D.B.
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I was wondering if there are any SLP's out there who have experience with Childhood Apraxia of Speech? I am looking for some brains to pick. I would be happy to pay anyone for their time. My DD is 5 and is fairly non-verbal. I am looking for other ways to help her at home to try to get her talking. Thanks.
I probably should have been more clear in the original posting. She is currently in speech (since 14months) and is in preschool with an IEP. Her apraxia is caused by brain damage from birth. This is not a new diagnosis and her speech paths are very good. I just anted to get some new perspecitives. Sorry for not being clear enough (it was late :) )and thanks for the reponses so far!
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I'd call the Center for Speech and Language Disorders in Elmhurst and get a recommend for therapists in your area that specialize in apraxia.
Give your child fish oil daily. This will help his brain development.
I found this for you as well regarding my thoughts on this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhDbPx7xkNI&feature=re...
Lots of Love,
Linda
www.RivieraPlaySchool.com
My grandson as apraxia of speech. He was diagnosed at 2 1/2 thru the school system. Federal law requires that the school district provide evaluation and treatment for any baby/child who has a learning disability. The service is free. Call your local school to find out the number to call.
My grandson and his mother have been helped thru this program. My grandson was given speech therapy, occupational and physical therapy thru this program. He is now 6 and in the first grade in a special education program. He is still receiving all of those therapies.
The team that will be formed once an evaluation has been completed will help you with ways to help her at home.
It is essential that you get professional help for your daughter asap. She will have great difficulty in school if she's unable to talk. The inability to talk is caused by several different parts of the child. It is not just simple speech that she needs help with.
Some health insurance plans will cover a private evaluation and treatment. I recommend that if you go that route you do at some point contact the Intermediate Educational Service office and involve them also, so that her beginning in school will go more smoothly.
Have you found the many sources of information available on the Internet? If not just google apraxia of speech and you'll find tons. Also google IEP, Individual Education Plan, for ways in which the school district will be of help. Here are a couple of sights that I found helpful.
www.aafp.org/afp/990600ap/3121.html
www.//tayloredmktg.com/dyspraxia/das.shtml
It is good that you are aware and asking for ways to help your daughter. It is also important to have a professional evaluation and treatment plan. Perhaps you already have that and this is something extra that you are doing.
The first suggestion that we received was to learn sign language with my grandson. Not being able to talk or have a way of communicating is frustrating.
The next thing was to make cards with pictures of items that he uses everyday so that he can point to what he wants to talk about.
Then, as he got more into speech therapy the therapist taught my daughter how to go over the formation of sounds with him in the same way that the therapist did.
Keep in mind that with apraxia of speech the child lacks nerve connections and muscle control that are needed to form sounds. Teaching sounds also involves training muscles. The child who is unable to talk can be quite intelligent. It's not lack of brain development overall. I"m not sure that it even involves brain development so much as nerve development. In reality the experts don't fully understand what is going on. They just know that this child will not learn to talk without help provided by a specialized therapist.
