Need IEP advice for autistic apraxic child

[Guest guest]

My son is 4.5 also with I guess you would say severe apraxia and PDD NOS.

The problem is that the two conditions affect speech. I practically just

wanted them to work on speech, get the kid to talk. But they went into the

PECS

book, etc. Today we actually went into the school to see our son in action

with his PECS book and sentence strip. Amazing, he could actually form

sentences of what he wants. He can say words with the Kaufman cards but they

are

approximations. They feel I guess that they cannot focus on just one area.

They also say that the PECS helps facilitate speech. The apraxia makes it

harder for them to talk, this I know for sure, if it were just that my son was

on

the spectrum, I feel he would be talking now. Just make sure you voice your

concerns about his speech. They do work with him kind of like ABA but not

really the same. They I guess feel it is important to have them around other

peers and I guess they have to attend to those children's needs. I remember

leaving the IEP meeting feeling like he wasn't getting enough speech, but I

guess for the amount of time he is there he is getting as much as they can

provide and It was proof today that being in the classroom which is centered

around the four kids that don't have much language and having him learn the PECS

he is well on his way. I guess they feel all they do it kind of related to

speech in one way or another. For my son he has outside speech and OT as

well, and an autism specialist come to the house, don't expect them to provide

much more, at school they probably won't. Jen

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[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

I have a 4.5 year old son who is in the public school system for his

diagnosis of autism. After the first year of special education

preschool his diagnosis of apraxia was given, and we presented the

school with this information. He is mainly non-verbal, and is

severely affected by apraxia. We are fairly happy with the services

the school provides for his autism diagnosis, but we have been working

with my son's IEP team to try to get the proper services for his

apraxia diagnosis. They currently provide him with 4 sessions of 15

minutes per week 1:1 speech therapy, and one 30 minute group speech

session. At the last IEP meeting we told them we thought he needed

longer 1:1 sessions to work on his oral motor needs and apraxia, and

they stated that they felt that he was receiving the appropriate

amount of speech for him right now. They also said that their

responsibility was to give my son access to the curriculum, and that

they were focusing on doing this via his PECS communication book and a

" hip talker " augmentative communication device.

I am fairly sure that if my son was receiving an IEP only for his

apraxia diagnosis they would not be able to cop to this excuse and

leave him with only this minimal attention to his verbal language

needs. The speech therapist at the school says that he is making

minimal gains with the speech therapy he is currently receiving-- that

it is very slow and inconsistent. I don't know if she thinks that how

he produces speech and oral motor movements with her is the sum of his

potential, or what, but I feel that they are abandoning hope for him

to be a verbal communicator by focusing only on the augmentative

communication. Can anybody enlighten me as to what I should expect

the school system to provide for a severely apraxic child? As I

understand it they need to equally provide for both diagnoses, not

prioritize one over the other. Also, should I be asking for any OT or

ABA to focus specifically on his apraxia needs? I am just horrified

that they feel that his speech needs and overcoming apraxia are not

their realm or concern. I believe I will be taking this issue to

mediation, and I would love to hear some thoughts from you all.

Thanks!