Re: developemental evaluation/apraxia, dysarthia ?/Becky

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/16/02 2:46:52 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

mick8_7@... writes:

>

> HI Becky, Mic is 2years old,I do have the book communications in ds for

> parents,I use it alot.Right now they are calling Mics problem sensory

> because they arent sure about apraxia because hes so young but they are

> seeing signs of it.

>

fromthis website...

http://www.apraxia-kids.org/definitions/dyspraxia.html

Oral Apraxia and/or Verbal Apraxia?

Oral apraxia indicates that the child has difficulty with volitional control

of nonspeech movement. For instance, perhaps the child will have difficulty

sticking out and wagging their tongue when requested to do so. Or the child

may have difficulty sequencing movements for the command, " Show me how you

kiss, now smile, now blow " . Verbal apraxia indicates that the child has

difficulty with volitional movement for the production of speech. This can be

at the level of sounds, syllables, words, or even phrases (connected speech).

The motor struggle is most typically seen with sounds sequencing. Often oral

apraxia accompanies verbal apraxia, but that is not always the case. Speech

and language pathologists have mentioned that it is very rare and fairly

unheard of for a child to have oral apraxia without verbal apraxia/dyspraxia.

note that verbal apraxia follows oral apraxia.... the fact that he has

swallowing problems suggests a high probablity of speech apraxia. DS kids

usually have problems with lateral movement as well. Can he eat peanut

butter? A favorite exercise is to stick some in his cheek so he has to dig

it out with his tongue.

We live near Albany NY:Also Mic is grunting alot the sp thinks hes trying to

communicate this way because he

> cant make the sounds,Mic was saying dada baba ga but nothing purposeful and

> now all his teeth are in we lost some skills I thought he had.Hes really

> not communicating to us

Have you thought about trying signing? She learned to use her first signs

around age 1, and by 18 months could string 3 words verbally together as she

signed. By age 3 knew about 75 signs... she stopped using them for the

most part when she got into pre-school because no one else used them there.

She can still understand many signs at age 10 (even tho she doesn't actually

use them anymore). Her first PT recommended that ALL kids learn how to

sign... she is convinced it helps during the terrible twos! In any case, the

point of teaching signing is to help develop the part of the brain

responsible for coimmunication, even when the child finds actual speech too

frustrating.

I use signs now to help with concepts, like " who " and " where " and " same " vs

" different " . Very useful!

..He gags when he eats anything now even pureed food he just doesnt seem to

know to swallow.

Has he been seen by a PT specializing in eating disorders? If he has

developed a fear of eating it's REALLY important to deal with this ASAP.

ALso need to find out if anything else might be going on... like undiagnosed

reflux.

Ive made apts for

> a eye test and hearing test but I know this is not the problem,he sees fine

> and can hear Barney on tv when I dont hear it.They also think hes

> cognitively right on target for ds.I met an 8 year old with ds and the only

> thing i understood him say was his name,this scares me even if it turns out

> to be sensory I intend to treat it like apraxia in case.

You can work on both! definitely has both issues going on.

Can you tell me any signs of apraxia I should be looking for in a two year

old? (see above)

In 's case, she had trouble with the " bilabial " sounds... " b " " m "

(called bilabial because you use both of your lips to make the sound).

Ironically, those are typically among the first sounds a baby makes. She

would avoid or refuse making words that started with those sounds. She could

say the separate syllables of her name " Tay " and " lor " but refused to combine

them into one word.

There are some great computer tools available that can help stimulate

language as well. WHen we were at UCLA they had some switch devices they

started using at 6 months! By 2 he should be able to operate (and enjoy)

various electronic games geared towards young kids with speech issues.

Try contacting:Technology Resources for Education (T.R.E.) Center

(Assistive Technology Resources for New York State )

http://trecenter.org/index.html

In NY State Call

800-248-YTRE (9873)

They should be able to hook you up to resources in the Albany area.

Assistive tech centers usually can help you choose appropriate equipment &

software... some will lend you things to try out.

IHave you used music therapy?

No t formally... but has always loved videos with music on them. SHe

learned her " ABC's " by age 3 from watching Scary's vidoes.

I ve

> got alot to learn about this stuff.

I'm still learning! This summer I finally had it with the school'

s inability to teach her to read and I've created a whole new approach. Not

only is is working... but she is getting a lot more verbal in the process!

Thank you for responding. Laurie

>

-Becky

[Guest guest]

HI Becky, Mic is 2years old,I do have the book communications in ds for

parents,I use it alot.Right now they are calling Mics problem sensory because

they arent sure about apraxia because hes so young but they are seeing signs of

it.We live near Albany NY:Also Mic is grunting alot the sp thinks hes trying to

communicate this way because he cant make the sounds,Mic was saying dada baba ga

but nothing purposeful and now all his teeth are in we lost some skills I

thought he had.Hes really not communicating to us.He gags when he eats anything

now even pureed food he just doesnt seem to know to swallow.Ive made apts for a

eye test and hearing test but I know this is not the problem,he sees fine and

can hear Barney on tv when I dont hear it.They also think hes cognitively right

on target for ds.I met an 8 year old with ds and the only thing i understood him

say was his name,this scares me even if it turns out to be sensory I intend to

treat it like apraxia in case.Can you tell me any signs of apraxia I should be

looking for in a two year old? IHave you used music therapy?I ve got alot to

learn about this stuff.Thank you for responding. Laurie

how old is he?

DON'T wait on starting speech/communication stim activities... there is a lot

you can do yourself now.

If your post his age I'll send back some ideas that have worked for us. (My

daughter has pretty severe apraxia). Also where do you live?

Have you heard of " total communication? " . My daughter started her infant &

toddler program at UCLA and they used TC - a combination of speech, signing,

and computers to stimulate communication.

Get the book

Communication Skills in Children With Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents

(Topics in Down Syndrome)

by <A

HREF= " http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books%26field-au\

thor=Kumin%2C%20Libby%2C%20Ph.D./002-5879277-7052852 " >Libby, Ph.D. Kumin</A>

If you don't have a booksstore near by you can order it online from

Amazon.com

- Becky

[Guest guest]

Hey, Becky! I would be interested in hearing the new approach you are using

for teaching reading to . I'm frustrated also with the Reading Mastery

program the school has been using with the last 3 years. Before that he

used the Edmark and did well but got bored with it besides getting some of

the words mixed up. It was like he reached him limit on sight words at

around 200 words but I wasn't seeing any carry over to reading materials

outside the Edmark program. Any new ideas would be great to hear if you have

the time.

[Guest guest]

have your son been to an ENT?

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/17/02 1:16:07 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

loree5@... writes:

>

>

> How early can Apraxia be picked up. I am getting really nervous reading

> all of this because Micah only says dada and (he does sign well though and

> at 22 months old has avout 40 signs down and will string two sogns together

> at times), when I questioned his speech teacher about it she told me not to

> worry that he was to young to tell? How do you know and is the speech

> therapist off the mark?

>

> Loree

>

oh brother....

Start by assuming that your child with DS WILL have speech issues. It's the

rare DS child who does not! The theory of Early Intervention is to start

with therapy as soon as birth because anything you do will make a difference,

right? Babies start developing receptive language LONG before they can talk.

Only saying " dada " at 22 months is very delayed. Get a new speech

teacher... one that specializes in DS kids!

Didn't you mention he also is developing eating problems? THAT needs to be

addressed ASAP as well. When kids develop adversions early on it can be very

difficult to correct.

We lucked out... my daughter's first PT was also a specialist in eating

disorders. Fortunately my daughter didn't have any swallowing issues, but

the PT was on top of the things a SLP usually does later on ... like working

on muscle control of the tongue.

- Becky

[Guest guest]

How early can Apraxia be picked up. I am getting really nervous reading all of

this because Micah only says dada and (he does sign well though and at 22 months

old has avout 40 signs down and will string two sogns together at times), when I

questioned his speech teacher about it she told me not to worry that he was to

young to tell? How do you know and is the speech therapist off the mark?

Loree

Re: developemental evaluation/apraxia, dysarthia ?/Becky

In a message dated 8/16/02 2:46:52 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

mick8_7@... writes:

>

> HI Becky, Mic is 2years old,I do have the book communications in ds for

> parents,I use it alot.Right now they are calling Mics problem sensory

> because they arent sure about apraxia because hes so young but they are

> seeing signs of it.

>

fromthis website...

http://www.apraxia-kids.org/definitions/dyspraxia.html

Oral Apraxia and/or Verbal Apraxia?

Oral apraxia indicates that the child has difficulty with volitional control

of nonspeech movement. For instance, perhaps the child will have difficulty

sticking out and wagging their tongue when requested to do so. Or the child

may have difficulty sequencing movements for the command, " Show me how you

kiss, now smile, now blow " . Verbal apraxia indicates that the child has

difficulty with volitional movement for the production of speech. This can be

at the level of sounds, syllables, words, or even phrases (connected speech).

The motor struggle is most typically seen with sounds sequencing. Often oral

apraxia accompanies verbal apraxia, but that is not always the case. Speech

and language pathologists have mentioned that it is very rare and fairly

unheard of for a child to have oral apraxia without verbal apraxia/dyspraxia.

note that verbal apraxia follows oral apraxia.... the fact that he has

swallowing problems suggests a high probablity of speech apraxia. DS kids

usually have problems with lateral movement as well. Can he eat peanut

butter? A favorite exercise is to stick some in his cheek so he has to dig

it out with his tongue.

We live near Albany NY:Also Mic is grunting alot the sp thinks hes trying to

communicate this way because he

> cant make the sounds,Mic was saying dada baba ga but nothing purposeful and

> now all his teeth are in we lost some skills I thought he had.Hes really

> not communicating to us

Have you thought about trying signing? She learned to use her first signs

around age 1, and by 18 months could string 3 words verbally together as she

signed. By age 3 knew about 75 signs... she stopped using them for the

most part when she got into pre-school because no one else used them there.

She can still understand many signs at age 10 (even tho she doesn't actually

use them anymore). Her first PT recommended that ALL kids learn how to

sign... she is convinced it helps during the terrible twos! In any case, the

point of teaching signing is to help develop the part of the brain

responsible for coimmunication, even when the child finds actual speech too

frustrating.

I use signs now to help with concepts, like " who " and " where " and " same " vs

" different " . Very useful!

.He gags when he eats anything now even pureed food he just doesnt seem to

know to swallow.

Has he been seen by a PT specializing in eating disorders? If he has

developed a fear of eating it's REALLY important to deal with this ASAP.

ALso need to find out if anything else might be going on... like undiagnosed

reflux.

Ive made apts for

> a eye test and hearing test but I know this is not the problem,he sees fine

> and can hear Barney on tv when I dont hear it.They also think hes

> cognitively right on target for ds.I met an 8 year old with ds and the only

> thing i understood him say was his name,this scares me even if it turns out

> to be sensory I intend to treat it like apraxia in case.

You can work on both! definitely has both issues going on.

Can you tell me any signs of apraxia I should be looking for in a two year

old? (see above)

In 's case, she had trouble with the " bilabial " sounds... " b " " m "

(called bilabial because you use both of your lips to make the sound).

Ironically, those are typically among the first sounds a baby makes. She

would avoid or refuse making words that started with those sounds. She could

say the separate syllables of her name " Tay " and " lor " but refused to combine

them into one word.

There are some great computer tools available that can help stimulate

language as well. WHen we were at UCLA they had some switch devices they

started using at 6 months! By 2 he should be able to operate (and enjoy)

various electronic games geared towards young kids with speech issues.

Try contacting:Technology Resources for Education (T.R.E.) Center

(Assistive Technology Resources for New York State )

http://trecenter.org/index.html

In NY State Call

800-248-YTRE (9873)

They should be able to hook you up to resources in the Albany area.

Assistive tech centers usually can help you choose appropriate equipment &

software... some will lend you things to try out.

IHave you used music therapy?

No t formally... but has always loved videos with music on them. SHe

learned her " ABC's " by age 3 from watching Scary's vidoes.

I ve

> got alot to learn about this stuff.

I'm still learning! This summer I finally had it with the school'

s inability to teach her to read and I've created a whole new approach. Not

only is is working... but she is getting a lot more verbal in the process!

Thank you for responding. Laurie

>

-Becky

[Guest guest]

I know that Micah's speech is very delayed but i keep getting told that many

down's kids don't really begin speaking until 2 to 2and 1/2 and was led to

believe that this is not unusual. I do have a speech teacher that specializes in

Down's kids. We have a specialized school here on the Island that deals with

Just kids with DS.(Maybe she just doesn't know her stuff) He is doing slightly

better with accepting new foods, mostly very crunchy foods (potato chips,

pretzels etc. not the foods i really want him to eat) I think it may be a

sensory issue and he is getting input from the crunch.The OT agrees with me.

But yes he doesn't like to try new and different textures and my Sped teacher is

very upset that it hasn't been dealt with more efficiently by the ST. I guess I

am going to have to find a new ST> Any more thoughs on the subject would be

greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help. Loree Re: developemental evaluation/apraxia, dysarthia ?/Becky

In a message dated 8/17/02 1:16:07 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

loree5@... writes:

How early can Apraxia be picked up. I am getting really nervous reading all

of this because Micah only says dada and (he does sign well though and at 22

months old has avout 40 signs down and will string two sogns together at times),

when I questioned his speech teacher about it she told me not to worry that he

was to young to tell? How do you know and is the speech therapist off the mark?

Loree

oh brother....

Start by assuming that your child with DS WILL have speech issues. It's the

rare DS child who does not! The theory of Early Intervention is to start with

therapy as soon as birth because anything you do will make a difference, right?

Babies start developing receptive language LONG before they can talk. Only

saying " dada " at 22 months is very delayed. Get a new speech teacher... one

that specializes in DS kids!

Didn't you mention he also is developing eating problems? THAT needs to be

addressed ASAP as well. When kids develop adversions early on it can be very

difficult to correct.

We lucked out... my daughter's first PT was also a specialist in eating

disorders. Fortunately my daughter didn't have any swallowing issues, but the

PT was on top of the things a SLP usually does later on ... like working on

muscle control of the tongue.

- Becky

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/17/02 5:01:52 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

loree5@... writes:

>

> I know that Micah's speech is very delayed but i keep getting told that

> many down's kids don't really begin speaking until 2 to 2and 1/2 and was

> led to believe that this is not unusual. I do have a speech teacher that

> specializes in Down's kids. We have a specialized school here on the

> Island that deals with Just kids with DS.(Maybe she just doesn't know her

> stuff) He is doing slightly better with accepting new foods, mostly very

> crunchy foods (potato chips, pretzels etc. not the foods i really want him

> to eat) I think it may be a sensory issue and he is getting input from the

> crunch.The OT agrees with me. But yes he doesn't like to try new and

> different textures and my Sped teacher is very upset that it hasn't been

> dealt with more efficiently by the ST. I guess I am going to have to find

> a new ST> Any more thoughs on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

> Thanks for your help.

arggghhh

because he will be delayed anyway he doesn't need speech therapy???

What a lousy Catch 22 THAT is! And what a lousy excuse!

IMHO DS kids DO start speaking earlier... the problem is that many are

intelligible and what passes as a word for them may seem like " jargoning " to

someone else.

When was about 20 months I got the Regional Center in West Los Angeles

to foot the bill for a speech eval by an SLP whom a lot of parents told me

was very good. She arrived with a bag full of toys and sat on the floor and

played with . She was able to recognize a bunch of words was

saying that even I didn't recognize! Boy, was she good. I've never had an

SLP since who was that insightful.

- Becky