Re: New and Need Info

[Guest guest]

Hi and welcome!

Most people here start with 1 capsule and then increase it to 2 once

their child either plateus or shows no progress.

I don't know anything about the association method but from what I

have read apraxic children benefit from cuing and repetition.

Here are 2 old posts from the archives. One by an SLP and the other

from who was kind enough to compile a list of sites to hel with

oral motor stuff.

Good luck.

denise

******************

From: Van den Beemt <van@...>

Date: Wed Sep 26, 2001 11:09 am

Subject: Re: certain way dyspraxic children need to be taught

Hi Kim and ,

Because dyspraxia/apraxia of speech is a motor planning disorder, the

" certain way " children need to be taught is to employ principles of

motor learning. These are the same principles of learning that would

apply to development of any other motor skill, such as athletic

skills.

The primary principles of motor learning are:

1) frequent practice of the skill (an athlete doesn't practice his/her

sport only half an hour, twice a week. To really improve performance

they practice every day.)

2) shorter rather than longer periods of intensive practice. (athletes

don't practice a single skill for hours straight. Better performance

improvement is seen when individual skills are practiced in shorter

bursts. Often, an athlete will spend smaller amounts of time on each

of

several skills in succession, perhaps cycling through all the skills

one

or more times during each workout. If a single skill is worked on for

a

longer period, usually the athlete focuses on different aspects of

that

skill -- for example, a batter might work on the swing for quite a

while, but at times is concentrating on the stance, then the

hands/wrists, then the leg motion, then the hip motion, etc. trying to

perfect each part of the swing)

3. adequate feedback, and feedback that is specific to the motor

performance. (Professional athletes still need coaches. They need

someone to help them judge their performance and give them feedback on

how to adjust their timing, movement, and coordination so that they

can

then practice and learn the skill with the new adjustments. A baseball

batting coach might observe a player's swing for a while, then suggest

20 more reps, but this time, concentrate on dropping your shoulder as

soon as your hips turn.)

Another note on feedback: research indicates that too much feedback,

or

too specific feedback, may be detrimental to performance, especially

in

children. You need to find that perfect balance.

4. Repetitive single trials to establish a skill, followed by random

alternating trials to master it. (Tennis is a good example for this

one. When you first learn a backhand, you do it over and over and over

until your body " remembers " how it's done, and it becomes more

automatic. Then, to perfect it, you start mixing up forehands with

backhands and other strokes. You put more pressure on your body's

memory -- its motor plan for the backhand -- by requiring it to

produce

that skill in the middle of other movements, with little mental

preparation time.)

These are the primary principles that need to be incorporated into

therapy for apraxia of speech. This is what makes it different from

other therapies, specifically linguistic-based therapies for

phonological disorders (the cycles approach, minimal pairs, etc.)

There are several programs on the market that are intended for

children

with apraxia/dyspraxia of speech, such as Kaufman's kits. Most

programs do emphasize motor learning principles. An SLP can use these

materials (which really help with planning sessions and material

preparation time), but the key is using principles of motor learning

with those materials. An SLP who didn't read carefully or really

understand these principles might miss this very important aspect of

the

therapy. Even 's kits can be used inappropriately or

ineffectively.

I hope this was helpful.

Deborah L. Van den Beemt, MS, CCC-SLP

in NH/VT

********************

Here is a repeat post with oral motor stuff.

From: " M. " <khalidsvision@...>

Date: Wed Feb 27, 2002 2:49 am

Subject: Speech Therapy Activitie Websites and Books

Hi ,

Here are some " Speech Therapy Activitie " resources that should give

you

some techniques and ideas for home. Hope this helps.

Websites:

Speech Therapy Activities

http://www.speechtx.com/

" This site has a variety of printable activities and ideas for

different ages, all FREE! Help yourself and share with your

colleagues. Parents are also encouraged to enjoy the activities. "

Articulation and Oral Motor Therapy Ideas

http://www.expage.com/articphonologyoralmotor

Speech Teach speech therapy games

http://www.speechteach.co.uk/speechtherapygames.htm

Speech Therapy Ideas & Activities

http://www.angelfire.com/nm2/speechtherapyideas/

Oral motor excercises

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/speech_language_disorders/41710

Therapy Techniques Common For Apraxia

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/speech_language_disorders/36847

Oral Motor Therapy Ideas

http://www.speakingofspeech.com/generic.html?pid=1

Gefroh Boyd, M.S., CCC-SLP

http://www.quia.com/pages/havemorefun.html

Books:

Help Me Talk Right Books

http://www.speechbooks.com/

" How to Teach a Child to Say the " R " Sound in 15 Easy Lessons "

This " Help Me Talk Right " book focuses on the " r " sound. It presents

an easy to follow, proven step-by-step method of correcting those

pesky " r " s. All the tools and techniques you need for " r " sound

correction are included. Target ages: 5 and older.

" How to Teach a Child to Say the " L " Sound in 15 Easy Lessons "

This " Help Me Talk Right " book focuses on the " l " sound. It presents

an easy to follow, proven step-by-step method of correcting those

funny sounding 'l's. All the tools and techniques you need for " l "

sound correction are included. Target ages: 4 and older.

" How to Correct a Child's Lisp in 15 Easy Lessons "

This " Help Me Talk Right " book focuses on the " s " sound. It presents

an easy to follow, proven step-by-step method of frontal and lateral

lisp correction. All the tools and techniques you need to correct a

lisp are included. Target ages: 4 and older.

The New Language of Toys : Teaching Communication Skills to Children

With Special Needs : A Guide for Parents and Teachers

by Joan E. Heller and Sue Schwarts

" How to use toys and games to encourage young children to communicate

and use speech. This book is especially useful for parents who wish

to encourage their toddler or preschooler's speech who may not have

access to a speech/language pathologist. " ( )

Sound and Articulation Activities for Children with

Speech-Language Problems Krepelin, Bonnie

(Illustrator)

Does My Child Have a Speech Problem

by L. , I.

Beyond Baby Talk: From Sounds to Sentences, A

Parent's Complete Guide to Language Development

by Kenn Apel, J. Masterson Phd, Kenn Apel Phd,

J. Masterson

Babytalk : Strengthen Your Child's Ability to Listen,

Understand, and Communicate by Sally, Dr. Ward

> I have a four and a half year old daughter who has been diagnosed

as

> developmentally delayed,severe language disordered and hypotonic.

We

> have been in therapy (PT,OT,Speech) since she was 9 mos. old. Her

> language is our big concern at this time. Most of her

communication

> is one or two word phrases, but her expressive language is only 30 -

> 40 understandable words. She is in a language preschool that uses

the

> Association method here in our area. This is the best service

> available here. We are considering ProEfa for her and don't know

what

> dosage to start with. Also I need info on good resources for oral

> motor exercises. She really benefits from this and her school

> doesn't provide much of this. Any help you give would be

appreciated

> and opinions on the Association method, if you have any, are

welcomed.

> Sandy

[Guest guest]

What a great question! I have had this disease for well over 30 years. I

wish I had known the degree to which it would progress while I am still

relatively " young " (54). I think it is important to establish a relationship

with a

rheumatologist you trust and who is not stuck on old treatments or unsupportive

thinking. I believe it is important that you recognize the need not just to

treat the disease now but to find medication that you are comfortable with

that will help stem the progression of the disease. I think you should try to

maintain a good exercise regimen and to establish or maintain healthy eating

habits so that you don't stress your joints with excess weight. These things

are

all much more easily accomplished when you are young and the disease has not

already consumed you. The effort you put in now will possibly add years of

quality time later. Lastly, I would emphasize the importance of maintaining a

positive attitude. Laughter and blessed assurance will help you get through

the roughest of times and will make people eager to be around you regardless of

your circumstances.

Wishing you the best,

Kathy F.

My main question is this: What should I know about how to

live well with pa, or what do you wish someone would have shared with

you when you found out about it?

[Guest guest]

<<My main question is this: What should I know about how to

live well with pa, or what do you wish someone would have shared

with > you when you found out about it?>>

Hi,

Welcome! wow good questions. If you were just DX 6 weeks ago I

imagine your head is still spinning.

I wish someone would have told me how important rest is and that it

is OK to adapt your life to your illness. I always thought the best

course of action was to just keep plowing ahead as if I were not ill.

I believe I caused more harm to my body this way. Of course it is

important to keep going but it is OK to make some changes in

lifestyle to take good care of ourselves.

I was DX years ago but if I were diagnosed today I would want someone

to tell me that current thinking, and the thinking does change, is

how important it is to treat the disease aggressively in it's

earliest stages to avoid permanent damage and hopefully a worse case

of it.

Glad you joined. Good Luck,

Marti