Besides speech therapy, what would help a child with apraxia/speech delays most?

[cathmom]

What do you think? any suggestions?

[wapiti]

These are just possibilities to research further, but on your list of things to consider, I'd add:

 

fish oil (not all are equal)

 

OT

 

Brain Gym

[cathmom]

what's a really good fish oil? What would OT do?

[Crimson Wife]

Has the child been tested for celiac recently? If not, I'd recommend it as one of the symptoms can be a speech delay (something I didn't know until recently). Also, if the child has been tested for celiac but it was at a very young age or the lab only did a partial screening, you may need to repeat the testing (my youngest DD just had to do that as her old pediatrician did a partial screening at 9 mos).

[wapiti]

:iagree: dietary issues may be worth a look

 

On the fish oil, googling you will find recommendations for a specific combination of fish oil for apraxia (such as Nordic Naturals 3-6-9/ProEPA, and in larger quantities than you'd ordinarily expect to give a kid. Most fish oil marketed for kids seems to be a fairly low dose). However, I have to wonder about how much the child's age affects the right combination of components of fish oil (older kids needing a higher percentage of EPA vs DHA, younger kids the opposite? see maybe the website for Minami Nutrition).

 

Generally speaking, in the view of some OTs, oral motor problems may be "downstream" of larger central nervous system issues (i.e., sensory processing disorder) that might be addressed via an OT experienced with these matters. In other words, the oral motor is a subset of apraxia which is a subset of SPD. (see e.g. this chart http://www.spdfoundation.net/subtypes.html). Once the larger central nervous system issues are worked on, then it's much easier to address the downstream issues (or so I've been told). The downside of OT is the expense.

 

Brain Gym is just one of my new pet suggestions, because it is kind of like OT and it's easy to do at home. It's all about improving the brain and nervous system. See e.g. http://forum.braingym.org/read.php?6,1850,1850 . In spite of the fact that there are instructors, I think all you really need is this book http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Gym-Teachers-Paul-Dennison/dp/0942143027/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308326259&sr=1-3 and you can look for demonstrations of specific exercises on you-tube. There are probably more specifics to be had about the applicability of Brain Gym to apraxia if you poke around some on google.

 

Also, some people with oral motor issues also have less-than-obvious ocular motor issues (vision) and it might be worthwhile to rule that out, which should be reasonably simple to accomplish via a visit to the right kind of optometrist, though that's another subject altogether. My dd had mild oral motor problems when she was young and later also had ocular motor issues (in her case, tracking) that were fixed with OT/VT.

 

These things may take some reading and work on your part, and a little experimentation ;), to figure out what may help best. Just my two cents :)

[ElizabethB]

I would start incorporating the phonograms into any speech work you do--start getting in those 1,000 repetitions, it shouldn't take much more work to incorporate the letters for the sounds while working on the sounds, and will save time later on.

 

Talking Letter Factory seemed to help my son's speech a bit. I'd outsource some repetition to the little cute frog.

[VinNY]

Time and repetition..my dtr is 9 and progress has been slow but steady.

Besides speech therapy:

We did OT for gross motor/vestibular and SPD issues (ages 6,7). This included Therapeutic Listening. The more OT she did , the more the SLP was able to work on her articulation issues.

 

Brain Gym age 8...will start up again next year

 

Vision Therapy age 9 and now working on computer therapy program

 

Tried fish oil..she couldn't stomach it...will try again next year

 

Allergy testing. Discovered she has severe environmental allergies and some food sensitivities. Her IGe levels were in the 3,000 range. We started allergy medicine and shots.

Blood work..including metabolic..discovered she was extremely low in copper.

 

OT again (for ages 9,and next year through school) fine motor skills, VMI etc

 

LiPs..age 8... helped her with articulation and motor planning.

 

OT suggestions for outside activities...biking, swimming, gymnastics, karate..anything that works legs and arms bilaterally.

 

Programs like Dance Dance Revolution, Interactive Metronome etc.

[ElizabethB]

Tried fish oil..she couldn't stomach it...will try again next year

 

Allergy testing. Discovered she has severe environmental allergies and some food sensitivities. Her IGe levels were in the 3,000 range. We started allergy medicine and shots.

 

 

I would try a vegan fish oil, you might have more luck with it and it is less likely to be allergenic.

[VinNY]

I would try a vegan fish oil, you might have more luck with it and it is less likely to be allergenic.

 

Thanks..her brother is highly allergic to fish so we use flaxseed oil with him. He can at least swallow the pills. She couldn't swallow or chew he pills. I had to open them and squirt them into yogurt. Can I tell you how many outfits I stained by doing that:tongue_smilie:. It tasted gross..poor thing.

[ElizabethB]

. She couldn't swallow or chew he pills. I had to open them and squirt them into yogurt. Can I tell you how many outfits I stained by doing that:tongue_smilie:. It tasted gross..poor thing.

 

:grouphug: That doesn't sound fun.

 

The vegan replacements for fish oil are made from the algae that fish eat, they are different than flaxseed oil. Here is an example, I haven't tried one but have thought about it. My allergies are so extensive I hesitate to try new things.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Deva-Vegan-Omega-3-Algae-Vcaps/dp/B000V8BD4S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1308346093&sr=8-3

[Mom0012]

Is it a receptive language delay as well as expressive? If so, I think one of the best things you could possibly do is either read aloud a lot and/or have him listen to tons of audiobooks. Lindamood Bell's Visualizing and Verbalizing program can make a tremendous impact on receptive language. The same company also has a program called LIPS, which helps the child feel the sounds by the shape the mouth makes when the sound is made and noticing where the sound is coming from (the back of the throat for example).

 

Lisa

[PeterPan]

I think the issue with the SPD and vision problems overlapping so much is because of the tone issues. I guess some kids have only low oral tone, but we appear to be low tone all over. Our SLP assessed his tone looking at oral to identify what she would do about it, but also looking at his posture, breath support, etc. She is very attentive to the way he sits. (People with low tone tend to W-sit because it is comfortable, but it's very hard on your back over the long-run.)

 

As far as oral tone, well there's a whole lot that goes there. You can do sensory work when you brush his teeth or by giving him things that vibrate. (There are various devices for this, though we quickly broke ours, ugh.) My ds NEVER seemed to fill up or eat enough, and would reject and spit things out after a while, even when he was hungry. His oral tone was just very low, too low to give him endurance with chewing. Now it's much better. Simply getting them talking helps. Give them chewy foods. No sippie cups. Straw blocks so they can't cup the straw with their tongue. Harmonica and whistles. Yelling (breath support). Yup, plenty you can do there. But that's stuff the right SLP will guide you into.

 

This is my two cents, but the SLP matters an awful lot. I mean I'd like to say more than anything, but we can't all get access to the same things, ugh. But if your SLP *isn't* saying these kinds of things, to me, that would be a good reason to start looking for someone else.

 

Now as far as the someone else, if you can find someone who does PROMPT, that would be amazing. http://www.promptinstitute.com For us it has been AMAZING.

 

I'm probably going to get cut off by the storm coming through, so I'll be fast with the rest. Yes to the oils. We use flax because he doesn't seem to digest the fish well. Our SLP wants us to pursue enzymes, haven't done that yet. I think the brand is Houston that she likes. She also encourages people to try Nutriveyda, which we haven't done yet either. She has a book she likes (Gut Psychology) that does draw a connection between mal-digestion and dyspraxia/praxis problems. Some of that definitely fit our experience, though I haven't gotten the book to read more (only read a dab while in session!).

[ZeldaRules]

Here is a facebook page for the CHERAB Foundation. CHERAB Foundation is for apraxia, autism, speech disorders, and late talkers. I would spend some time reading the posts on the page and you will find some good information, especially about the fish oil. They also recommend a product called Nutriveda. I just ordered it, so I can't speak for how well it works, but some mom's say their children have great improvements once starting the use of it.

 

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_115029735601

[GypsieFamily]

We went dairy and gluten free, gave fish oil three times daily, and did OT as well as speech therapy.

[LittleIzumi]

Would sign language help? I'm not familiar with apraxia in much detail but my dd with a speech delay/hearing issues/sensory issues learned to sign and caught up quickly on that before she figured out speech.

[PeterPan]

Yes, we also use sign, absolutely.

[myboyluvsdinos]

Maybe think about Earobics.

 

My ds had dyspraxia due to motor planning problems and low muscle tone. But he also has auditory processing problems, so being able to hear the sounds in words helped his speech a lot, too. I'd also second the recommendation for lots of read-a-louds. My guy now listens to books on his mp3 player, which is wonderful for helping his vocabulary and hearing words pronounced properly.

 

Carolyn

[Crimson Wife]

Nutriveda the weight loss supplement? Or is it a different Nutriveda? :confused:

[PeterPan]

Yup, nutriveyda the weight loss supplement. It gets discussed a LOT on the apraxia kids yahoo group I'm on. They theorize it has some amino acids that are beneficial. And of course some kids with low tone or picky eating issues aren't getting all the nutrition they need anyway. So some kids get a boost from it simply because it's getting more nutrition into them. I think I already told how my ds was constantly hungry because of his low oral tone and inability to keep eating to the point of being full. He would have been a good candidate for something like that. Right now we're making so much progress, I hadn't pursued further. But really, the feedback is tremendous. There's another product they just made that is supposed to be very helpful too, sort of the next step up.

 

Yllek had done some posting about amino acids being precursors to neurotransmitters. I think that's what they're thinking about why the NV works.

[ZeldaRules]

Maybe think about Earobics.

 

My ds had dyspraxia due to motor planning problems and low muscle tone. But he also has auditory processing problems, so being able to hear the sounds in words helped his speech a lot, too. I'd also second the recommendation for lots of read-a-louds. My guy now listens to books on his mp3 player, which is wonderful for helping his vocabulary and hearing words pronounced properly.

 

Carolyn

 

If you have Windows 7, wait to order Earobics until next month. The current edition that they sell is for Windows Vista, XP and older. I was going to order it a few months ago, but I called and they said the Windows 7 version would come out in July. I just wanted to note that. It would stink to get a program that doesn't work on your computer. :)

[peacefully]

.

[PeterPan]

Hey yllek, did you notice in my post I mentioned eggs? Eggs are apparently quite high in choline! Hmmm. I switched my ds from goat milk to soy for breakfast, and with that and eggs it has become much less distinguishable when we miss the flax oil. If we miss it for DAYS (as in 3, 4, or more), then it becomes obvious. But before, without those foods it was literally boom, one day. But I guess we've got a more severe situation. Dd just bumps into things when she is off kilter, but ds literally stops talking. Wish I could do the fish oil, but oh well.

 

I'm surprised about the cost you mentioned on that PC supplement. The capsules are inexpensive. Can he take capsules yet? My dd learned pretty quickly. I don't remember exactly what age, but maybe by age 3 or 4? Might be worth trying. It certainly didn't take long, because she had to be on calcium.

 

Just did some more checking. The major source of PC is soybean oil. See I'm NOT nuts saying the soy milk and eggs seem to help his talking! And the difference is pretty dramatic. Since we changed his morning milk for his cereal to soy and started feeding more eggs, people have been commenting on his increased talking.

 

If PC is largely sourced from lecithin, then wouldn't lecithin granules be another way to get it into your dc? Just thinking out loud here, still looking for food sources. I think you can buy lecithin powder.

 

Did you know he banged out his two front teeth? Guess that doesn't matter to anyone, but he did. So that's our next adventure, checking into replacement teeth to keep the tongue from protruding and allow his speech to develop properly. It just never ends, does it? LOL

Edited June 20, 2011 by OhElizabeth

[PeterPan]

More on choline from http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/choline/

******

Choline salts, such as choline chloride and choline bitartrate are available as supplements. Phosphatidylcholine supplements also provide choline; however, they are only 13% choline by weight. Therefore, a supplement providing 4,230 mg (4.2 grams) of phosphitidyl choline would provide 550 mg of choline. Although the chemical term, "lecithin" is synonymous with phosphatidylcholine, commercial lecithin preparations may contain anywhere from 20-90% phosphatidylcholine. Thus, lecithin supplements may contain even less than 13% choline (23).

 

******

 

An egg has 126 mg total choline. So eating 2 eggs a day would be roughly equivalent to 1/2 a capsule of PC. Hmmm...

[wapiti]

:lurk5: Thanks for the interesting food discussion. Are the choline capsules a powder that could be mixed into something, or are they solid?

 

(nervous; off to ped cardiologist this morning with ds8, to investigate new murmur. maybe if I say I'm nervous, then I won't be. or maybe i should just keep posting inane chatter until it's time to leave - much better than cleaning the house. don't want to let on that although I succeeded in keeping calm for a few days, I couldn't sleep last night and am now wired. more coffee, anyone?)

 

FWIW, on the teeth, ds8 lost one of his front teeth in a playground accident when he was two. The other one came out recently, in the normal course, and the permanent one there is about halfway down. While it didn't help his speech (he's the one still in speech therapy), I don't have the sense that it was extremely detrimental. He doesn't have a lisp like some of his siblings (genetic, from DH); maybe due to the tongue tie (fixed as an infant, but still a little on the tight side). In many ways, I'm excited to see what happens to his speech when the permanent tooth comes down where the baby tooth was missing for years, though the dentist expects it may take a couple more years, because now there's bone in the way instead of a baby tooth - apparently much harder to bust through. For calcium, he does a liquid cal/mag. It does seem that calcium intake affects the speed of teeth growing (baby teeth coming out/permanent ones coming down). (see? nervous chatter. please forgive me :tongue_smilie:)

[PeterPan]

Ds's tongue protrudes somewhat. It's not all the time, but it's there. With apraxia it can be simply from low oral tone that isn't holding it in (cheek muscles) or habit or swollen adenoids or... But the point is WITH the teeth we finally had it more or less in check. Now it's coming out again. :(

[peacefully]

.

[wapiti]

Wapiti, I'm going to keep you guys in my thoughts today. My dh and his brothers have all had some abnormal arrhythmias and murmurs, which have all turned out to be totally benign. Hopefully, you've just got a case of a heart with no sense of rhythm.

 

Thanks, yllek. Indeed, he has some random odd defects that are unlikely to pose a problem. We re-check in a year. I am very relieved :)