New member with questions: I need your wisdom!!!

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

I am the mom of a wonderful 20 month old boy named . I had

concerns about his language development at a year (he had NO

prevebal skills) and by 14 months he was evaluated by a

Developmental Pediatrician and a speech pathologist. His hearing is

normal, but at the 14-15 month evals his speech-language development

was at the 9-10 month old range (receptive and expressive). He had

a mild fine and gross motor delay (low oral motor tone and upper

body tone), and what they could measure for cognitive funtion was

normal (hard to measure cognition without language!). Socially he

has good eye contact and enjoyment, but does show POOR imitation

skills.

The DR felt at 15 months, and again this week at the 6 month follow

up, that has a motor planning issue (mild dyspraxia or

apraxia) but that (of course) we cannot be certain until he is

older. He seemed to feel that this is not autism.... but again, no

certainity because of his age.He is getting speech and OT 2 times a

week.

's receptive language is stil a big question mark.... and he

shows very little expressive language skills. He is just now

starting to occassionally give us a bye-bye wave. He drags me

around to things that he wants. He will lean in to have me give him

kisses, but not kiss me. He used to say mamama, but no longer. He

will occassionally shake his head no. He will not do signs.... we

have tried!!!!

My question to you all is: What were your little ones like at 20

months? Does an apraxic child have problems imitating? Did your

children show difficulty with receptive language as well as

expressive language? I guess I am trying to figure out if a " motor

planning problem " really fits with him.... most of the descriptions

I have found relate to older kids.

Thanks for anything you can share!

Pia

[Guest guest]

Sorry to bother. I guess it wasn't important.

> Hello everyone,

>

> I am the mom of a wonderful 20 month old boy named . I had

> concerns about his language development at a year (he had NO

> prevebal skills) and by 14 months he was evaluated by a

> Developmental Pediatrician and a speech pathologist. His hearing

is

> normal, but at the 14-15 month evals his speech-language

development

> was at the 9-10 month old range (receptive and expressive). He had

> a mild fine and gross motor delay (low oral motor tone and upper

> body tone), and what they could measure for cognitive funtion was

> normal (hard to measure cognition without language!). Socially he

> has good eye contact and enjoyment, but does show POOR imitation

> skills.

>

> The DR felt at 15 months, and again this week at the 6 month follow

> up, that has a motor planning issue (mild dyspraxia or

> apraxia) but that (of course) we cannot be certain until he is

> older. He seemed to feel that this is not autism.... but again, no

> certainity because of his age.He is getting speech and OT 2 times a

> week.

>

> 's receptive language is stil a big question mark.... and

he

> shows very little expressive language skills. He is just now

> starting to occassionally give us a bye-bye wave. He drags me

> around to things that he wants. He will lean in to have me give

him

> kisses, but not kiss me. He used to say mamama, but no longer. He

> will occassionally shake his head no. He will not do signs.... we

> have tried!!!!

>

> My question to you all is: What were your little ones like at 20

> months? Does an apraxic child have problems imitating? Did your

> children show difficulty with receptive language as well as

> expressive language? I guess I am trying to figure out if a " motor

> planning problem " really fits with him.... most of the descriptions

> I have found relate to older kids.

>

> Thanks for anything you can share!

>

> Pia

>

[Guest guest]

Hey mama give us time! I'm a homeschooling mom of 4 and cannot check

in as often as I would like! (We have 1 computer in the house we

share!!)

I did not seek an evaluation for my youngest until he was 30 mos or 2

1/2. At 20 mos he didn't speak much but he was the baby of the house!

My firstborn didn't speak until 24 mos but he spoke in sentences

like " I want a cookie! " My second born spoke at 19 mos and my third

at 16 mos (both girls). So at 20 mos I wasn't worried since ime

children don't speak until 16-24mos!

At 30 mos my child would say " mama " , " dada " , and " nana " for his

sister " " . He couldn't speak and be understood but he

understood everything we said. My son started twice a week ST at 2

1/2. He is now 5 years 4 mos. He has come a long way! Since your

child is already in therapy you are informing me about things since

we didn't realize my son had Apraxia, Dysarthria, and Hypotonia until

he was older than your child.

Best wishes! Speech therapy takes a long time but it is worth it to

help our children speak and be understood.

Sincerely,

Debra, homeschooling mom of 4 ages 11, 10, 8, and 5 in Central FL

[Guest guest]

Soory I didn't get back to you earlier..the weekends are too busy to

check the computer. My preschooler has apraxia -verbal not global so

I can' tell you much about the low muscle tone.

My child was referred to EI at 20 months, due to the pediatrician's

concern. I wasn't concerned at the time since my child was signing (I

have a deaf brother) and hearing both English and Spanish in the

house. I figured it was a bilingual delay. After all he would

communicate in signs so I knew he was understanding us.

Anyway, he was diagnosed with Apraxia at 22 months. You child has

more verbal language than mine did at 3. Upon entering preschool last

year he had 8 " words " They were mostly cv sounds. Ma (mom) da (dad

or the Tank Engine) ba (bob the builder) and mo (te amo -

spanish for I love you).

He had EI visit once a week. WE went to private thereapy twice a

week. Once he entered preschool he has recieved three 45 minute

sessions of speech there as well as twice a week of private.

He has come along way. He still can't maintain voice control, pitch,

loudness, very monotone at time and has an intellibility rate of

about 70%. One of the little girls who was in his class last year

told his teacher last week, " Isaiah has found his voice...and it's

loud. " When the teahcer told me this I wanted to cry. ALthough it

seems my life has revolved around ST appointments since he was 20

months old and the progress seemed be at a stand still at times after

hearing that little girl made this slow bumpy ride worth it.

[Guest guest]

Hi Pia,

Your son, sounds a lot like my son Larsyn (who now is 30 months and

definitely

has motor planning issues)! I will email you privately so I can let you know

what we have

gone thru so far!

-Jenna (mom to Larsyn 2.5 years old- Severe apraxia, Sensory Integration

Dysfunction and

Hypotonia)

>

> Sorry to bother. I guess it wasn't important.

>

>

> > Hello everyone,

> >

> > I am the mom of a wonderful 20 month old boy named . I had

> > concerns about his language development at a year (he had NO

> > prevebal skills) and by 14 months he was evaluated by a

> > Developmental Pediatrician and a speech pathologist. His hearing

> is

> > normal, but at the 14-15 month evals his speech-language

> development

> > was at the 9-10 month old range (receptive and expressive). He had

> > a mild fine and gross motor delay (low oral motor tone and upper

> > body tone), and what they could measure for cognitive funtion was

> > normal (hard to measure cognition without language!). Socially he

> > has good eye contact and enjoyment, but does show POOR imitation

> > skills.

> >

> > The DR felt at 15 months, and again this week at the 6 month follow

> > up, that has a motor planning issue (mild dyspraxia or

> > apraxia) but that (of course) we cannot be certain until he is

> > older. He seemed to feel that this is not autism.... but again, no

> > certainity because of his age.He is getting speech and OT 2 times a

> > week.

> >

> > 's receptive language is stil a big question mark.... and

> he

> > shows very little expressive language skills. He is just now

> > starting to occassionally give us a bye-bye wave. He drags me

> > around to things that he wants. He will lean in to have me give

> him

> > kisses, but not kiss me. He used to say mamama, but no longer. He

> > will occassionally shake his head no. He will not do signs.... we

> > have tried!!!!

> >

> > My question to you all is: What were your little ones like at 20

> > months? Does an apraxic child have problems imitating? Did your

> > children show difficulty with receptive language as well as

> > expressive language? I guess I am trying to figure out if a " motor

> > planning problem " really fits with him.... most of the descriptions

> > I have found relate to older kids.

> >

> > Thanks for anything you can share!

> >

> > Pia

> >

>

[Guest guest]

My son also had problems imitating when he was evaluated at 18 mos.

LOTS of therapy changed that. Before we could even model sounds, we

started with movements. Tap, tap, tap the hammer. Slowly every day

he started imitating and then we moved on to sounds. It is almost as

if you have to teach them to play and talk. I don't know why, but

they are interrelated. Now, my son has taken this to an extreme

level. He will say something and expects you to model back to him

what he is saying. Last night he was saying " ckickly keyoe " , I was

supposed to say tickle monkey and if I did not he would keep

repeating it, getting louder each time, until I did.

The evaluators questioned his receptive language, but we did not.

What do you think about your child? Our son was just stubborn and

wouldn't listen to you if he didn't want to, and already at that ripe

old age, he knew he had difficulty with language and if you were

asking him to say something he would not even listen to you.

Listen to who you think your child is, meet him there, and build on

his skills and comfort level. Gradually increase how much home

therapy you do with him. You will see slow and steady progress at

some point, the problem is none of us know when that is. It is

heartbreaking and the regressions can be devastating, but for us once

Brady started oils after age 2, he has maintained his speech and

continued to progress.

>

> Hello everyone,

>

> I am the mom of a wonderful 20 month old boy named . I had

> concerns about his language development at a year (he had NO

> prevebal skills) and by 14 months he was evaluated by a

> Developmental Pediatrician and a speech pathologist. His hearing

is

> normal, but at the 14-15 month evals his speech-language

development

> was at the 9-10 month old range (receptive and expressive). He had

> a mild fine and gross motor delay (low oral motor tone and upper

> body tone), and what they could measure for cognitive funtion was

> normal (hard to measure cognition without language!). Socially he

> has good eye contact and enjoyment, but does show POOR imitation

> skills.

>

> The DR felt at 15 months, and again this week at the 6 month follow

> up, that has a motor planning issue (mild dyspraxia or

> apraxia) but that (of course) we cannot be certain until he is

> older. He seemed to feel that this is not autism.... but again, no

> certainity because of his age.He is getting speech and OT 2 times a

> week.

>

> 's receptive language is stil a big question mark.... and

he

> shows very little expressive language skills. He is just now

> starting to occassionally give us a bye-bye wave. He drags me

> around to things that he wants. He will lean in to have me give

him

> kisses, but not kiss me. He used to say mamama, but no longer. He

> will occassionally shake his head no. He will not do signs.... we

> have tried!!!!

>

> My question to you all is: What were your little ones like at 20

> months? Does an apraxic child have problems imitating? Did your

> children show difficulty with receptive language as well as

> expressive language? I guess I am trying to figure out if a " motor

> planning problem " really fits with him.... most of the descriptions

> I have found relate to older kids.

>

> Thanks for anything you can share!

>

> Pia

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, here. I'm interested in the methods you used to initiate

mimicking -- was that you that started that or your SLT or other

therapist? Thanks.

> >

> > Hello everyone,

> >

> > I am the mom of a wonderful 20 month old boy named . I had

> > concerns about his language development at a year (he had NO

> > prevebal skills) and by 14 months he was evaluated by a

> > Developmental Pediatrician and a speech pathologist. His hearing

> is

> > normal, but at the 14-15 month evals his speech-language

> development

> > was at the 9-10 month old range (receptive and expressive). He had

> > a mild fine and gross motor delay (low oral motor tone and upper

> > body tone), and what they could measure for cognitive funtion was

> > normal (hard to measure cognition without language!). Socially he

> > has good eye contact and enjoyment, but does show POOR imitation

> > skills.

> >

> > The DR felt at 15 months, and again this week at the 6 month follow

> > up, that has a motor planning issue (mild dyspraxia or

> > apraxia) but that (of course) we cannot be certain until he is

> > older. He seemed to feel that this is not autism.... but again, no

> > certainity because of his age.He is getting speech and OT 2 times a

> > week.

> >

> > 's receptive language is stil a big question mark.... and

> he

> > shows very little expressive language skills. He is just now

> > starting to occassionally give us a bye-bye wave. He drags me

> > around to things that he wants. He will lean in to have me give

> him

> > kisses, but not kiss me. He used to say mamama, but no longer. He

> > will occassionally shake his head no. He will not do signs.... we

> > have tried!!!!

> >

> > My question to you all is: What were your little ones like at 20

> > months? Does an apraxic child have problems imitating? Did your

> > children show difficulty with receptive language as well as

> > expressive language? I guess I am trying to figure out if a " motor

> > planning problem " really fits with him.... most of the descriptions

> > I have found relate to older kids.

> >

> > Thanks for anything you can share!

> >

> > Pia

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Pia,

It's so hard to comment on your note as our kids are all so different

and have such different developmental trajectories. I find it hard to

believe that a competent developmental pediatrician is unable to rule

out (or in) autism at this point.

My son at 20 months sounds very similar to yours. He has an autism

diagnosis as well as apraxia. Some of the things you are talking about

are real 'red flags' for autism. Please, please, please find a

developmental pediatrician or neurologist who *specializes* in

neurological conditions and get an accurate diagnosis for your little

one. The therapies are going to be very different depending on the

diagnosis.

In the meantime, all kids (especially ones with delays) benefit from

fish oil supplementation so getting started on that will doubtless

help your little one. Look at the 'links' section in this groups library.

Again, nobody on an email list can tell you about the nature of your

son's challenges so, take my comments with a grain of salt and really

seek out competent medical advice. Don't let anyone tell you 'let's

wait and see'. Are you in touch with the early intervetion people in

your state??

Best of luck,

>

> Hello everyone,

>

> I am the mom of a wonderful 20 month old boy named . I had

> concerns about his language development at a year (he had NO

> prevebal skills) and by 14 months he was evaluated by a

> Developmental Pediatrician and a speech pathologist. His hearing is

> normal, but at the 14-15 month evals his speech-language development

> was at the 9-10 month old range (receptive and expressive). He had

> a mild fine and gross motor delay (low oral motor tone and upper

> body tone), and what they could measure for cognitive funtion was

> normal (hard to measure cognition without language!). Socially he

> has good eye contact and enjoyment, but does show POOR imitation

> skills.

>

> The DR felt at 15 months, and again this week at the 6 month follow

> up, that has a motor planning issue (mild dyspraxia or

> apraxia) but that (of course) we cannot be certain until he is

> older. He seemed to feel that this is not autism.... but again, no

> certainity because of his age.He is getting speech and OT 2 times a

> week.

>

> 's receptive language is stil a big question mark.... and he

> shows very little expressive language skills. He is just now

> starting to occassionally give us a bye-bye wave. He drags me

> around to things that he wants. He will lean in to have me give him

> kisses, but not kiss me. He used to say mamama, but no longer. He

> will occassionally shake his head no. He will not do signs.... we

> have tried!!!!

>

> My question to you all is: What were your little ones like at 20

> months? Does an apraxic child have problems imitating? Did your

> children show difficulty with receptive language as well as

> expressive language? I guess I am trying to figure out if a " motor

> planning problem " really fits with him.... most of the descriptions

> I have found relate to older kids.

>

> Thanks for anything you can share!

>

> Pia

>

[Guest guest]

Hi maria-

I just posted a link to my blog about this topic. I hope this helps,

but please ask me any questions.

http://twoplusoneequalsfive.blogspot.com/

> > >

> > > Hello everyone,

> > >

> > > I am the mom of a wonderful 20 month old boy named . I

had

> > > concerns about his language development at a year (he had NO

> > > prevebal skills) and by 14 months he was evaluated by a

> > > Developmental Pediatrician and a speech pathologist. His

hearing

> > is

> > > normal, but at the 14-15 month evals his speech-language

> > development

> > > was at the 9-10 month old range (receptive and expressive). He

had

> > > a mild fine and gross motor delay (low oral motor tone and

upper

> > > body tone), and what they could measure for cognitive funtion

was

> > > normal (hard to measure cognition without language!). Socially

he

> > > has good eye contact and enjoyment, but does show POOR

imitation

> > > skills.

> > >

> > > The DR felt at 15 months, and again this week at the 6 month

follow

> > > up, that has a motor planning issue (mild dyspraxia or

> > > apraxia) but that (of course) we cannot be certain until he is

> > > older. He seemed to feel that this is not autism.... but

again, no

> > > certainity because of his age.He is getting speech and OT 2

times a

> > > week.

> > >

> > > 's receptive language is stil a big question mark....

and

> > he

> > > shows very little expressive language skills. He is just now

> > > starting to occassionally give us a bye-bye wave. He drags me

> > > around to things that he wants. He will lean in to have me

give

> > him

> > > kisses, but not kiss me. He used to say mamama, but no

longer. He

> > > will occassionally shake his head no. He will not do signs....

we

> > > have tried!!!!

> > >

> > > My question to you all is: What were your little ones like at

20

> > > months? Does an apraxic child have problems imitating? Did

your

> > > children show difficulty with receptive language as well as

> > > expressive language? I guess I am trying to figure out if

a " motor

> > > planning problem " really fits with him.... most of the

descriptions

> > > I have found relate to older kids.

> > >

> > > Thanks for anything you can share!

> > >

> > > Pia

> > >

> >

>