VALDOSTA — Mary Clare Tarpley knew something had changed with her son.

Born Sept. 25, 2008, Luke Tarpley rarely spoke. He said the baby words for mama and daddy. Instead of developing further, those words vanished. As if the mind took them back and would not release them.

At times, he would open his mouth as if to speak but the words would not come.

Imagine someone waving, opening the mouth to say hello, but the word cannot be spoken.

At 18 months, doctors referred Brad and Mary Clare Tarpley’s son to Babies Can’t Wait. A state early intervention program for birth to 3 years old, Babies Can’t Wait, evaluated Luke as “below average in expressive and total language and was given the diagnosis of significant language delay and possible apraxia of speech,” according to the Tarpleys’ biography for Luke.

Childhood apraxia is a speech disorder where a child has difficulty pronouncing syllables and words.

“Children with apraxia know what they want to say,” according to the Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America. “The words are in their heads but often the child is not able to produce the words clearly.”

Apraxia can be compared to watching some cable television channels. The cable channel works properly. The television works properly. But if you don’t have the proper descrambling device, “your set can’t read the signal that the station is sending out. The child (with apraxia) must figure out how to somehow

 unscramble the mixed messages his brain is sending to his muscles.”

Tarpley says apraxia is similar to a stroke in that the brain can be re-trained to speak again, but the condition does not reflect a child’s intelligence level.

“He has the cognitive abilities of a 38-month-old,” Tarpley says of Luke, who is now 29 months old, “but his expressive language is like a 17-month-old.”

A determined mother, Mary Clare Tarpley researched apraxia and its treatment. Tarpley discovered Nancy Kaufman, who is considered a leading expert in apraxia. Kaufman’s Michigan children center and her Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol are booked months in advance.

Therapy is not inexpensive. Travel costs money. Luke’s treatments are not covered by insurance. Mary Clare is a Sallas Mahone fourth-grade teacher; she is the daughter of Chuck and Charlotte Duplantis. Brad teaches at the Pinevale Learning Center; his parents are Coach Charles Tarpley and Jeane Tarpley. Brad and Mary Clare also have a daughter, Maggie.

Family, friends and First United Methodist Church have helped. Next weekend, Quota Club of Valdosta hosts a yard sale to benefit the Tarpleys. A determined mother, Mary Clare Tarpley has created Unlocking Luke’s Voice to both chart her son’s progress and raise money to continue his treatments.

Yet, to understand Mary Clare’s devotion, one must return to her discovery of Nancy Kaufman. The Tarpleys could not afford to arrive unannounced at Kaufman’s Michigan door, but they could possibly visit Kaufman during a nearby speaking engagement. Kaufman had a date scheduled for a conference in Jacksonville, Fla. The Tarpleys made the two-hour trip.

At the conference, Mary Clare repeatedly approached Kaufman about Luke. Kaufman politely referred Tarpley to make an appointment.

Finally, Tarpley brought Luke into the conference. She introduced Luke to Kaufman. With only a moment’s meeting, Kaufman confirmed Luke’s apraxia. Kaufman had an opening in her appointment schedule. She could see the family in Michigan.

Last summer, a fellow member of First United Methodist Church donated frequent-flyer miles for the Tarpleys to travel to Michigan. During the days of therapy with Kaufman, Luke formed and said approximations of several words for the first time.

Using these techniques and other therapies, Luke, now 2 1/2, can say several words and approximations, such as Gee-Gee for older sister Maggie.

Come summer, Luke is scheduled to return to Michigan for more therapy. Mary Clare turned to Quota Club of Valdosta for help. The club helps children with hearing and voice loss. Robbie Brooker, Quota Club of Valdosta president, said Luke’s story moved the organization’s members.

Quota Club of Valdosta is collecting items to sell in the Unlocking Luke’s Voice Yard Sale. One person donated an entire apartment of furniture to the cause. Brooker says more donated items are needed. The public is invited to attend the yard sale. All proceeds raised go to the Tarpleys for Luke’s trip and treatment.

Mary Clare Tarpley cannot describe the joy of hearing for the first time Luke telling her and Brad he loved them. As a teacher, she smiles, and looks forward to another possibility a few years away.

“I want that phone call from his teacher one day that Luke’s talking too much in class,” Tarpley says. “I want that call. I want to say we paid a lot of money for that. Let him talk. Let him talk.”



Unlocking Luke’s Voice Yard Sale

Quota Club of Valdosta event to raise money for Luke Tarpley, 2. All proceeds to benefit the Tarpleys.

When: Starts between 8-8:30 a.m. Saturday, March 5.

Where: Brooker Insurance parking lot, 2406 Bemiss Road.

Donations still needed for yard sale. More information: Call Robbie Brooker, Quota president, (229) 242-2099; or e-mail robbiebrooker@aol.com; or e-mail Mary Clare Tarpley, Luke’s mother, maryctarpley@yahoo.com