need some guidance

August 13, 2004

Friday, August 13, 2004, 10:15:12 AM, you wrote:

mac> The money is not the issue. I want to live freely of

mac> not thinking that I am freaking hungry all the time. I don't want to go

to

mac> another weigh loss center and pay the money for that.

I'd recommend seeing a counselor who specializes in Weight Loss

issues. I'm sure several people on here can recommend one in your

area. The band helps with the physical part, but doesn't do anything

for those of us (most of us, IMHO) who need a band on our heads as

well. The counselor/psychologist/etc can help with that. Not that we

can't, just that we're not professionals. That person can help you

with the " head stuff " that is a key part of being successful with a

band. When you work a band right you will not be hungry all the time,

won't be barfing often if ever, will NOT be a volume eater any more,

will not likely have reflux, etc. But those depend on the head stuff

to work the band right.

Good luck,

dan

Dan Lester, Boise, ID honu@... www.mylapband.tk

Dr. Ortiz, Tijuana, 4/28/03

323/211/199 Age 61

July 12, 2005

He has sleep

> problems, very hard time relaxing.

I really think I need to be looking into magnesium

> deficiency. Do I need to get him a blood test to see what his

> levels are to begin with or just start giving him low doses?

My kids take a low dose of magnesium for this. I have not had my

son's blood tested for vitamin/mineral deficiencies because blood

work is a major trauma for him. However I have his hair analysis

done at least once a year which can give you a lot of info on

minerals. I get the hair test from http://www.directlabs.com/ -

they also do it at Great Plains Laboratory.

I saw

> mentioned in the book about a multi vitamen formulated for

autistic

> disorders that has all the minerals such as magnesium. Is it best

> just to go that way?

For my kids who have a lot of intolerances and sensitivities I give

them single vit/minerals. My son has strange reactions to multis

and I can't figure out what he's reacting to - one of the many

minerals, or something in the pill itself.

Is it best

> to try to systematically treat for yeast, bacteria or parasite

> problems as they could be the root to this, or is that only

> something you do if you see definite stomach problems?

My son didn't have noticeable stomach problems, but he has

horrendous yeast issues. I have been treating him for yeast for

years, still with no obvious GI problems.

He doesn't

> seem to have stomach issues, but I do and I think I've passed this

> down to him.

Both my kids were born with thrush from being born. I didn't have

any symptoms and no one knew I had yeast. You can pass it down in

that way, plus of course the genetic predisposition to all these

things.

>

I have a lot of problems figuring out what to do and which problem

is causing what symptom of my son's. It drives me crazy. My

scientific skills in that regard don't exist. Hopefully if you read

many posts here you will see similarities, and some of the things

that have worked for other kids will help your son.

Amy

July 14, 2005

> I started my son on Peptizide and Zyme Prime about three months

> ago. He has sensory integration. We have seen about 65 - 75

> percent improvement. I am now focusing on some remaining issues he

> has left, but I am just confused about where to begin. He has sleep

> problems, very hard time relaxing.

Many SI kids, and kids with sleep issues, are phenol intolerant, so

consider adding No-Fenol

http://www.danasview.net/phenol.htm

http://www.houstonni.com/

Everything I read about it

> points to that. I really think I need to be looking into magnesium

> deficiency. Do I need to get him a blood test to see what his

> levels are to begin with or just start giving him low doses?

You can start by giving him low doses. Too much magnesium usually

presents as diarrhea, so if/when you notice diarrhea, cut back on the

magnesium.

Dana

April 8, 2006

hi Alpine,

So sorry to hear about your kitten and your terrible fall! Hope you

feel a little better soon. I know what you mean about the sofa being

a preferred place to lay sometimes.

On the issues of help 'round the house, the question is... how much do

the teenagers and husband do NOW? In my household, I did

everything ... so I knew things would not go smoothly without full

time help that first month. My Mom came from California and my older

sister, an LPN, came from Utah and stayed for five weeks. Since they

sacrificed so much (this was before and after Christmas time 2003), I

took my two dogs and had them boarded. Mom and Sis did all the

cooking, cleaning, LAUNDRY, shopping, helping me to bathroom, making

sure I took my meds on time, etc, etc, etc...

Brushing teeth IS fun; like a dummy, I just let it all drool down my

chin! Guess a little spit-bowl would be best! For me, wiping my

bottom became quite a challenge! Let your legs go hairy! Use beach

size towels. Make sure hospital gives you the sock-helper and the

super-dooper long shoe horn - love it! That's all I can think of

right now. Later, Marty

... We have a very active household with animals

and teenagers... Also was pondering how do you dry your legs when

getting out of the shower or brush your teeth w/out leaning over the

sink? ...My feet came out from under me, my bottom hit the floor and

my head slammed into the tile. Also bear in mind, I'm naked. It was

a very bad day...

April 9, 2006

Oh, Alpine! I was clenching my fist at my mouth reading your story

and then I got to the part where you said, and I quote, " Also bear

in mind, I'm naked. " and I lost it! Thanks for the unexpected laugh.

Then, I thought, no wonder she's wondering about how to dry her

legs...

I am relieved to hear you went to the ER and were cleared of serious

complications, but I know how painful a fall like that can be. At

the same time, this could be a great opportunity to emotionally just

let go and get it out of your system. Consider it a warm-up for the

real deal this summer. Your family will have an opportunity to wait

on you and take care of you so they'll have a dose of reality for

what lies ahead. I'm not saying this to make you more nervous, but

re-reading it, I guess that could happen.

Seriously, take care of you and enjoy your new kitten (although with

my terrible allergies this week, the last thing I want to do is be

around a kitten - they have been FAR worse since my surgeries)!

This, too, shall pass!

kam

April 9, 2006

Alpine~ I am sorry to hear about your kitten and your nasty fall! I hope that you are able to take it easy and recoup! What a miserable situation! We are here for you! Suziethegouldianlady2004 <alpine@...> wrote: I need to know what would be the most critical time to have help here in the house after returning from the hospital. I realize the first couple of weeks would be good to have help, but how much longer after that? We have a very active household with animals and teenagers. I'm having a very difficult time wrapping my head around all the details that need to be worked out.Also was pondering how do you dry your legs when getting out of the shower or brush your teeth w/out leaning over the sink? My kids math

tutor is studying Occupational Therapy and has been of some help, but I would like to hear from those of you who have been through this.This past week has been really, really hard. I think I had posted that a friend brought a newborn kitten to me to take care of and everything was going beautifully. The baby kitten was feeding well and extremely strong and I was very much in love with it. I figured it was a gift from God to take my mind off of what's to come later this summer. Here's where it got hard, one of my dogs, a pekingese, not known for hunting skills, tipped over the nesting box it was in and killed the kitten. It was extremely gruesome and I won't go into details. My daughter came screaming into the bathroom while I was showering that the dog got the kitten, I thought I could rush to save it and in the process didn't take the time to dry off. I got onto the tile

floor in the family room and my feet came out from under me. It was classic comedy, the man slipping on a banana peel. My feet came out from under me, my bottom hit the floor and my head slammed into the tile. Also bear in mind, I'm naked. It was a very bad day. After much urging from Dr. LaGrone's office, (Kelley and I just happened to talk to each other that day about something surgery related) I went to the ER for X-rays and a cat-scan. I'm fine, except I am in a great deal of pain as you can all imagine. I can only sleep on the couch because I need the support around me. The muscles in the front of my neck hurt like heck and I have a hard time moving my head.So, the phyical pain is feeding the emotional pain and I'm a mess - as well as weaning off one anti-depressant so that I can take a different one - I'm a double mess. My poor family is probably ready to drop

kick me out the door. I'm typically a very gentle speaking, empathtic, compassionate person. Just don't feel like being nice to anyone right now.The sweet news is a friend of a friend has hooked me up with a woman whose cat is pregnant and due w/in the next two weeks and said I could have one of the newborns and I'm thrilled! This little one will be in a kennel under lock and key!Thanks for listening dear friends. - Alpine

New Messenger with Voice. Call regular phones from your PC and save big.

July 1, 2008

My son is almost 8 and was diagnosed with verbal apraxia around the age of

2. He still doesn't speak and he gets really upset when he cant tell us what he

wants. He can understand and hear everything we say but just cant say it

back and he gets really frustrated. He just started saying mom a few weeks ago.

He has a dynavox machine that he uses so he can tell us what he wants. He

gets frustrated with that sometimes though because he cant find what he wants.

If you have any more questions just let me know and I will try to help.

JIll

In a message dated 7/1/2008 12:44:31 P.M. Central Daylight Time,

Rapsodie27@... writes:

Hello. I have been reading all the great info. people have been

posting and have finally decided to write. My son who is almost 22

months old and the most precious little boy.He is not really talking.

He had alot of ear infections and we thought that when he had tubes

put in his ears that he would immediatly start since his hearing test

he passed with flying colors. Well he had tubes put in and he still

did not start to talk. We started to get real concerned .... So our

ped. recommended we go to a speech therapist so we did so and she

reassured us nothing was wrong with him. Keep in mind this is a

little boy who could hear everything we said follow instructions and

seemed to get all we were saying. She started to say things to us

like boy he sure has a temper and if we could get him to listen to

me. Right away I felt uneasy.... Then she started to say things like

by the time he is 2 he will be saying atleast 200 words... I

eventually pulled him out when I found Early steps program. They have

done wonders with him. He says 3 words now and signs about 40 signs.

He does not have a bad temper he was just very frustrated he wanted

to tell us things and could not tell us. Now they are saying that

they believe that he is leaning towards apraxia..... I have read

about it and everything I have read says about other delays this and

that... I am so confused....that... I am so confused....<WBR

wonders for hime. Where as the therapy in a clinic was doing nothing

for him....... They are actually having to stop the therapy at home.

So now I have to find a therapist ( at my expense once again) to come

to the house..... But I am trying to find out some info about apraxia

from people who have had experiance with it not just from articles

and research.... How do they test a baby for it.....? What type of

test do they do? The therapist we have now are trying to set up a

referrel to go see someone and I want to kinda know what to expect..

He gets upset easily and I want to know what to expect so i can be as

prepared as possible.... Sorry if I am kinda all over the place.... I

am so so confused and upset... I have cried and cried so much over

this.... It seems that everything is just so overwhelming when it

hits you all at one time...

**************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for

fuel-efficient used cars.

(http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)

July 1, 2008

It is so hard when you first learn of any diagnosis. It is one of those

things that with time you learn to accept and find peace with. I remember at

first I cried all the time too, and still sometimes do. My son will be 5 in

September, when his in home speech therapist works with him with the kaufman

cards

he can say lots of words, but definitely not perfectly by any means, he only

has a few words that are spontaneous. A speech therapist is qualified to

make the diagnosis for apraxia, or if you feel more comfortable going to a

Pediatric Neurologist they too can make the diagnosis. It is so hard when kids

ask

questions like why doesn't your son talk is he shy? I guess we have to learn

to celebrate the good days and the progress our children have made. I still

am very pained about the whole thing, myself. I know my son has so much going

on in his mind if he could just get it out, I pray and firmly believe with

all the help he is getting he will talk. It is hard when you are going through

this for the first time and don't know where to go for help. It sounds like

you are doing all you can to help your son, that is the most important thing.

Keep your chin up and smile, your little boy is a blessing. No one has any

guarantees about the future for their children, I guess it is just one of

those things we have to let unfold. E mail me off line if you ever have any

questions or just need a little moral support, I know it is hard. Jen

>

> Hello. I have been reading all the great info. people have been

> posting and have finally decided to write. My son who is almost 22

> months old and the most precious little boy.He is not really talking.

> He had alot of ear infections and we thought that when he had tubes

> put in his ears that he would immediatly start since his hearing test

> he passed with flying colors. Well he had tubes put in and he still

> did not start to talk. We started to get real concerned .... So our

> ped. recommended we go to a speech therapist so we did so and she

> reassured us nothing was wrong with him. Keep in mind this is a

> little boy who could hear everything we said follow instructions and

> seemed to get all we were saying. She started to say things to us

> like boy he sure has a temper and if we could get him to listen to

> me. Right away I felt uneasy.... Then she started to say things like

> by the time he is 2 he will be saying atleast 200 words... I

> eventually pulled him out when I found Early steps program. They have

> done wonders with him. He says 3 words now and signs about 40 signs.

> He does not have a bad temper he was just very frustrated he wanted

> to tell us things and could not tell us. Now they are saying that

> they believe that he is leaning towards apraxia..... I have read

> about it and everything I have read says about other delays this and

> that... I am so confused....... This therapy (at home) has done

> wonders for hime. Where as the therapy in a clinic was doing nothing

> for him....... They are actually having to stop the therapy at home.

> So now I have to find a therapist ( at my expense once again) to come

> to the house..... But I am trying to find out some info about apraxia

> from people who have had experiance with it not just from articles

> and research.... How do they test a baby for it.....? What type of

> test do they do? The therapist we have now are trying to set up a

> referrel to go see someone and I want to kinda know what to expect..

> He gets upset easily and I want to know what to expect so i can be as

> prepared as possible.... Sorry if I am kinda all over the place.... I

> am so so confused and upset... I have cried and cried so much over

> this.... It seems that everything is just so overwhelming when it

> hits you all at one time...

>

July 1, 2008

Hi there,

I don't know how much I can help, but I just wanted to let you know

that you are not alone. I am about where you are with my daughter.

She is 28 months old now. At 24 months, she had 19 " words " . Early

Intervention said she was just delayed and didn't qualify. Well, now

at 28 months, she has about 35 " words " and I had her reevaluated at a

private speech place and they are saying dyspraxia/apraxia (which is

scary). Her first speech therapy session will be tomorrow. I will

get her reevaluated by Early Intervention later this month...perhaps

she'll qualify now for the free at home stuff. I will be taking her

to a developmental pediatrician and a neurologist sometime this

month. We had her hearing checked which came out fine.

As for a description of Melia: she seems very normal, has no issues

other than the speech. She can move her teeth, tongue, lips, etc.

just fine. She cannot imitate us. She has those 35 words and will

use them appropriately and the rest of the time just grunt (enh, enh,

enh) and use lots gestures and signs (ASL or ones that she's made up

herself). She has no sensory issues or hypotonia. She plays well by

herself and with others. She sleeps well and eats well. She is

potty trained as of 2 weeks ago. She has put 2 words together , but

they are pretty much limited to " no, mama " , " up, mama " , " please,

mama " . But she does put one word with gestures alot to convey more

info which is encouraging. She understands everything we say to her

and some things that we don't say to her(when she's obviously

eavesdropping). She will follow 2-3 step directions without any

other cues. I've started giving her fish oil. My friend who is

really up on supplements, health food...stuff like that says you

can't go wrong and overdose with fish oil since it really is just

food---oil from fish.

I'm still hoping that she is only delayed, but the developmental

pediatrician and neurologist will give me a more definitive answer

(hopefully). My regular pediatrician thinks she is okay and probably

just delayed, but supposedly they are not really trained for this

kind of stuff. My gut tells me she is only delayed and may perhaps

start talking after 3 years old, but better to be safe than sorry,

right? I am not sure either what to expect from the dev ped or the

neurologist. I'm thinking that the dev ped will look and play with

Melia and ask me lots of questions and then give me her/his

professional opinion. With the neurologist, I'm thinking that he/she

will do some lab tests (CAT scans, MRI, bloodwork). For this type of

stuff, she'll be asleep, of course. Scary stuff to have to do on a

toddler.

Question for you: why are you having to stop the free at home speech

therapy? When you mentioned Early step, is this the same as Early

Intervention??? If not, you should look into the Early Intervention

in your area. There should be one since they are a govenrment agency

that also works with the local public school system. They work with

kids from birth to 3 years old. If he qualifies (25 % delayed),

it'll be the free at home speech therapy.

I hope I have given you some useful info. I've cried and am still

crying these days, too. I've stayed up late reading everyones' posts

and analyzing my child's symptoms and constantly wondering if Melia

does or does not have apraxia. I want a real answer whether it be

yae or nae and I think the dev ped and neurologist can give me that.

I think you should also get a real answer from someone qualified and

not someone just saying we're " leaning towards apraxia. " Because

what the @#% & does that really mean anyway and what does a parent do

with that info?...except get thoroughly confused.

Take care,

Thuy

>

> Hello. I have been reading all the great info. people have been

> posting and have finally decided to write. My son who is almost 22

> months old and the most precious little boy.He is not really

talking.

> He had alot of ear infections and we thought that when he had tubes

> put in his ears that he would immediatly start since his hearing

test

> he passed with flying colors. Well he had tubes put in and he still

> did not start to talk. We started to get real concerned .... So our

> ped. recommended we go to a speech therapist so we did so and she

> reassured us nothing was wrong with him. Keep in mind this is a

> little boy who could hear everything we said follow instructions

and

> seemed to get all we were saying. She started to say things to us

> like boy he sure has a temper and if we could get him to listen to

> me. Right away I felt uneasy.... Then she started to say things

like

> by the time he is 2 he will be saying atleast 200 words... I

> eventually pulled him out when I found Early steps program. They

have

> done wonders with him. He says 3 words now and signs about 40

signs.

> He does not have a bad temper he was just very frustrated he wanted

> to tell us things and could not tell us. Now they are saying that

> they believe that he is leaning towards apraxia..... I have read

> about it and everything I have read says about other delays this

and

> that... I am so confused....... This therapy (at home) has done

> wonders for hime. Where as the therapy in a clinic was doing

nothing

> for him....... They are actually having to stop the therapy at

home.

> So now I have to find a therapist ( at my expense once again) to

come

> to the house..... But I am trying to find out some info about

apraxia

> from people who have had experiance with it not just from articles

> and research.... How do they test a baby for it.....? What type of

> test do they do? The therapist we have now are trying to set up a

> referrel to go see someone and I want to kinda know what to

expect..

> He gets upset easily and I want to know what to expect so i can be

as

> prepared as possible.... Sorry if I am kinda all over the place....

I

> am so so confused and upset... I have cried and cried so much over

> this.... It seems that everything is just so overwhelming when it

> hits you all at one time...

>

July 3, 2008

-

I know I responded 1 time already to this but this sure was alot of

info to read so I read it again.... I looked over some of the signs

of apraxia that were listed the things that my son meet were only

little to no babbling, frustration and solid food transition which he

is still having a hard time with... I am not sure if I had wrote in

my letter before which I do not know if this has anything to do with

him maybe not talking but he had a little rough start to his entrance

in this world..... He has ( still has but minimal problems with now)

GERD and Laryngomalacia. I brought that up today in the therapy

session and they kinda looked at me crazy... Have you ever heard of

this delaying there speech? You sure have a lot of information to

share I definatly appreciate it....

-- In , " kiddietalk "

<kiddietalk@...> wrote:

>

> It's not that the therapy at home is always better than the therapy

> at the clinic -it depends on the therapist. Sounds like the one you

> had at the clinic lucked out in odds to keep her job since 75% of

> late talkers are just that -children that speak a bit late with or

> without therapy. The fact that she promised you that " by 2 he'll be

> up to 200 words " was probably just one of many clues. 75% of the

> time she was correct!

>

> But why am I also falling into the trap of assuming there is a

> diagnosis? Your child is only 22 months old and it's still possible

> he's part of the 75% group! It's possible the therapist leaning

> towards an apraxia diagnosis is wrong. If you listen to some of the

> apraxia " experts " out there they'll tell you apraxia can't even be

> diagnosed until 3 years old. Of course in this group we know that's

> not true but the point is there are specific things to look for. If

> your child is delayed in speech then speech therapy (with a good

> therapist) will help -can't hurt...but if it's apraxia you want to

> know so your child can get the appropriate more intensive therapies

> early.

>

> Have you read The Late Talker book? It may help you either way.

>

> An apraxia diagnosis not as dismal as you may believe. The

> overwhelming majority over the years here have children that are

> diagnosed with apraxia at some point from two years old to even as

> late as nine years old and learn to be verbal communicators

> mainstreamed in school and life. Then there's the whole other large

> and growing group of apraxic children who are misdiagnosed as

> autistic who don't end up with the right therapy for months or years

> and remain nonverbal until they end up getting the right diagnosis

> and overcome. If apraxia is suspected you probably want to go for a

> second opinion with another SLP -and you probably want to also take

> your child to a knowledgeable neurodevelopmental pediatrician or

> pediatric neurologist which I have more on below. Don't let that

> overwhelm you -the next therapist or the neuroMD may say they don't

> see any signs of anything other than a simple delay in speech. Even

> without a diagnosis of course if your child is delayed a certain

> percentage he should be qualified for Early Intervention through

your

> state. Or are you outside the US?

>

> You don't mention any signs other than the not talking yet so after

> reading through some of the following let us know if there are any

> other signs. It's OK to cry -we all do when we first hear

a " leaning

> towards " diagnosis (or months later when it really hits us) but the

> good news is that the chances are that like most of us you'll find

> yourself shocked to be telling your child to " stop talking so much

> and get ready " because you are in a rush to get them to school or

> whatever!

>

> To listen to various children with apraxia at various ages you can

go

> to Bilker's talking page which was inspired by his son

> who is now a teenager. My son Tanner who just turned 12 is also on

> this page as well as Khalid who is twenty something now! It seems

we

> now have more parents of teens with apraxia in this group than ever

> before as this group has been around for close to 9 years now!

> http://www.debtsmart.net/talk/index.html

>

> Below is a very long archive on just about all you need to know to

> get your child from 0 to 60 mph in speech. (including info about

> fish oils!)

>

> Re: Hi! New and wondering about apraxia.

>

> Hi Mrs Laurie and welcome!

>

> Your son sounds like he has some oral apraxia which would of course

> need to be confirmed by professionals. If oral apraxia is present

> together with your child's delay he should at least be diagnosed

> as " suspected apraxia " and appropriate therapy should be provided.

> He is entitled by federal law to a free and appropriate public

> education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) which

> means that if 5 days of one on one speech therapy is appropriate for

> him then that's what he should receive. What type of speech therapy

> is he receiving from the school right now when you say " some " ?

>

> Below is a very long archive to help -please know that you don't

have

> to understand it all at once -we're here as a group to help!

>

> Thanks for sharing. This group has from the start been a group

> that's made up of parents and professionals who care for children

> with many types of speech and/or language delays and/or disorders.

> There are parents here for example with undiagnosed " late talkers "

> and we just have not heard from them in awhile. It's actually a

> really good thing when there is a mix of us to share because we all

> learn from each other as many diagnoses can overlap -or down the

road

> we learn that our child does have co diagnosis.

>

> While this group is open to parents of all children with

> communication impairments -including hearing impaired, autistic etc.

> it wasn't that all that posted recently had a child with autism, or

> autism and apraxia -but because of society focus on autism -many

here

> started following an autism approach -including ABA in some cases!

> That's understandable if the much more basic approach to apraxia -ST

> and OT and EFAs were tried first and didn't work -but some were

> trying that to start.

>

> The overwhelming majority (if you check the archives) have success

> with the basic approach to apraxia.

>

> On the other hand- most of us are dealing with more than verbal

> apraxia.we just don't know that when our child is 2 -and we learn

> through professionals and observations as they continue to grow and

> more and more is expected of them. This is also why it's important

> to take your child for a neurodevelopmental medical exam when your

> child is suspected of apraxia to confirm or rule out other diagnosis

> such as sensory integration dysfunction etc. The earlier you know -

> the sooner to start appropriate therapies to get them up to speed by

> kindergarten.

>

> Don't let it overwhelm you -perhaps we aren't meant to know more

> than what we have to know at each stage. We'll be here to help along

> the way. It's OK to have any type of emotion when we find out our

> child has more than a simple delay -or " more " than " just " verbal

> apraxia. And it's OK to be completely overwhelmed and saddened to

> find out your child has apraxia. And as I was one of those parents

> it's never " just " apraxia when you find out!!!

>

> It's OK to be upset " just " because your child is a " late talker "

too!

>

> Please know that I too believed Tanner to just have apraxia and have

> my first message posted to a grouplist about that below.but down the

> road found out he had a few other things we needed to help him

> address. The incredible news is that the majority of our children if

> you check history are up to speed to be mainstreamed by

kindergarten-

> and of course many have learned with communication impaired children

> that it's best to start kindergarten at 6 vs. 5 to give them that

one

> extra year of therapy and developmental time.

>

> If you have questions after reading the following please share them.

> This group has always been a wealth of information for all of us, no

> matter how long we've been here.

>

> Below is a new member archived message to hopefully answer more of

> your questions for now (did you read The Late Talker yet?) For

updated

> information on fish oils and vitamin E and more - please visit the

> links section here

> /links

>

> What type of apraxic like speech behaviors are you seeing that makes

> you and the SLP suspect your child has apraxia vs. a simple delay in

> speech? Is your child talking at all yet? At your child's age -

> without speech, it's difficult to diagnose verbal apraxia -they

> could " suspect " verbal apraxia and begin treatment just in case,

> which wouldn't hurt your child if he ended up just having a simple

> delay. Just a few questions before we could provide more accurate

> answers:

>

> Does your child have signs of oral apraxia? (for example, can he on

> command smile, imitate funny faces, blow bubbles...if you put peanut

> butter anywhere around his mouth can he lick it off no matter where

> it is?)

> http://www.cherab.org/information/speechlanguage/oralapraxia.html

>

> Does your child have any neurological " soft signs " such as hypotonia

> or sensory integration dysfunction?

>

http://www.cherab.org/information/speechlanguage/parentfriendlysoftsig

ns.html

>

> Who else evaluated your child? Was it only the SLP through your

> town school or was he also in Early Intervention through the state?

> (birth to three) Was he evaluated by both a speech pathologist as

> well as an occupational therapist? Was/were they knowledgeable

> about apraxia? (If your child wasn't diagnosed by an occupational

> therapist as well and professionals suspect apraxia -I highly

> recommend you request that too either through both the school as

> well as private through insurance for many reasons)

>

> To answer any questions you may have about taking your child to see

a

> neurodevelopmental MD if he has not yet been to one and apraxia is

> suspected... in one word - " Yes!!! " I would have your child diagnosed

> (private) by a neurodevelopmental medical doctor (developmental

> pediatrician or pediatric neurologist) who is knowledgeable about

> apraxia and other neurologically based multi-faceted communication

> impairments for numerous reasons. Reasons include (but not limited

> to)

>

> *having a " hero " on the outside of the school who can assist in a

> therapeutic plan and oversee your child's development over the years

> *advocacy support with the insurance company

> * ruling out or confirming any neurological soft signs or any other

> reasons for the delay in speech

> *help those that ask " why isn't he talking yet " understand this is a

> medical condition -and has nothing to do with your child's cognitive

> ability. (if in your child's case it doesn't. Apraxia in itself

> does not affect a child's cognitive ability -and speaking early or

> late is no indication of a child's intelligence. Also contrary to

> popular belief -most who have speech impairments have average to

> above average intelligence)

>

> Here's an article written by Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician Dr.

> Marilyn Agin that was featured as a cover article in Contemporary

> Pediatrics -a trade magazine for hundreds of thousands of pediatric

> medical professionals across the US. (I wrote the parent guide)

>

> " The " late talker " -when silence isn't golden

> Not all children with delayed speech are " little Einsteins " or

garden

> variety " late bloomers. " Some have a speech-language disorder that

> will persist unless warning signs are recognized and intervention

> comes early. Includes a Guide for Parents. "

>

> Podcast interview with Dr. Marilyn Agin from Contemporary Pediatrics

> http://contemporarypediatrics.modernmedicine.com/radio_peds4

>

> Actual article (where you can read it for free)

>

> http://drgreene.mediwire.com/main/Default.aspx?

P=Content & ArticleID=132720

> or

> http://opsc.mediwire.com/main/Default.aspx?

P=Content & ArticleID=132720

>

> My parent guide still works (for free)

>

http://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/contpeds/data/articlestandard/co

ntpeds/492004/136315/article.pdf

>

> I would also have at least one private " out of pocket " (if possible)

> exam with a knowledgeable speech pathologist as well. This SLP can

> coordinate with your child's MD, and school therapist and other

> professionals, and again be there to assist in a therapeutic plan,

> help set goals and oversee your child's development over the years

> if needed.

>

> Networking with parents of other speech-impaired children is also

> possibly one of the best moves you could make in your child's

> recovery. Others will steer you to the " right " professionals and

> programs in your area -and you won't feel so alone. I would HIGHLY

> recommend joining a whose goal is to unite parents and

> professionals. This group

> / is through CHERAB

> http://www.cherab.org

>

> The speechville website also has message boards so that you can talk

> to other parents on particular topics.

> http://www.speech-express.com/boards/

>

> Check your state resources at Speechville to find local support

> groups and resources.

> http://www.speech-express.com/regional-resources.html

> http://www.speech-express.com/communication-station/regional-

support-groups.html

> (BTW -for anyone who is either running or starting a support group -

> due to The Late Talker book and the many who will see your group,

> please make sure your info is up at this website and accurate)

>

> For all your other questions including what type of testing -just

> read " The Late Talker " . (Nike said 'Just Do It!' -I say 'Just Read

> It!') At Amazon.com you can even start today and read sample pages

> of the book online!

>

> " The first book to show parents how to tell whether a child has a

> speech delay -or a more serious speech disorder

>

> Every parent eagerly awaits the day his or her child will speak for

> the fist time. For millions of mothers and fathers, however,

> anticipation

> turns to anxiety when those initial, all-important words are a long

> time

> coming. Many worried parents are reassured that their child is " just

> a late

> talker, " but unfortunately, that is not always the case. Co-author

>

July 3, 2008

Laryngomalacia and GERD were at issue here and my son was very

delayed in speech. My take on Laryngomalacia is if they can't breathe

and swallow talking won't come easy. Same with GERD which I thought I

read here can often be allergy. Regardless, I will direct you to the

post that helped us find answers:

message #53124

I always got funny looks when I mentioned laryngomalacia to any doc.

Not sure why. I think it can be related at times to more severe

delays than we have. One thing I found frustrating was that my kid

had some things that spelled disaster in other kids and other things

that made the future look bright. It was not until we got the testing

and the good doc that we were able to make some sense of things and

get him the right help. These kids are puzzles.

> >

> > It's not that the therapy at home is always better than the

therapy

> > at the clinic -it depends on the therapist.

July 4, 2008

Little to no babbling, frustration and solid food transition could be

any number of reasons in a 2 year old. For sure anything with eating

problems should be evaluated by an oral motor specialist. Here's two

pages from my son's one SLP that may help:

http://cherab.org/information/speechlanguage/feeding.html

http://cherab.org/information/speechlanguage/mealtimetips.html

GERD isn't linked to apraxia but it has come up here a few times as

it's not unusual in children. My nephew had it and outgrew it.

Here's some info on it from the American Academy of Otolaryngology.

http://otolaryngologyheadandnecksurgery.org/KidsENT/GERD.cfm

Apraxia doesn't seem to be linked to laryngomalacia in any way. In

this group over the close to 10 years and thousands of members there

are only two posts one each by just two members that ever mentioned

laryngomalacia and only one child also had apraxia. The one child that

also has tracheobronchomalacia but without an apraxia diagnosis has

severe asthma, immune deficiency, seasonal and food allergies. That

mom's email address is osdbmom@... and here's and archive from

the parent of the one child with laryngomalacia with apraxia.

" There were two events in his life that may have contributed to the

apraxia

that I can pinpoint (outside of the fact it may have happened in utero)-

1) He had a bronchoscopy at 5 weeks of age and was diagnosed with

Laryngomalacia (floppy larynx) and had difficulty eating/breathing at

the

same time. He turned blue his first night of life. He supposedly

outgrew it

within a year.

2) When he was 18 mos he fell off of a chair at preschool and hit his

head

on the base of a large shade umbrella- stitches on the inside and

outside (24

total) of his head. We did not do an MRI or CT Scan- also curious if

he was

affected by this injury.

The wonder will more than likely always be there- but it does not

change the

outcome. All we can do is keep communicating with one another to try

and

help our children become better communicators themselves! Thanks and

good

luck with your research.

le Roseborough

joelle1017@...

Mom to Tanner, 4 yrs. with Apraxia "

Best thing to do with a 2 year old late talker is seek evaluations to

find out the best type of therapies (strength, oral motor, motor

planning, sensory etc) and begin that therapy as well as follow through

at home. Keep track of progress and if no progress in 3 months examine

therapy, therapist and/or diagnosis.

=====

July 4, 2008

Hi!

My son had tracheomalasia. The difference is very minimal. The way a

pulmonologist diagnoses one or the other is by listening to the child's

breathing.. If there is noise when the child inhales and exhales, it is

laringotracheolmalasia. If it is only when they inhale OR exhale (I don't

remember now), it is tracheomalasia or laryngomalasia, depending on when it

happens.. My son " snored " a lot all the time, even awake. It disappears with

time. His noisy breathing stopped when he was about 1.5 years old. Is it like

this with your son?

I never asked if this would affect his speech, but he ended up having a severe

speech delay. He is now 3 years 4 months old and is just starting to talk. His

speech therapist notices a big lack of breath support that could be the result

of his spine being as curved as it is. He has other cartilage problems (as you

may know, the trachea is made of cartilage). I would assume that having weak

airways would affect the speech somehow. I am sorry for not being able to help

you more. I actually never thought of this. Uhmm! Maybe we should see a

pulmonologist again and ask if the trachea may still be soft although his is not

making noises anymore. Who knows if we have been blaming the spine all this time

and we are just wrong about it. (?????)

Now that I think about all this, I want to ask you to e-mail me if you gather

more information about this issue. PLEASE. talkltalk@... or

congenitalkyphosis@.... Thank you!

Laimi