Hello. I found an article on apraxia and I am wondering if my 33 month old has it. He understands way more than he can say. He has about 75 words, some just approximations. Anyone have experience with apraxia? What should I be looking for? What can I do to help him? ECI comes out once a week but they have done nothing to help him. He has never started saying a new word while they are here. He does that thru my husband and I labeling everything. Thanks!
Thank you all for the responses. His speech therapist said today that she would not say he has apraxia based on him starting to repeat everything. He added new words today even. He has to be evaluated and he may go to the preschool they have for kids with speech delays. He"talks" all the time so hopefully the language will come in time with help from us and the school.
I don't know what school district you are in. We are in Richardson ISD and I had my daughter (at age 3) evaulated for speech at their speech office. They diagnosed her and she now goes to their preschool speech program 2 days a week, and it is TERRIFIC! I have seen great improvement in just a little time.
There are many different kinds of speech delays, but you need a full speech and langague evaluation to find out. State services are not all he will ever need, and while a nice thing, they really are not comprehensive and are absolutly not diagnostic. They are a state provided service under part B IDEA, and all IDEA is required to do is to make a child functional in their current environment (for a three year old, that is a pretty low threashold.)
Call a private speech therapist and make an appointment, and do not try to diagnose this yourself. Instead, tell them what is going on, and let them decide what areas to evalaute. You may want to have his hearing checked first. I would also make an appointment with your pediatrican and have him screened for all developmental milestones and get a referal for any deviation, as issues frequently cluster, so you should be careful and be sure not to miss any.
M.
Yes, my son was dianosed with Apraxia when he was 2 1/2. Apraxia is a motor planning problem and therapy should also include Occupational therapy. It sounds as if ECI is not providing enough services.
Apraxia is a difficult Speech issue to fix. It takes a Speech Therapist trained specifically in Apraxia. If you google, Kaufman Speech Center, it may give you additional resources. There is also a Apraxia website. I can't remember what it is called but it too will give you additional support.
It will probably take years to fix his issue. My son is now 7 and he still qualifies for speech therapy. He is now speaking in full sentences; some words are difficult to understand especially since his vocabulary is advanced and people don't think a child can use such words.
Good luck and stay strong. He will need you to never back down from advocated for him. Apraxia has nothing to do with his intelligence. My son is above grade level in reading and math. But, it is a condition that is hard to fix and receive enough therapy. Please look through my older answers; I have given additional ideas in previous posts.
Your description of your child does not sound like developmental apraxia of speech, unless there are other characteristics that he has that you are not describing. It is normal that a child's receptive language is greater than his expressive language. He is almost going to be three, I would contact your local school district and have him evaluated, although ECI should refer him with your permission before his 3rd birthday. I sounds like he has a sever phonological delay, which in many cases decreases a child's expressive language skills. I would continue labeling things for him, giving him carrier phrases when requesting or commenting (I see a ..., I want ...). Also break the words down into syllables and have him repeat it back to you syllable by syllable. Once he gets that then have him try to blend the whole word. You could even tap out each syllable (index finger on your wrist or his or clap it out) to give him a visual/tactile/auditory cue. This is a good for both a phonological delay and apraxia of speech. I agree with S., you are the primary caregiver and your help/work is a big part on how he progresses. hope this helps and keep up the good work.
I agree - while the ECI people I met were very sweet - they did nothing to help. The evaluator "tested" my son's hearing by standing behind him and whispering words. He kept moving his head so that meant he could hear. Ummm - no. He is very bright and kept looking to see what the lady was doing. If you are in Fort Worth, go to Miller Speech clinic, located on the TCU campus. Be prepared to pay $$$$. Some insurance will cover treatment but most will not cover evaluations. My insurance company even made me get re-certified every MONTH which was a major pain - they try very hard to make it impossible. You do what you have to do. YOU ARE YOUR CHILD'S ONLY ADVOCATE. Speech delays can really affect your child's learning and future.
.
My daughter has a speech delay and we saw ECI as well. Although they do come to the house, it is not the intense therapy your child might need. However, ECI's job is truly to train you on how to help your child since you are with him/her every day. If your child is learning new words, it should be from you anyway and not because someone comes one day per week. Just my two cents.
I would get a consult from a local speech therapist. I would also ask your pediatrician for guidelines. I believe that at 36mo. the children are evaluated again to determine if early intervention through FISD is required.
