FW: Apraxia- Attention

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I read 's story earlier and tried to send Robin this e-mail. It was

sent back to me. Is the e-mail address that followed the story correct? Do

you know if she's a part of the group. Does my e-mail make sense, am

I on the right track with . I'm having him evaluated by the Magnolia

Speech School Demonstration Program in Berwyn, PA.

(talkinc.org/magnolia.htm) to see if he can attend their school.

Thanks, Carol O'Donnell

_____

From: Joe O'Donnell [mailto:joecarolod@...]

Sent: Monday, August 11, 2008 6:29 PM

'Robin Ketchem'

Subject: Apraxia

Hi Robin and ,

I just read your story on the Cherab website. I'm so glad you finally have

the right therapy. I live in PA also, but closer to Philly, in Bucks

County. My son who has apraxia is much younger than . is 10

years old. I did have a very good speech therapist for him with Early

Intervention who told me she believed he had apraxia when he was two. She

had her own set of The Kaufman Speech Praxis Kit to use with . He

really did well with it. Then he turned 3 and transitioned to the BCIU 22.

I looked up Kaufman and apraxia on the internet, (he was 3 in Sept. of

2000) because I wanted to buy the kit and find out more info. My husband

thought the kit was too expensive, and thought the IU would give him what he

needed. Since apraxia needs intense therapy of at least 3-5 days of one on

one therapy the Early Intervention therapist told me to get a private speech

eval. and make sure I advocate for . I did find an SLP who knew about

apraxia, and wrote in her report that he shows signs of apraxia. It didn't

matter when I had his IEP meeting with the IU. They recommended that

get 1/2 an hour of speech therapy once a week that was within a speech ed.

group that ran from 9-11:30 am. once a week. Even though I showed them the

evidence from the internet that showed how apraxic kids need at least 3-5

days. Their answer to me was that you can't diagnose apraxia in a child so

young. Luckily was able to learn to speak with the little bit of

hours he received from the BCIU. So when he transitioned to Kindergarten I

was amazed at all that they offered to give him. He was put in a full-time

learning support class with 2 days of speech and 1 day of OT. That class

lasted for 3 years. Then next is part-time learning support. He was never

able to learn to read in those 3 years, even though they used an Orton

phonics program. He's been diagnosed with ADHD, central auditory processing

disorder, and dyslexia. So I've been reading every book I can on those

disorders. And have trialed almost every ADHD medicine. is now going

into 5th grade and is at a 1st grade reading level. Finally, just the other

day when I decided to join an internet apraxia support group, it dawned on

me that never received the appropriate therapy for his apraxia. So

now it is affecting everything he does in school.

I'm so glad that you had the courage to tell your story, so that others can

find help. Now that is 10 I just figured it was the dyslexia that was

keeping him from reading. I just figured that the therapies used to treat

apraxia were to get the kids to talk. So when started talking and

making slow progress every year I forgot about the apraxia. But since I

started with the internet support group I'm now thinking that it might not

be dyslexia. That if I get someone to help that knows about apraxia,

he will be able to read.

I go to