Recently in a news article covered by CNN, Groot, the Character from the movie Guardians of the Galaxy had helped a young 4 year old child named Sawyer Dunlap, speak in a new way.

Dunlap was diagnosed with a rare disorder known as dyspraxia, a neurological disorder that affects his speech, motor, and other day to day tasks. He could only say the word “bah”, since he was three, until he saw Guardians of the Galaxy character Groot (a living tree superhero) who is only able to say the words “I am Groot.” Josh Dunlap, Sawyer’s father, had said that when his child saw the movie something in him clicked, something connected with him on a level he had never seen before. Soon after seeing the movie Sawyer started to say “bah” in new ways to mimic the character Groot, even saying it in different tones.

His communication skills have now grown; he has changed the word “bah” to “Groot.” When the director of Dyspraxia Foundation USA, Warren Fried, had hear about Sawyer’s accomplishment, he had said, “ We hear things repetitively, it sticks in our memory, so we communicate it out.” In the nation’s population only about 10% are affected by dyspraxia.  He had said that the character, Groot, is a particularly helpful character towards people with this disorder.

The positive feedback from Sawyer’s parents and other adults such as his teachers, have encouraged him to speak even more now. Sawyer, now in prekindergarten, has been excited to take speech classes to learn more about how to speak.