article about teen with apraxia

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For teen with apraxia, 4-H experience speaks volumes

By Elise Franco

efranco@...

Canfield

The last thing Jenna Benson expected was that joining 4-H six years ago would be

a life-changing experience.

Jenna, 17, of , said her mother signed her up for 4-H when she was 12 as

a way to interact with other kids her age.

Though she was happy to meet new people, Jenna, who has a speech disorder called

apraxia, said she also was hesitant.

“I was afraid that people would make fun of the way I talk,” she said.

Jenna said it wasn’t until her second Canfield Fair in 4-H that she began to

come out of her shell. And she never looked back.

“Being in 4-H helped me because it made me talk, and it made me not afraid to

talk,” she said.

Anngel Benson, Jenna’s mother, said that after about a year in the program, she

noticed the change within her daughter.

“She used to talk with her head down and her hand in front of her face,” Anngel

said. “Then she started becoming more and more confident and joined more

groups.”

Anngel said Jenna started out showing llamas, which taught her how to be

comfortable in front of a crowd.

“She realized that people were looking at the llama and not at her,” she said.

Kim Moff, Mahoning County Junior Fair director, said she began working with

Jenna three years ago and has seen tremendous changes in her personality.

“She was very shy and would kind of stay off away from the crowds,” Moff said.

Moff said the more Jenna got involved with different clubs and projects, the

easier it was for her to build confidence and communicate.

“4-H is based around being able to communicate well,” she said. “I think Jenna’s

becoming prouder of her accomplishments.”

The biggest change Moff saw in Jenna came during last year’s Youth Day at the

fair.

“I think knowing she was being recognized for her accomplishments helped,” she

said. “The person I saw before to the person I saw that day was, to me, the most

awesome thing. She really blossomed.”

Jenna, who was a 2010 Outstanding Youth Candidate and is president of three 4-H

groups, said she eventually realized that others could benefit from her

experiences.

Besides the six 4-H clubs and 17 projects Jenna’s involved in this year, she

said she still made time to help younger kids who are new to the program.

“It really makes me happy because I love helping kids and teaching them new

things,” she said. “I want to become an adviser.”

Jenna has four siblings, two who have apraxia. She said she’s spent time helping

them in 4-H as well.

“I try to tell them you may like a new project, so just try it,” she said. “They

like to watch me so they can see how to do it.”

She also is involved in ice skating and has worked with The Ice Zone in Boardman

to teach a class for children with developmental disabilities.

“I was there, and I saw the special-needs kids just standing there,” she said.

“I thought, ‘Why can’t I do this and help teach them because I know how they

felt.’”

Anngel said she’s glad all of her children, especially Jenna, have found a home

in 4-H.

“It was like a haven for her,” she said. “She wants people to see that even

though you have a speech problem doesn’t mean you can’t do something.”