How Groot Helped a Child With Dyspraxia Learn to Speak

Dyspraxia, a condition that affects a child’s motor functions, can sometimes affect a child’s ability to enunciate, making it difficult for them to communicate. That was the case for Josh Dunlap’s son, Sawyer, who recently shared a story on Facebook with James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy. In the story, he says that his son is affected with this condition, but after watching Guardians, he began to notice a few positive changes in his son’s behavior. More than that, he noticed that Sawyer latched onto a specific character whose odd manner of speech helped him communicate better: Groot.

In the full Facebook post, Dunlap said:

He began to mimic him and he would use the word “Bah” for a lot, but after he saw the film, he would change the tone in which he said it to convey a different meaning. He would also start saying Groot for many things as well.

From there, they’ve moved on to speech classes, and he’s been slowly getting better at communicating. Gunn responded in a comment, saying:

I have many friends who get a lot of negative messages online – I’m very grateful for the huge, vast majority of positive and kind people who follow me here, on Twitter, and Instagram. I get to hear stories like this, and then read all the amazing comments [below]. Truly wonderful.

Saving the galaxy, one child at a time. You go, Groot.

(via Uproxx)

—Please make note of The Mary Sue’s general comment policy.—

Do you follow The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?