dyspraxia and severe speech delay.

[kanga]

Hi, I'm a mom of a wonderful happy 2.5 yr old son. 

We have been working with a speech therapist since March (45 minutes every 2 weeks).  At first she thought that he would just have a word explosion, but that's not happening.  She thinks he has a severe expressive speech delay (receptive is ok) and dyspraxia.  We have seen an occupational therapist who does not think the delay is global, although he is testing closer to the 24 month range than 2.5 yrs old. 

I have been googling dyspraxia and it seems overwhelming.  I am absolutely terrified that he will become a frustrated and sad person and that I will lose my happy bubbly son if he is not able to speak and communicate with his peers as he ages.

I am in Canada (Quebec).  We are working with a SLP in the private sector but I will be putting our name on the public sector wait list.  Most of the ressources seems to be with the public sector, but the wait time can be up to 1 yr which is depressing. 

Any words of wisdom or books/ressources to suggest to me?  Has anyone dealt with this?

TIA.

[origami]

I have twins in ST. Our first SLP thought my kids had apraxia because they would not speak to her. We got a better SLP (or maybe that was coincidence and something just clicked for them due to age) and ruled out apraxia within a week of ST there. Being 6m behind in speech doesn't actually sound extreme to me. I'm guessing he has some words if he tests at 24m. I would encourage you to get a 2nd opinion. I don't know who diagnoses dyspraxia but I'm guessing it's not a SLP so I would see the doctors or therapist who can dx this and see what they think. And also find a different SLP to see if your son responds better in another setting. Do you know of any highly sought after SLPs or speech centers in your area? The one by me is private and I found out about it by asking friends who work in SpEd schools, in case you can't get in to the public program. I'm sorry about the wait. That is effing ridiculous since a year of therapy at this age could make a huge difference.

[craftyone]

Have you setup an appointment with a developmental pediatrician? They would be able to do an all around evaluation, not just in the speech area.

[kanga]

Apologies, I wasn't clear.  Testing in the 24 month range is for overal physical as determined by the OT.  The OT does not test for speach.  My son probably has the vocabulary of a 1 year old (mom, no, and a few other words - although none of them are quite perfect).  I will look into a developmental pediatrician - I haven't heard of this outside of the public sector (local Children's Hospital).  Will see if I can find a private one.  Also, will look into getting a 2nd opinion.  Here, it's actually the SLP who diagnoses dyspraxia...  Origami, can I ask at what age it just "clicked" for your kids?  Thx.

[twinsinmd]

I've worked with dozens of kids that have apraxia/dyspraxia. I'm trained in PROMPT, and it's my initial go to to help kids that are struggling with it. If you can find someone who is trained in it as well, do it!
promptinstitute.com/index.php?page=find-a-prompt-slp


Many, many of my kids have made significant progress and can be dismissed from services. I know it is overwhelming, but there is hope-I promise.

[origami]

Aug 15, 2014 9:46:55 GMT -5 kanga said:

Apologies, I wasn't clear.  Testing in the 24 month range is for overal physical as determined by the OT.  The OT does not test for speach.  My son probably has the vocabulary of a 1 year old (mom, no, and a few other words - although none of them are quite perfect).  I will look into a developmental pediatrician - I haven't heard of this outside of the public sector (local Children's Hospital).  Will see if I can find a private one.  Also, will look into getting a 2nd opinion.  Here, it's actually the SLP who diagnoses dyspraxia...  Origami, can I ask at what age it just "clicked" for your kids?  Thx.

oh I see. Thank you for explaining. neither of my kids had a speech explosion. When I say it clicked I mean they went from zero words to saying a few words. The first SLP we had (18~23m of age) could not get my kids to say any words. We started with new SLP right around 24m and once they had a few words they just gradually increased over time. The clicking part I meant above referred to starting to speak. Now my kids are almost 4 and DS1 is only working on pronunciation and perfecting his grammar (e.g. Sheep not sheepses). He increased his ability more quickly than DS2. DS2 is still maybe a year behind his age in speech. He speaks in full sentences and answers questions but it's a struggle to have a back and forth conversation so he will be in ST for a long while.

If you can't find anyone in your area post again and we can maybe help you find someone in the States.

[kanga]

Thanks for the info ladies, it's nice to know other people have dealt with similar issues and have seen progress.

[marissa]

I have three with Apraxia as well as autism. Two have ADHD and two also have dyslexia. There's a bit of dysarthria as well. Are you in the apraxia Facebook page? It might help.

[kanga]

Aug 19, 2014 23:17:39 GMT -5 marissa said:

I have three with Apraxia as well as autism. Two have ADHD and two also have dyslexia. There's a bit of dysarthria as well. Are you in the apraxia Facebook page? It might help.

Marissa, I'd like to join it.  Which one is it?  There are a couple that show up when I search for the Facebook page.  Thanks!

[marissa]

Apraxia kids-everyone deserves a voice

[gumi]

Aug 18, 2014 8:08:56 GMT -5 kanga said:

Thanks for the info ladies, it's nice to know other people have dealt with similar issues and have seen progress.

My daughter has apraxia. She had zero words at age 2, and shortly after that I got her on early intervention and received a speech therapist. This is how I learned that good speech therapists are a dime a dozen.  But, the therapist did recommend a developmental preschool and it was the best advice.  She started at 2.5, and went 2 days a week.  At 3, she went 4 days a week.  And at age 4, she went 5 days a week + an extra half hour of phonology.  It was through the university, most of the "teachers" were college students.

I was able to get her on the Developmental Disabilities program but it was a LOT of work because she was clearly not autistic. As a mom, you want to make your kids sound great and to get on assistance, you need to do the opposite.  But it is worth it because since she has been on assistance, she has been able to get speech therapy 2x/week.

I did some crazy things to find a therapist - I attended speech therapy workshops just to meet people. I really wanted someone who was familiar with apraxia because so many people are not.  I ended finding our therapist at a BBQ that was for speech therapists, LOL.  At first, she said no because we lived far away.  But I convinced her to let us come to her house and my gut instinct was right because we have made so much progress during the past year.  My daughter entered a normal pre-kindergarten class this year and it is going great.  So my advice is to be proactive and to follow your gut.

She is still very difficult to understand, but her grammar and vocabulary is age appropriate.  I will tell you that Age 3 was very difficult age because she was so so frustrated that she could not communicate. She still had no intelligible words at 3. I highly suggest using signing ASAP.  Also, there is a bright side - my daughter has amazing determination and strength. When something is hard, she does not give up.  Although I would not have chosen this for her, it has built character and traits that I really admire.

[Captain Serious]

Hi, my younger son, J, has apraxia. One thing that struck me is that I understood he's getting speech therapy 45 minutes, every other week, is that correct? I believe that, with apraxia, it's best to do as many sessions as possible, as often as possible, even if they are shorter. So, if you could work out more sessions, but they are each only 20 minutes, the reoccurrence could help his progression. Also, as much practice as you can get him go do with you on a regular basis will help.

I see you've been given the FB group, but I also find this site really helpful: www.apraxia-kids.org.

It does get better. I promise.

[missyny]

I know it is overwhelming, but he is still very young and has a lot of potential therapy to help ahead!  Keep pushing for the most therapy you can fit into his little life.  Every session is progress.  Keep educating yourself and advocating for him.  

My son will be 4 in Oct and was NON VERBAL last year.  With full time school and therapies very day, he is a chatterbox now.  STill can be hard to understand him sometimes.  And he has developed stuttering.  But, with positive therapy, there is so much hope.  

your little boy wont be sad.  You can help him get those feelings out!!