Speech Aprexia? he's not even 2...

Shellah - posted on 10/19/2010

My son has severe oral, verbal and motor apraxia. His neurologist told me in the 30 yrs. that she has seen children w/apraxia he is one of the worst cases, yet he has more motivation and drive than most of her patients! You said you're not sure if he understands everything you say, my 5 yr. old still appears to struggle w/understanding many things too. It gets better every day and he has no other neurological impairments. I believe he is just overwhelmed by trying to deal w/apraxia that he is slower at comprehending what i'm saying. We recently bought an ipad so he can use proloquo2go to communicate freely. We also put educational apps on it that are allowing to see how smart he actually is, it is pretty amazing! I wouldn't worry too much about his intellect because I have been in your shoes and now with the right tools my son is proving all he knows. He only has about 8 words that everyone can understand and he doesn't necessarily say them on cue, but he is one of the happiest boys you'll ever meet. If you are looking for a great resource try apraxia-kids, the website helped me when i felt lost and desperate for answers. Just remember every child is different and learns at a different pace. I'm not a very patient person, but I am learning to become one! There is no quick fix for apraxia, but intense OT, Speech and PT have worked wonders for my son.
Good luck and remember that just because he appears to not understand you he probably does if he has apraxia.

April - posted on 10/07/2010

You say "I am not sure he understands me when I say " watch out for your brother or even this is your brother" That in itself doesn't sound like apraxia to me. My son was first suspected to have apraxia because his understanding was SO high, but he had NO words at 18 months. With apraxia, the knowlege is in their head, but they can't make their mouth move the way they want to say the words. If you want more information I suggest this website http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disord...

Jessica - posted on 04/26/2010

Hi, My daughter was diagnosed with Apraxia at about 2 years. She saw a speech therapist twice a week for about a year and then enter the speech program at our local school district for another year. She is now 5 and at the kindergarten speech check-up they said they never would have know she had a problem because she has progressed to normal; the challenge now is to get her to stay quiet ;)
When my son had his 18 month check-up I knew he was experiencing the same difficulties my daughter had. He had no words with only the occasional mama or dada. They said to wait to see what happened at his 2 year check-up and at that point I was referred to the same speech program for him. He just recently transferred from the home therapist to the school program and he just loves it. He is still behind in his speech abilities; he tends to get frustrated because he can't figure out how to say what he wants to say but with the teachers him helping him to learn how to make sounds and put them together to form words he is progressing nicely.
Both of my children were and are way ahead with motor skills and comprehension, it was just that lack of oral motor skills that needed to be strengthened. Therapists use things such as blowing bubbles and kazoos, chewing gum and showing how their mouths move in order to strengthen mouth muscles and understand how different sounds are made.
Depending on where you live there may be free help for you also; all of the help we received was completely free of charge. We were referred to the California/Hawaii Elks program by our children's doctor and then the school program by that therapist.
Good luck and remember the earlier the intervention the "easier" it can be to be corrected with the right help.

Sarah - posted on 04/22/2010

Lisa...Ok...it is possible to have oral/verbal apraxia and have other motor skills that are awesome. My son is exactly that way! The best way for me to explain this kind of apraxia is that it is a developmental version of what happens to a parent/grandparent who has had a stroke and lost the ability to speak. The child knows what they want to say, but cannot make their mouth move to make the correct sounds--try sticking your tongue to the back of your bottom teeth and saying your alphabet.

My son said 12 words at 2 years old. That is actually very good, as some kids cannot even do that. His main issue was that he had no control over his tongue--he could stick it out, but not move it at all. The SLP suggested that we use a series of sign language DVDs called "signing time". Within a week or so, my son blossomed. He used his limited signs to communicate daily. Within 9 months ( of therapy 60 minutes a week) he went from the verbal ability of a 15 month old to the verbal ability of a 3 year old ( at age 3) just with some pronunciation issues. He is now 4.5 years old and pretty much fine. He is still ahead gross motor wise, and academically too--he can read on a 1st grade level and do basic math!

As for autism--my autistic 14 year old did not talk until he was 2, then caught up in like 6 months. There is no indication that my 4.5 year old has any signs of autism at all.

Amy - posted on 03/13/2010

Lisa,

I have a 6 yr old that has been diagnosed w/apraxia for the last few yrs. My other 2 children have no diagnosis at this moment though and they are 4 1/2 yrs and 2 yrs old. But about the apraxia, you are very lucky that his motor skills are up to par or above for as it is with mine is was delayed all the way and is receiving occupational and speech theropy. It will take some time and maybe another year before it is for certain that indeed that is a positive diagnosis. I have learned the easiest way to understand my childs dialect or his form of words for what he needed was to repeat what I thought he stated and if it wasn't correct he would repeat it till I said the correct word. Or he showed me what it was. If your child is in an early development program at the moment also known as ECI they will only see him/her til your child is 3 yrs of age. Outside private therapy is very good as well and the SLP will give great pointers on what to do at home and his progress as well. The school system can also be of assistance just before your child starts school in a few years so your child can have the assistance he/she needs and the teachers can adjust or accomidate what is needed.

Apraxia is an oral motor disorder which in turn makes it difficult for the child to manuver the parts of the mouth to produce sound correctly like the lips and placement of the tongue for instance. There are many types of apraxia of speech. I hope this will help you. If you have any other questions for me I'll be glad to answer them for you

Kathy - posted on 03/01/2010

First of all start with signing and create a communication board if you have not already done so. My son would only utter the sound "Nee" at 18 mos. We did not start therapy until he was over 2 1/2. There are several charateristics to look for with apraxia. A monotone voice with a rhymic speech pattern ( Mo son sounds like he is imitating a robot all the time). Sometimes you can see the jaw and jaw muscles tense when they try to talk. I had talked to the therapist about apraxia and she put us in for a referal to the apraxia clinic at Childrens Hospital. 18 mo is probable too young for such a diagnosis but if you can get a referral the sooner the better. Likewise my son is very social and does not have any other issues general associated with apraxia. ie. fine motor skills, He is above average for receptive language skills and right now above age for his vocabulary. However he has a had time putting sentances together and eleiminates or incorrectly pronoances the third sylable. Good Luck