids talk, but in helping families communicate hope.
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