Archive for the ‘Late Talking Child’ Category
Anxiety and Apraxia
The diagnosis of apraxia can cause anxiety for many parents. Fear of the unknown and unanswered questions such as “will my child ever talk?”, “will they be able to lead a normal life?” or “is anything else wrong with my child’s brain?”
It is important to keep your worries at bay so you can support your child in the best possible way. No one may be able to answer those questions for you, as each child is unique in there journey with apraxia.
To help deal with anxiety, if possible seek out a support group in your area. There may not be one just for apraxia, but there are often support groups for parents of differently abled children. Remember to take things one day at a time, your child will not recover overnight. Research and learn as much as possible and seek out ways to help your child at home. If you are feeling overwhelmed do not be afraid to seek professional help for yourself and discuss your concerns with your medical doctor.
In school-aged children with apraxia, they can sometimes show signs of social anxiety. Having difficulty communicating can make things harder at school for some kids and they may become self conscious of their speech.
If possible arrange playdates for your child so they can play one on one with someone to develop better friendships. Talk to your child’s teacher about what difficulties they are having socially and see if they can help. Encourage extra curricular activities to help them socialize.
This essential guide written by a parent of a child with Apraxia shares in the journey of frustration and hopelessness to a full recovery from apraxia. Includes advice on finding the right speech therapist, diet changes, exercises and more. Also includes a bonus eBook, "Building Language through Play" which has advice on having fun with your child while building language skills. This is an ebook, available for instant download to your computer.
Price: $27.00
The same information printed out and spiral bound, shipped via Priority Mail, $7.95 for shipping and handling.
Price: $27.00
Will My Child with Apraxia Ever Talk?
There are many factors that will determine the answer to that important question – ”Will my child with apraxia ever talk?” and there are no easy answers.
With intense speech therapy, supportive parents and a proper environment apraxia can be overcome. Waiting to see if your child will “just grow out of it” could lead to a lifetime of speech troubles. The earlier intervention begins the better. A qualified speech therapist who is familiar with apraxia of speech can diagnose a child as early as eighteen months and therapy can begin then.
Another factor that can determine the quality of speech is the presence of other health conditions or disabilities. Depending on the severity and other therapies can make a big difference in how quickly it can be overcome.
Approximately 90% of children with apraxia do eventually talk normally, however some do have minor difficulties with articulation. There are very few children that never talk, often due to the presence of other health conditions. There are alternative methods of communication available, such as using sign language or computer aided speech.
There are many things you can do in addition to speech therapy that can greatly enhance speech. They are all outlined in the book “Apraxia Explained” which is available here.
This essential guide written by a parent of a child with Apraxia shares in the journey of frustration and hopelessness to a full recovery from apraxia. Includes advice on finding the right speech therapist, diet changes, exercises and more. Also includes a bonus eBook, "Building Language through Play" which has advice on having fun with your child while building language skills. This is an ebook, available for instant download to your computer.
Price: $27.00
The same information printed out and spiral bound, shipped via Priority Mail, $7.95 for shipping and handling.
Price: $27.00
Help for Moms and Dads
Let’s face it. Having children can be stressful, but adding in a child with special needs adds a whole new layer to the stress.
When my daughter with apraxia was three, she did not talk. She pointed and screamed at what she wanted, she also cried a lot. Of course all this was very frustrating for me, but I’m sure her frustration of knowing what she wanted but not being able to communicate it with me was much greater.
For the parent with a child with apraxia in addition to lack of communication you also have many other stresses. Financial concerns are a major source of stress for some. Will insurance pay for therapy? Having to take time off from work for therapy appointments and lost income contribute to stress.
The time it takes going to therapy appointments also takes away from family time and other commitments. At one point in time my daughter was going to speech therapy five times a week, occupational therapy twice a week and physical therapy once a week. I felt like I was running a marathon.
Your fears also need to be dealt with – will my child ever talk? will they lead a normal life? Those nagging questions never seem to go away.
It is very important you take time out to take care of yourself. Take the time to exercise, eat right and get enough sleep. As parents if you don’t take care of yourselves, who will? Find what works for you for stress relief – calling a friend, taking a long walk, a bubble bath, getting lost in a good book, playing sports. Make that your time and schedule it in your calendar along with your child’s schedule.
If you are still struggling with your child’s diagnosis, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Can you find someone to help with driving to therapy visits or homework? If necessary ask your doctor for a referral to a counselor if your fears over your child’s speech are causing too much anxiety.
This essential guide written by a parent of a child with Apraxia shares in the journey of frustration and hopelessness to a full recovery from apraxia. Includes advice on finding the right speech therapist, diet changes, exercises and more. Also includes a bonus eBook, "Building Language through Play" which has advice on having fun with your child while building language skills. This is an ebook, available for instant download to your computer.
Price: $27.00
The same information printed out and spiral bound, shipped via Priority Mail, $7.95 for shipping and handling.
Price: $27.00
Late Talking Child
Many children are considered “late talkers”, as in their speech develops much slower than that of their peers. Doctors and speech therapist can often find no cause for the language delay and some children develop speech on their own without intervention. They will often have a language explosion and just start to talk or the develop speech it’s just at a much slower rate, but eventually talk.
A child with apraxia will also be slow to speak, but will have differences from a late talking or language delayed child. A child with apraxia is often very inconsistent in speech, one day they can say a word, the next day they can’t. They have difficulty in repeating words, little or no babbling, slow speech, and not able to produce the full range of letter sounds. They may have difficulty feeding or nursing as infants.
As the mother of a child with apraxia I know it can be a very daunting diagnosis at first. With proper care and intervention apraxia can be overcome.
This essential guide written by a parent of a child with Apraxia shares in the journey of frustration and hopelessness to a full recovery from apraxia. Includes advice on finding the right speech therapist, diet changes, exercises and more. Also includes a bonus eBook, "Building Language through Play" which has advice on having fun with your child while building language skills. This is an ebook, available for instant download to your computer.
Price: $27.00
The same information printed out and spiral bound, shipped via Priority Mail, $7.95 for shipping and handling.
Price: $27.00