Guest guest Posted December 27, 2007 Report Share Posted December 27, 2007 Rookie question but can't atand firm on the MD diagnosis or is this a state to state thing where some states value therapist diagnosis more. Don't worry...gotta love that one. Our EI speech therapist said that too. Now she is worried. The joke of it is she decided to worry once he started improving. > > > I'm getting ready for the introductory meeting of the EI Transition Process. This is where I'll meet with a rep from the school district and it will be facilitated by the EI coordinator. ANYWAY.....the ei coordinator can be difficult, so I want to be prepared. > > FIrst of all, my son has not been officially diagnosed with apraxia. The therapist feels that he's doing great, and doesn't seem to be REALLY worried. She's disouraged me from ordering the Kaufman cards, and has advised me to relax. BUT, she still sees indicators of apraxia.....prosidy, searching (sometimes), oral motor issues such as drooling and not being able to move his tongue to the right. He can now move it to the left after lots of practice and stick it out, but can't lateralize the tongue to the right or touch the top lip. BUT she says that he doesn't have oral apraxia. SO things aren't completely making sense to me. There's also intelligibility issues, and I see more searching behaviors than she does, too. On top of it, he lags behind his peers in speech.....so I DO WORRY!! > > Without a real diagnosis of apraxia, though, I'm afraid that he may not get the services he needs. Currently, he gets two hours of speech therapy and one hour of OT per week. I'd like to see this continue. I've been told that no school district will provide this much 1:1 speech therapy, and that OT will be a thing of the past. The neuro-pedetrician gave him a diagnosis of developmental verbal dyspraxia, so I'm hoping I can use that to get OT and 1:1 speech (continue with two hours per week). My son is doing amazingly well, but we work CONSTANTLY! We also do fish oil and have been avoiding dairy. I'm introducing him to gluten/wheat free foods, and I have an appointment to discuss blood testing with his physician. I've seen one DAN doctor (very bad experience), but I intend to try another DAN doctor at some point in the future. > > So, my questions are.....what else should I be doing? Should I try to use the neuro-ped diagnosis to get services?? Do I need another diagnosis from the neuro-ped (instead of a developmental coded diagnosis.....information from the Late Talker book)? Should I take him to another speech therapist for a diagnosis (or is that even possible??). Does it sound like he has oral apraxia?? How can I continue to get OT? He was diagnosed with hypotonia and sensory issues. He was also two months premature, and he was adopted. We also get no adoption assistance, so finances are incredibly TIGHT!!..... > > Any advice will help tremendously!! > > Thank You > > > (sorry such a long question) > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get the power of Windows + Web with the new Windows Live. > http://www.windowslive.com? ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_powerofwindows_122007 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 27, 2007 Report Share Posted December 27, 2007 Well this is loaded: 1) ASHA recently came out with a position statement giving SLP's the " authority " to diagnose Apraxia. In your case it doesn't really matter because the neuro-ped already gave you a label of dyspraxia which means the same thing. Apraxia has many labels but ASHA offcially endorses " Childhood Apraxia of Speech " . You could find another " experianced " slp to diagnose him but you really already have the diagnosis you need. 2) Yes the symptoms/signs you describe are Oral apraxia. If anything that makes your case even stronger as oral apraxia + verbal apraxia is more " severe " apraxia. Does he demonstrate signs of body apraxia in his limbs/trunk? 3)Yes, you should be worried and fight to the end for services NOW so he doesn't need them for the rest of his school years. > > > I'm getting ready for the introductory meeting of the EI Transition Process. This is where I'll meet with a rep from the school district and it will be facilitated by the EI coordinator. ANYWAY.....the ei coordinator can be difficult, so I want to be prepared. > > FIrst of all, my son has not been officially diagnosed with apraxia. The therapist feels that he's doing great, and doesn't seem to be REALLY worried. She's disouraged me from ordering the Kaufman cards, and has advised me to relax. BUT, she still sees indicators of apraxia.....prosidy, searching (sometimes), oral motor issues such as drooling and not being able to move his tongue to the right. He can now move it to the left after lots of practice and stick it out, but can't lateralize the tongue to the right or touch the top lip. BUT she says that he doesn't have oral apraxia. SO things aren't completely making sense to me. There's also intelligibility issues, and I see more searching behaviors than she does, too. On top of it, he lags behind his peers in speech.....so I DO WORRY!! > > Without a real diagnosis of apraxia, though, I'm afraid that he may not get the services he needs. Currently, he gets two hours of speech therapy and one hour of OT per week. I'd like to see this continue. I've been told that no school district will provide this much 1:1 speech therapy, and that OT will be a thing of the past. The neuro-pedetrician gave him a diagnosis of developmental verbal dyspraxia, so I'm hoping I can use that to get OT and 1:1 speech (continue with two hours per week). My son is doing amazingly well, but we work CONSTANTLY! We also do fish oil and have been avoiding dairy. I'm introducing him to gluten/wheat free foods, and I have an appointment to discuss blood testing with his physician. I've seen one DAN doctor (very bad experience), but I intend to try another DAN doctor at some point in the future. > > So, my questions are.....what else should I be doing? Should I try to use the neuro-ped diagnosis to get services?? Do I need another diagnosis from the neuro-ped (instead of a developmental coded diagnosis.....information from the Late Talker book)? Should I take him to another speech therapist for a diagnosis (or is that even possible??). Does it sound like he has oral apraxia?? How can I continue to get OT? He was diagnosed with hypotonia and sensory issues. He was also two months premature, and he was adopted. We also get no adoption assistance, so finances are incredibly TIGHT!!..... > > Any advice will help tremendously!! > > Thank You > > > (sorry such a long question) > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get the power of Windows + Web with the new Windows Live. > http://www.windowslive.com? ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_powerofwindows_122007 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 , Because I've just been through this same thing (have IEP mtg Jan 4), I totally know what you're thinking. I've heard some people say to stop the fish oil before he has the testing with the school district (we tried fish oil, but didn't see any improvements) because it will make your child regress in his speech. I went into the trans mtg knowing that I wanted speech therapy for my son (that's all, nothing monumental!) I went into the mtg knowing what I wanted (not knowing if he'd qualify b/c his EI SLP wasn't sure if he would, which was beyond me, but...). Since the trans mtg and his eval (he qualified for ST), I've done major research and called every agency in our state as well as some national groups to find out if the delivery of service is legal. I plan on going to the IEP mtg very prepared and am willing to walk out and not sign the IEP depending on what the delivery of service is (our SD doesn't have an SLP). I think the OT service will continue if he qualifies (your SD may not have OT services, but if the child needs the service they must provide it somehow, even if the have to reimburse you for transportation costs and " contract " out to outside agency). Good luck to you! Bonnie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 , My boy is 13 and I spent many, many wasted years waiting for him to 'grow out of it' as the professionals said that he would. Well, he didn't grow out of it.... he grew INTO it! With each successive year, he got a worse diagnosis and if I could turn back time and do it all over again, I wouldn't have listened to those kind, well-meaning but very misinformed professionals. Yes, some kids may grow out of it but why take the chance of your child getting progressively worse like mine did? When they are little, those little ones are growing so rapidly and a 2 or 3 month time span translates into years and years behind their peer group in skill development down the road. Your intuitive 'mommy' voice inside of you is screaming. Over time you must learn to listen to that voice above the professionals that you will encounter. The Crazy Mamma, in the end, is the one who gets the services! The mother who screams loudest, works the hardest and pounds on the firmly shut doors of funding is the one who gets her way. So get out your crow-bar and pry those doors open! They are heavy and the latch is firmly stuck but you can do this! Good luck and don't give up. Listen to the wisdom of your heart, do your research and MAKE THEM help your child! Your child needs oral-motor therapy and possibly years of OT if he has global dyspraxia in his body. Supplements will help but therapy is an absolute necessity. Janice Mother of Mark, 13 [sPAM][ ] Re: EI Transition Meeting Well this is loaded: 1) ASHA recently came out with a position statement giving SLP's the " authority " to diagnose Apraxia. In your case it doesn't really matter because the neuro-ped already gave you a label of dyspraxia which means the same thing. Apraxia has many labels but ASHA offcially endorses " Childhood Apraxia of Speech " . You could find another " experianced " slp to diagnose him but you really already have the diagnosis you need. 2) Yes the symptoms/signs you describe are Oral apraxia. If anything that makes your case even stronger as oral apraxia + verbal apraxia is more " severe " apraxia. Does he demonstrate signs of body apraxia in his limbs/trunk? 3)Yes, you should be worried and fight to the end for services NOW so he doesn't need them for the rest of his school years. > > > I'm getting ready for the introductory meeting of the EI Transition Process. This is where I'll meet with a rep from the school district and it will be facilitated by the EI coordinator. ANYWAY.....the ei coordinator can be difficult, so I want to be prepared. > > FIrst of all, my son has not been officially diagnosed with apraxia. The therapist feels that he's doing great, and doesn't seem to be REALLY worried. She's disouraged me from ordering the Kaufman cards, and has advised me to relax. BUT, she still sees indicators of apraxia.....prosidy, searching (sometimes), oral motor issues such as drooling and not being able to move his tongue to the right. He can now move it to the left after lots of practice and stick it out, but can't lateralize the tongue to the right or touch the top lip. BUT she says that he doesn't have oral apraxia. SO things aren't completely making sense to me. There's also intelligibility issues, and I see more searching behaviors than she does, too. On top of it, he lags behind his peers in speech.....so I DO WORRY!! > > Without a real diagnosis of apraxia, though, I'm afraid that he may not get the services he needs. Currently, he gets two hours of speech therapy and one hour of OT per week. I'd like to see this continue. I've been told that no school district will provide this much 1:1 speech therapy, and that OT will be a thing of the past. The neuro-pedetrician gave him a diagnosis of developmental verbal dyspraxia, so I'm hoping I can use that to get OT and 1:1 speech (continue with two hours per week). My son is doing amazingly well, but we work CONSTANTLY! We also do fish oil and have been avoiding dairy. I'm introducing him to gluten/wheat free foods, and I have an appointment to discuss blood testing with his physician. I've seen one DAN doctor (very bad experience), but I intend to try another DAN doctor at some point in the future. > > So, my questions are.....what else should I be doing? Should I try to use the neuro-ped diagnosis to get services?? Do I need another diagnosis from the neuro-ped (instead of a developmental coded diagnosis.....information from the Late Talker book)? Should I take him to another speech therapist for a diagnosis (or is that even possible??). Does it sound like he has oral apraxia?? How can I continue to get OT? He was diagnosed with hypotonia and sensory issues. He was also two months premature, and he was adopted. We also get no adoption assistance, so finances are incredibly TIGHT!!..... > > Any advice will help tremendously!! > > Thank You > > > (sorry such a long question) > > __________________________________________________________ > Get the power of Windows + Web with the new Windows Live. > http://www.windowslive.com? ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_powerofwindows_122007 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 TRUE TRUE TRUE - the squeaky wheel does end up getting the grease. Sad but true. > > > > > > I'm getting ready for the introductory meeting of the EI Transition > Process. This is where I'll meet with a rep from the school district > and it will be facilitated by the EI coordinator. ANYWAY.....the ei > coordinator can be difficult, so I want to be prepared. > > > > FIrst of all, my son has not been officially diagnosed with > apraxia. The therapist feels that he's doing great, and doesn't seem > to be REALLY worried. She's disouraged me from ordering the Kaufman > cards, and has advised me to relax. BUT, she still sees indicators > of apraxia.....prosidy, searching (sometimes), oral motor issues such > as drooling and not being able to move his tongue to the right. He > can now move it to the left after lots of practice and stick it out, > but can't lateralize the tongue to the right or touch the top lip. > BUT she says that he doesn't have oral apraxia. SO things aren't > completely making sense to me. There's also intelligibility issues, > and I see more searching behaviors than she does, too. On top of it, > he lags behind his peers in speech.....so I DO WORRY!! > > > > Without a real diagnosis of apraxia, though, I'm afraid that he may > not get the services he needs. Currently, he gets two hours of > speech therapy and one hour of OT per week. I'd like to see this > continue. I've been told that no school district will provide this > much 1:1 speech therapy, and that OT will be a thing of the past. The > neuro-pedetrician gave him a diagnosis of developmental verbal > dyspraxia, so I'm hoping I can use that to get OT and 1:1 speech > (continue with two hours per week). My son is doing amazingly well, > but we work CONSTANTLY! We also do fish oil and have been avoiding > dairy. I'm introducing him to gluten/wheat free foods, and I have an > appointment to discuss blood testing with his physician. I've seen > one DAN doctor (very bad experience), but I intend to try another DAN > doctor at some point in the future. > > > > So, my questions are.....what else should I be doing? Should I > try to use the neuro-ped diagnosis to get services?? Do I need > another diagnosis from the neuro-ped (instead of a developmental > coded diagnosis.....information from the Late Talker book)? Should I > take him to another speech therapist for a diagnosis (or is that even > possible??). Does it sound like he has oral apraxia?? How can I > continue to get OT? He was diagnosed with hypotonia and sensory > issues. He was also two months premature, and he was adopted. We > also get no adoption assistance, so finances are incredibly > TIGHT!!..... > > > > Any advice will help tremendously!! > > > > Thank You > > > > > > (sorry such a long question) > > > > __________________________________________________________ > > Get the power of Windows + Web with the new Windows Live. > > http://www.windowslive.com? > ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_powerofwindows_122007 > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 Thanks for this information.....and I'm scared. What are the indicators of global dyspraxia?? I spoke to the speech therapist earlier ths morning. She blames the problem on restricted frenulum. The doctor says " no " to that, and I actually believe him. For them to clip the frenulum, they will put him under sedation (no just numb the area, but general anesthsia). I'm against that, because I don't think that's the real problem. Restricted frenulum doesn't excplain the lateralization to only one side and drooling on the same side. So I guess my fundamental question is, " what do I look for in dyspraxia " ? Thanks so much @...: jscott@...: Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:59:14 -0800Subject: Re: [ ] Re: EI Transition Meeting ,My boy is 13 and I spent many, many wasted years waiting for him to 'grow out of it' as the professionals said that he would. Well, he didn't grow out of it.... he grew INTO it! With each successive year, he got a worse diagnosis and if I could turn back time and do it all over again, I wouldn't have listened to those kind, well-meaning but very misinformed professionals. Yes, some kids may grow out of it but why take the chance of your child getting progressively worse like mine did? When they are little, those little ones are growing so rapidly and a 2 or 3 month time span translates into years and years behind their peer group in skill development down the road.Your intuitive 'mommy' voice inside of you is screaming. Over time you must learn to listen to that voice above the professionals that you will encounter. The Crazy Mamma, in the end, is the one who gets the services! The mother who screams loudest, works the hardest and pounds on the firmly shut doors of funding is the one who gets her way. So get out your crow-bar and pry those doors open! They are heavy and the latch is firmly stuck but you can do this!Good luck and don't give up. Listen to the wisdom of your heart, do your research and MAKE THEM help your child! Your child needs oral-motor therapy and possibly years of OT if he has global dyspraxia in his body. Supplements will help but therapy is an absolute necessity.JaniceMother of Mark, 13 [sPAM][ ] Re: EI Transition MeetingWell this is loaded:1) ASHA recently came out with a position statement giving SLP's the " authority " to diagnose Apraxia. In your case it doesn't really matter because the neuro-ped already gave you a label of dyspraxia which means the same thing. Apraxia has many labels but ASHA offcially endorses " Childhood Apraxia of Speech " . You could find another " experianced " slp to diagnose him but you really already have the diagnosis you need. 2) Yes the symptoms/signs you describe are Oral apraxia. If anything that makes your case even stronger as oral apraxia + verbal apraxia is more " severe " apraxia. Does he demonstrate signs of body apraxia in his limbs/trunk?3)Yes, you should be worried and fight to the end for services NOW so he doesn't need them for the rest of his school years.--- In , Hanagan <hanagan_8@...> wrote:>> > I'm getting ready for the introductory meeting of the EI Transition Process. This is where I'll meet with a rep from the school district and it will be facilitated by the EI coordinator. ANYWAY.....the ei coordinator can be difficult, so I want to be prepared. > > FIrst of all, my son has not been officially diagnosed with apraxia. The therapist feels that he's doing great, and doesn't seem to be REALLY worried. She's disouraged me from ordering the Kaufman cards, and has advised me to relax. BUT, she still sees indicators of apraxia.....prosidy, searching (sometimes), oral motor issues such as drooling and not being able to move his tongue to the right. He can now move it to the left after lots of practice and stick it out, but can't lateralize the tongue to the right or touch the top lip. BUT she says that he doesn't have oral apraxia. SO things aren't completely making sense to me. There's also intelligibility issues, and I see more searching behaviors than she does, too. On top of it, he lags behind his peers in speech.....so I DO WORRY!!> > Without a real diagnosis of apraxia, though, I'm afraid that he may not get the services he needs. Currently, he gets two hours of speech therapy and one hour of OT per week. I'd like to see this continue. I've been told that no school district will provide this much 1:1 speech therapy, and that OT will be a thing of the past. The neuro-pedetrician gave him a diagnosis of developmental verbal dyspraxia, so I'm hoping I can use that to get OT and 1:1 speech (continue with two hours per week). My son is doing amazingly well, but we work CONSTANTLY! We also do fish oil and have been avoiding dairy. I'm introducing him to gluten/wheat free foods, and I have an appointment to discuss blood testing with his physician. I've seen one DAN doctor (very bad experience), but I intend to try another DAN doctor at some point in the future.> > So, my questions are.....what else should I be doing? Should I try to use the neuro-ped diagnosis to get services?? Do I need another diagnosis from the neuro-ped (instead of a developmental coded diagnosis.....information from the Late Talker book)? Should I take him to another speech therapist for a diagnosis (or is that even possible??). Does it sound like he has oral apraxia?? How can I continue to get OT? He was diagnosed with hypotonia and sensory issues. He was also two months premature, and he was adopted. We also get no adoption assistance, so finances are incredibly TIGHT!!..... > > Any advice will help tremendously!!> > Thank You> > > (sorry such a long question)> > __________________________________________________________> Get the power of Windows + Web with the new Windows Live.> http://www.windowslive.com?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_powerofwindows_122007> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 Hi - We just went through our first IEP Eligibility meeting in November (and we were also transitioning out of EI). We have dyspraxia diagnosis from 2 pediatric neurologists, apraxia concerns from 3 speech therapists, recommeded continuation of speech from 3 different speech therapists and the latest neurologist appt, recommended OT therapy from the latest neurologist appt and his private OT. All of this provided to the IEP team. The school district approved only 30 minutes of speech therapy per week and no OT. Yep, that is it. They didn't care about any of his OT evaluations or doctor diagnosis and recommendations. We even had OT evals that showed he is regressing in relation to his peers. The only information they were concerned with is how he is currently doing in his 2 year old preschool class. The OT and ST observed him for one hour in his preschool class. Since he is doing well compared to his peers in preschool they say they can not qualify him. The OT even agreed that some of the skills they are doing may be geared more toward younger 2 year olds. The OT also observed some of his dyspraxic tendencies. With his November birthdate he is one of the older ones. I don't know how they could compare him to the other kids in the class when they didn't know the ages of the kids in the class (there can be as much as a year difference) and they also don't know if the kids in the class are even functioning at typical levels. Basically, I was told to wait until he falls further behind - no kidding! They put in his IEP to monitor his progress (we are supposed to meet again 4 months later). So, from our experience. If your child is in preschool and doing well - do not let them observe him there. - > > > I'm getting ready for the introductory meeting of the EI Transition Process. This is where I'll meet with a rep from the school district and it will be facilitated by the EI coordinator. ANYWAY.....the ei coordinator can be difficult, so I want to be prepared. > > FIrst of all, my son has not been officially diagnosed with apraxia. The therapist feels that he's doing great, and doesn't seem to be REALLY worried. She's disouraged me from ordering the Kaufman cards, and has advised me to relax. BUT, she still sees indicators of apraxia.....prosidy, searching (sometimes), oral motor issues such as drooling and not being able to move his tongue to the right. He can now move it to the left after lots of practice and stick it out, but can't lateralize the tongue to the right or touch the top lip. BUT she says that he doesn't have oral apraxia. SO things aren't completely making sense to me. There's also intelligibility issues, and I see more searching behaviors than she does, too. On top of it, he lags behind his peers in speech.....so I DO WORRY!! > > Without a real diagnosis of apraxia, though, I'm afraid that he may not get the services he needs. Currently, he gets two hours of speech therapy and one hour of OT per week. I'd like to see this continue. I've been told that no school district will provide this much 1:1 speech therapy, and that OT will be a thing of the past. The neuro-pedetrician gave him a diagnosis of developmental verbal dyspraxia, so I'm hoping I can use that to get OT and 1:1 speech (continue with two hours per week). My son is doing amazingly well, but we work CONSTANTLY! We also do fish oil and have been avoiding dairy. I'm introducing him to gluten/wheat free foods, and I have an appointment to discuss blood testing with his physician. I've seen one DAN doctor (very bad experience), but I intend to try another DAN doctor at some point in the future. > > So, my questions are.....what else should I be doing? Should I try to use the neuro-ped diagnosis to get services?? Do I need another diagnosis from the neuro-ped (instead of a developmental coded diagnosis.....information from the Late Talker book)? Should I take him to another speech therapist for a diagnosis (or is that even possible??). Does it sound like he has oral apraxia?? How can I continue to get OT? He was diagnosed with hypotonia and sensory issues. He was also two months premature, and he was adopted. We also get no adoption assistance, so finances are incredibly TIGHT!!..... > > Any advice will help tremendously!! > > Thank You > > > (sorry such a long question) > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get the power of Windows + Web with the new Windows Live. > http://www.windowslive.com? ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_powerofwindows_122007 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 Didn't they do any formal testing? I recommend asking around to find a good advocate in your area. Don't go to the next IEP meeting without one. My advocate barely has to say anything at our meetings. They know they have to behave and offer reasonable services when she is there so we get most of our requests with some bickering in between. Before I had an advocate they offered almost nothing and insisted they couldn't do most of my requests. > > > > > > I'm getting ready for the introductory meeting of the EI Transition > Process. This is where I'll meet with a rep from the school district > and it will be facilitated by the EI coordinator. ANYWAY.....the ei > coordinator can be difficult, so I want to be prepared. > > > > FIrst of all, my son has not been officially diagnosed with > apraxia. The therapist feels that he's doing great, and doesn't seem > to be REALLY worried. She's disouraged me from ordering the Kaufman > cards, and has advised me to relax. BUT, she still sees indicators > of apraxia.....prosidy, searching (sometimes), oral motor issues such > as drooling and not being able to move his tongue to the right. He > can now move it to the left after lots of practice and stick it out, > but can't lateralize the tongue to the right or touch the top lip. > BUT she says that he doesn't have oral apraxia. SO things aren't > completely making sense to me. There's also intelligibility issues, > and I see more searching behaviors than she does, too. On top of it, > he lags behind his peers in speech.....so I DO WORRY!! > > > > Without a real diagnosis of apraxia, though, I'm afraid that he may > not get the services he needs. Currently, he gets two hours of > speech therapy and one hour of OT per week. I'd like to see this > continue. I've been told that no school district will provide this > much 1:1 speech therapy, and that OT will be a thing of the past. The > neuro-pedetrician gave him a diagnosis of developmental verbal > dyspraxia, so I'm hoping I can use that to get OT and 1:1 speech > (continue with two hours per week). My son is doing amazingly well, > but we work CONSTANTLY! We also do fish oil and have been avoiding > dairy. I'm introducing him to gluten/wheat free foods, and I have an > appointment to discuss blood testing with his physician. I've seen > one DAN doctor (very bad experience), but I intend to try another DAN > doctor at some point in the future. > > > > So, my questions are.....what else should I be doing? Should I > try to use the neuro-ped diagnosis to get services?? Do I need > another diagnosis from the neuro-ped (instead of a developmental > coded diagnosis.....information from the Late Talker book)? Should I > take him to another speech therapist for a diagnosis (or is that even > possible??). Does it sound like he has oral apraxia?? How can I > continue to get OT? He was diagnosed with hypotonia and sensory > issues. He was also two months premature, and he was adopted. We > also get no adoption assistance, so finances are incredibly > TIGHT!!..... > > > > Any advice will help tremendously!! > > > > Thank You > > > > > > (sorry such a long question) > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > Get the power of Windows + Web with the new Windows Live. > > http://www.windowslive.com? > ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_powerofwindows_122007 > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 Wow!! I'm so sorry to hear this! Did you sign the IEP? Have you talked about going to a " fair hearing " ? Did the district do any formal speech and OT assessments to come to this conclusion? I'm really afraid that I may have to fight a similar battle. Thanks for this information @...: lcook100@...: Fri, 28 Dec 2007 23:00:14 +0000Subject: [ ] Re: EI Transition Meeting Hi -We just went through our first IEP Eligibility meeting in November (and we were also transitioning out of EI).We have dyspraxia diagnosis from 2 pediatric neurologists, apraxia concerns from 3 speech therapists, recommeded continuation of speech from 3 different speech therapists and the latest neurologist appt, recommended OT therapy from the latest neurologist appt and his private OT. All of this provided to the IEP team.The school district approved only 30 minutes of speech therapy per week and no OT. Yep, that is it.They didn't care about any of his OT evaluations or doctor diagnosis and recommendations. We even had OT evals that showed he is regressing in relation to his peers. The only information they were concerned with is how he is currently doing in his 2 year old preschool class. The OT and ST observed him for one hour in his preschool class. Since he is doing well compared to his peers in preschool they say they can not qualify him. The OT even agreed that some of the skills they are doing may be geared more toward younger 2 year olds. The OT also observed some of his dyspraxic tendencies. With his November birthdate he is one of the older ones. I don't know how they could compare him to the other kids in the class when they didn't know the ages of the kids in the class (there can be as much as a year difference) and they also don't know if the kids in the class are even functioning at typical levels. Basically, I was told to wait until he falls further behind - no kidding! They put in his IEP to monitor his progress (we are supposed to meet again 4 months later).So, from our experience. If your child is in preschool and doing well - do not let them observe him there.- >> > I'm getting ready for the introductory meeting of the EI Transition Process. This is where I'll meet with a rep from the school district and it will be facilitated by the EI coordinator. ANYWAY.....the ei coordinator can be difficult, so I want to be prepared. > > FIrst of all, my son has not been officially diagnosed with apraxia. The therapist feels that he's doing great, and doesn't seem to be REALLY worried. She's disouraged me from ordering the Kaufman cards, and has advised me to relax. BUT, she still sees indicators of apraxia.....prosidy, searching (sometimes), oral motor issues such as drooling and not being able to move his tongue to the right. He can now move it to the left after lots of practice and stick it out, but can't lateralize the tongue to the right or touch the top lip. BUT she says that he doesn't have oral apraxia. SO things aren't completely making sense to me. There's also intelligibility issues, and I see more searching behaviors than she does, too. On top of it, he lags behind his peers in speech.....so I DO WORRY!!> > Without a real diagnosis of apraxia, though, I'm afraid that he may not get the services he needs. Currently, he gets two hours of speech therapy and one hour of OT per week. I'd like to see this continue. I've been told that no school district will provide this much 1:1 speech therapy, and that OT will be a thing of the past. The neuro-pedetrician gave him a diagnosis of developmental verbal dyspraxia, so I'm hoping I can use that to get OT and 1:1 speech (continue with two hours per week). My son is doing amazingly well, but we work CONSTANTLY! We also do fish oil and have been avoiding dairy. I'm introducing him to gluten/wheat free foods, and I have an appointment to discuss blood testing with his physician. I've seen one DAN doctor (very bad experience), but I intend to try another DAN doctor at some point in the future.> > So, my questions are.....what else should I be doing? Should I try to use the neuro-ped diagnosis to get services?? Do I need another diagnosis from the neuro-ped (instead of a developmental coded diagnosis.....information from the Late Talker book)? Should I take him to another speech therapist for a diagnosis (or is that even possible??). Does it sound like he has oral apraxia?? How can I continue to get OT? He was diagnosed with hypotonia and sensory issues. He was also two months premature, and he was adopted. We also get no adoption assistance, so finances are incredibly TIGHT!!..... > > Any advice will help tremendously!!> > Thank You> > > (sorry such a long question)> > __________________________________________________________> Get the power of Windows + Web with the new Windows Live.> http://www.windowslive.com?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_powerofwindows_122007> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 Thanks for this, 1) What does it mean to have ASHA " officially endorsing " Apraxia?? Can it's endorsement help me in some way?2) He has low tone, he used to be clumsy, but he doesn't seem to really have much of that anymore. He didn't pay attention to his surroundings and would have accidents, but he seems to have moved beyond that these days.....maybe from the OT. 3) I talked to the speech therapist about his oral motor stuff again today. She still doesn't think it's oral apraxia. I have only three more months with this therapist.....she uses Kaufman and PROMPT.....and she seems to do oral motor when I bring it up. I'm really worried that we're going to have to pay for a lot of services, and we just can't afford it!! We barely make ends meet as it is. @...: Kglashauser@...: Fri, 28 Dec 2007 03:04:52 +0000Subject: [ ] Re: EI Transition Meeting Well this is loaded:1) ASHA recently came out with a position statement giving SLP's the " authority " to diagnose Apraxia. In your case it doesn't really matter because the neuro-ped already gave you a label of dyspraxia which means the same thing. Apraxia has many labels but ASHA offcially endorses " Childhood Apraxia of Speech " . You could find another " experianced " slp to diagnose him but you really already have the diagnosis you need. 2) Yes the symptoms/signs you describe are Oral apraxia. If anything that makes your case even stronger as oral apraxia + verbal apraxia is more " severe " apraxia. Does he demonstrate signs of body apraxia in his limbs/trunk?3)Yes, you should be worried and fight to the end for services NOW so he doesn't need them for the rest of his school years.--- In , Hanagan <hanagan_8@...> wrote:>> > I'm getting ready for the introductory meeting of the EI Transition Process. This is where I'll meet with a rep from the school district and it will be facilitated by the EI coordinator. ANYWAY.....the ei coordinator can be difficult, so I want to be prepared. > > FIrst of all, my son has not been officially diagnosed with apraxia. The therapist feels that he's doing great, and doesn't seem to be REALLY worried. She's disouraged me from ordering the Kaufman cards, and has advised me to relax. BUT, she still sees indicators of apraxia.....prosidy, searching (sometimes), oral motor issues such as drooling and not being able to move his tongue to the right. He can now move it to the left after lots of practice and stick it out, but can't lateralize the tongue to the right or touch the top lip. BUT she says that he doesn't have oral apraxia. SO things aren't completely making sense to me. There's also intelligibility issues, and I see more searching behaviors than she does, too. On top of it, he lags behind his peers in speech.....so I DO WORRY!!> > Without a real diagnosis of apraxia, though, I'm afraid that he may not get the services he needs. Currently, he gets two hours of speech therapy and one hour of OT per week. I'd like to see this continue. I've been told that no school district will provide this much 1:1 speech therapy, and that OT will be a thing of the past. The neuro-pedetrician gave him a diagnosis of developmental verbal dyspraxia, so I'm hoping I can use that to get OT and 1:1 speech (continue with two hours per week). My son is doing amazingly well, but we work CONSTANTLY! We also do fish oil and have been avoiding dairy. I'm introducing him to gluten/wheat free foods, and I have an appointment to discuss blood testing with his physician. I've seen one DAN doctor (very bad experience), but I intend to try another DAN doctor at some point in the future.> > So, my questions are.....what else should I be doing? Should I try to use the neuro-ped diagnosis to get services?? Do I need another diagnosis from the neuro-ped (instead of a developmental coded diagnosis.....information from the Late Talker book)? Should I take him to another speech therapist for a diagnosis (or is that even possible??). Does it sound like he has oral apraxia?? How can I continue to get OT? He was diagnosed with hypotonia and sensory issues. He was also two months premature, and he was adopted. We also get no adoption assistance, so finances are incredibly TIGHT!!..... > > Any advice will help tremendously!!> > Thank You> > > (sorry such a long question)> > __________________________________________________________> Get the power of Windows + Web with the new Windows Live.> http://www.windowslive.com?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_powerofwindows_122007> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 I'm really sorry for the re-posting overkill on this topic, but I still have more questions.....When you say oral motor therapy, do you mean that a seperate time should be set aside for the therapy????? Is this done by a speech therapist or OT? What should this look like exactly? I'd like to know so that I can be very specific when the time is right. I know that I've complained in earlier posts about the " fight " with doctors and EI people, etc.....BUT I have gotten everything (so far) that I've asked for: OT, Speech, pressure vest, listening program, etc.....What I've found is when I've done research, and I was very specific, I eventually got results. I know that the district is VERY different from EI, though. One more thing.....I went to the peditrician today and requested bloodwork. He ordered everything except vitamin panel and L carnitine. He said that the vitamin panel was not permitted by Kaiser (my healthcare provider) because it had associations with autism (or something to that effect). What did he mean by that, exactly? Thanks so much @...: jscott@...: Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:59:14 -0800Subject: Re: [ ] Re: EI Transition Meeting ,My boy is 13 and I spent many, many wasted years waiting for him to 'grow out of it' as the professionals said that he would. Well, he didn't grow out of it.... he grew INTO it! With each successive year, he got a worse diagnosis and if I could turn back time and do it all over again, I wouldn't have listened to those kind, well-meaning but very misinformed professionals. Yes, some kids may grow out of it but why take the chance of your child getting progressively worse like mine did? When they are little, those little ones are growing so rapidly and a 2 or 3 month time span translates into years and years behind their peer group in skill development down the road.Your intuitive 'mommy' voice inside of you is screaming. Over time you must learn to listen to that voice above the professionals that you will encounter. The Crazy Mamma, in the end, is the one who gets the services! The mother who screams loudest, works the hardest and pounds on the firmly shut doors of funding is the one who gets her way. So get out your crow-bar and pry those doors open! They are heavy and the latch is firmly stuck but you can do this!Good luck and don't give up. Listen to the wisdom of your heart, do your research and MAKE THEM help your child! Your child needs oral-motor therapy and possibly years of OT if he has global dyspraxia in his body. Supplements will help but therapy is an absolute necessity.JaniceMother of Mark, 13 [sPAM][ ] Re: EI Transition MeetingWell this is loaded:1) ASHA recently came out with a position statement giving SLP's the " authority " to diagnose Apraxia. In your case it doesn't really matter because the neuro-ped already gave you a label of dyspraxia which means the same thing. Apraxia has many labels but ASHA offcially endorses " Childhood Apraxia of Speech " . You could find another " experianced " slp to diagnose him but you really already have the diagnosis you need. 2) Yes the symptoms/signs you describe are Oral apraxia. If anything that makes your case even stronger as oral apraxia + verbal apraxia is more " severe " apraxia. Does he demonstrate signs of body apraxia in his limbs/trunk?3)Yes, you should be worried and fight to the end for services NOW so he doesn't need them for the rest of his school years.--- In , Hanagan <hanagan_8@...> wrote:>> > I'm getting ready for the introductory meeting of the EI Transition Process. This is where I'll meet with a rep from the school district and it will be facilitated by the EI coordinator. ANYWAY.....the ei coordinator can be difficult, so I want to be prepared. > > FIrst of all, my son has not been officially diagnosed with apraxia. The therapist feels that he's doing great, and doesn't seem to be REALLY worried. She's disouraged me from ordering the Kaufman cards, and has advised me to relax. BUT, she still sees indicators of apraxia.....prosidy, searching (sometimes), oral motor issues such as drooling and not being able to move his tongue to the right. He can now move it to the left after lots of practice and stick it out, but can't lateralize the tongue to the right or touch the top lip. BUT she says that he doesn't have oral apraxia. SO things aren't completely making sense to me. There's also intelligibility issues, and I see more searching behaviors than she does, too. On top of it, he lags behind his peers in speech.....so I DO WORRY!!> > Without a real diagnosis of apraxia, though, I'm afraid that he may not get the services he needs. Currently, he gets two hours of speech therapy and one hour of OT per week. I'd like to see this continue. I've been told that no school district will provide this much 1:1 speech therapy, and that OT will be a thing of the past. The neuro-pedetrician gave him a diagnosis of developmental verbal dyspraxia, so I'm hoping I can use that to get OT and 1:1 speech (continue with two hours per week). My son is doing amazingly well, but we work CONSTANTLY! We also do fish oil and have been avoiding dairy. I'm introducing him to gluten/wheat free foods, and I have an appointment to discuss blood testing with his physician. I've seen one DAN doctor (very bad experience), but I intend to try another DAN doctor at some point in the future.> > So, my questions are.....what else should I be doing? Should I try to use the neuro-ped diagnosis to get services?? Do I need another diagnosis from the neuro-ped (instead of a developmental coded diagnosis.....information from the Late Talker book)? Should I take him to another speech therapist for a diagnosis (or is that even possible??). Does it sound like he has oral apraxia?? How can I continue to get OT? He was diagnosed with hypotonia and sensory issues. He was also two months premature, and he was adopted. We also get no adoption assistance, so finances are incredibly TIGHT!!..... > > Any advice will help tremendously!!> > Thank You> > > (sorry such a long question)> > __________________________________________________________> Get the power of Windows + Web with the new Windows Live.> http://www.windowslive.com?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_powerofwindows_122007> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 29, 2007 Report Share Posted December 29, 2007 Hi - We had back up plans so decided not to spend the time fighting. We are doing NACD. Also, we have a program in our county for kids that don't qualify with the school district but still need services. I think it is backed by Easter Seals. Anyway, he gets OT from this program (60 minutes private per week) and it only costs me $5 per session. I almost wish he didn't qualify with the school for speech since he could have got more time per week with the Easter Seals program. They didn't do any formal speech or OT assessments since we had them done with EI and we also had private evals. Again, they didn't put any weight on these evals anyway - it was all about the preschool observations. I was quite surprised at how little say we actually had in the meeting. We the parents certainly were not 50% of the meeting. Maybe 7%. One other suggestion - find out if your school district has a list of entrance skills for kindergarten. This can be used to show the team that skills your child doesn't have are needed when they enter kindergarten. This was useful when they told me that jumping and ball skills were not needed in kindergarten. I pulled out this sheet and showed them that both ball skills and jumping were on it. Also, I talked with the principle at our elementary school before the meeting. I wanted to find out what our specific school felt was needed for kindergarten. As I suspected she indicated that the kids really need to be more prepared than even the sheet I pulled off of their website had indicated. Good luck, - >> > I'm getting ready for the introductory meeting of the EI Transition Process. This is where I'll meet with a rep from the school district and it will be facilitated by the EI coordinator. ANYWAY.....the ei coordinator can be difficult, so I want to be prepared. > > FIrst of all, my son has not been officially diagnosed with apraxia. The therapist feels that he's doing great, and doesn't seem to be REALLY worried. She's disouraged me from ordering the Kaufman cards, and has advised me to relax. BUT, she still sees indicators of apraxia.....prosidy, searching (sometimes), oral motor issues such as drooling and not being able to move his tongue to the right. He can now move it to the left after lots of practice and stick it out, but can't lateralize the tongue to the right or touch the top lip. BUT she says that he doesn't have oral apraxia. SO things aren't completely making sense to me. There's also intelligibility issues, and I see more searching behaviors than she does, too. On top of it, he lags behind his peers in speech.....so I DO WORRY!!> > Without a real diagnosis of apraxia, though, I'm afraid that he may not get the services he needs. Currently, he gets two hours of speech therapy and one hour of OT per week. I'd like to see this continue. I've been told that no school district will provide this much 1:1 speech therapy, and that OT will be a thing of the past. The neuro-pedetrician gave him a diagnosis of developmental verbal dyspraxia, so I'm hoping I can use that to get OT and 1:1 speech (continue with two hours per week). My son is doing amazingly well, but we work CONSTANTLY! We also do fish oil and have been avoiding dairy. I'm introducing him to gluten/wheat free foods, and I have an appointment to discuss blood testing with his physician. I've seen one DAN doctor (very bad experience), but I intend to try another DAN doctor at some point in the future.> > So, my questions are.....what else should I be doing? Should I try to use the neuro- ped diagnosis to get services?? Do I need another diagnosis from the neuro-ped (instead of a developmental coded diagnosis.....information from the Late Talker book)? Should I take him to another speech therapist for a diagnosis (or is that even possible??). Does it sound like he has oral apraxia?? How can I continue to get OT? He was diagnosed with hypotonia and sensory issues. He was also two months premature, and he was adopted. We also get no adoption assistance, so finances are incredibly TIGHT!!..... > > Any advice will help tremendously!!> > Thank You> > > (sorry such a long question)> > __________________________________________________________> Get the power of Windows + Web with the new Windows Live.> http://www.windowslive.com? ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_powerofwindows_122007> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]> > > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Share life as it happens with the new Windows Live. > http://www.windowslive.com/share.html? ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_sharelife_122007 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 29, 2007 Report Share Posted December 29, 2007 ASHA offcially endorses the " term " 'Childhood apraxia' of speech as a opposed to: developmental dyspraxia apraxia dyspraxia syndrome speech apraxia I'm not sure if it's ASHA or apraxia kids (more likely found here - the website -google it- apraxiakids.org maybe?) that has info on how multiple short sessions (4x30 weekly) are better for kids with apraxia then infrequent but long sessions (1x60 weekly). These kiddos need repitition and they tire rapidly and hour visit is just not functional. PROMPT trained therapists are not big " believer's " in oral motor therapy and in speech-language pathology right now there is incredible debate about the effectiveness of oral motor based therapy. Most research is demonstrating that oral motor therapy (without being paired with speech - i.e. rounding the lips to blow v.s pairing it with vocalizing " o " or " oooo " )is ineffective in producing better speech because non speech movements and speech movements are based in different motor tracks to the brain. Please combine oral motor play with sounds to make it more effective for your kids. Clear as mud right? >> > I'm getting ready for the introductory meeting of the EI Transition Process. This is where I'll meet with a rep from the school district and it will be facilitated by the EI coordinator. ANYWAY.....the ei coordinator can be difficult, so I want to be prepared. > > FIrst of all, my son has not been officially diagnosed with apraxia. The therapist feels that he's doing great, and doesn't seem to be REALLY worried. She's disouraged me from ordering the Kaufman cards, and has advised me to relax. BUT, she still sees indicators of apraxia.....prosidy, searching (sometimes), oral motor issues such as drooling and not being able to move his tongue to the right. He can now move it to the left after lots of practice and stick it out, but can't lateralize the tongue to the right or touch the top lip. BUT she says that he doesn't have oral apraxia. SO things aren't completely making sense to me. There's also intelligibility issues, and I see more searching behaviors than she does, too. On top of it, he lags behind his peers in speech.....so I DO WORRY!!> > Without a real diagnosis of apraxia, though, I'm afraid that he may not get the services he needs. Currently, he gets two hours of speech therapy and one hour of OT per week. I'd like to see this continue. I've been told that no school district will provide this much 1:1 speech therapy, and that OT will be a thing of the past. The neuro-pedetrician gave him a diagnosis of developmental verbal dyspraxia, so I'm hoping I can use that to get OT and 1:1 speech (continue with two hours per week). My son is doing amazingly well, but we work CONSTANTLY! We also do fish oil and have been avoiding dairy. I'm introducing him to gluten/wheat free foods, and I have an appointment to discuss blood testing with his physician. I've seen one DAN doctor (very bad experience), but I intend to try another DAN doctor at some point in the future.> > So, my questions are.....what else should I be doing? Should I try to use the neuro- ped diagnosis to get services?? Do I need another diagnosis from the neuro-ped (instead of a developmental coded diagnosis.....information from the Late Talker book)? Should I take him to another speech therapist for a diagnosis (or is that even possible??). Does it sound like he has oral apraxia?? How can I continue to get OT? He was diagnosed with hypotonia and sensory issues. He was also two months premature, and he was adopted. We also get no adoption assistance, so finances are incredibly TIGHT!!..... > > Any advice will help tremendously!!> > Thank You> > > (sorry such a long question)> > __________________________________________________________> Get the power of Windows + Web with the new Windows Live.> http://www.windowslive.com? ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_powerofwindows_122007> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]> > > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Don't get caught with egg on your face. Play Chicktionary! > http://club.live.com/chicktionary.aspx?icid=chick_wlhmtextlink1_dec > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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