Rita Said:

Do any moms have a child with Apraxia of speech (CAS)?

We Answered:

my mother in law was telling me about one of the kids on her side of the family having this, she didnt know the name of it but it is the exact same definition...the words were fine in his head but he couldnt form them and get them out to talk....she said his pediatrician said with therapy he would be fine and be able to talk, it would just take a little while. hopefully he was right, and it turns out the same for your son.

Mark Said:

Will my son be ok with what I think is apraxia of speech? Please help!?

We Answered:

I sounds very similar yes but its not my job to diagnose as I do not know enough about ur family or your son!

At 2.5 speech is at various levels-some children will talk fluently, others will not speak sentences until nearing 4 years old so really he has a while to go before you should be too concerned.

Some ideas you could try:
1) build up muscles in the mouth- eg: sucking through straws, blowing through straws (can do bubbles, blow paint on paper, blow a feather around and see who can blow hardest etc).
2) singing-singing encourages speech, mouth movements, expressions etc and is more fun that parroting words!
3) funny faces in the mirror-sometimes lipstick or face paint on the lips...kiss mirror and make funny patterns like open mouth, squished mouth etc. (this builds up muscles and movement).

I would keep going with SaL therapy and if still no improvement at 3 then consider going back to doctor or child development centre. Is he in a preschool, toddler group etc...sometimes being surrounded by others his age in a busy and chatty environment brings out the speech in children! Also you'll have people to talk to and share your concerns with!!!

Joyce Said:

Learning to speak Japanese with a speech impediment?

We Answered:

Japanese is a phonetic language. It is also not accented like English. There are no sounds that require contortions of the lips or tongue, nor are there any gutturals. In fact, one can speak Japanese with minimal movement of the lips and tongue. Once you get used to the different sounds, I doubt you will have any problems. If you want to learn, just do it.

Henry Said:

Apraxia, does my son have it?

We Answered:

My son has Childhood Apraxia of Speech. I knew there was a problem before he was 2. At the age of 2 he could say maybe 20 words. His pediatrician said he was "just a late talker". Your son sounds similar to mine.I knew otherwise. Dr. would not even consider a speech eval until he was 3, and after hearing test. At 3yrs he could say 30 words. Even so my insurance refused an eval. (it is very hard to get insurances to cover anything for speech). I was rejected for evals until he was 5yrs old.

Apraxia is a neurological disorder you need to have it "approved for eval" as a symbolic dysfunction , not speech delay. I actually brought in about 20 pages of highlighted information off the web to help his pediatrician get it approved.

He is 7 now and has "rapid, intense, speech therapy" He now has an extensive vocabulary but still struggles very hard with speech. I have fought doctors, schools and insurances to get my child's needs met.

For improvement you need "rapid intense therapy" 4-5 xs a week. At 3yrs you can get your child an IEP from the school and have free therapy from them. Work hard at getting your insurance to pay for addition therapy. It is hard but can be done.

Speech paths do speech for a living. If you have a good one I would definitely trust their evals. They know more about speech.

Be patient with your son. It is very frustrating for him. My son would throw tantrums all the time. Your speech path can give you stuff to work with at home.

Also 75% of children who are Apraxic are Dyslexic. My son is now struggling with learning disabilities as well.

For a child who is Apraxic they know what they want to say, but have a very hard time getting it out.

Please visit these websites for lots of info.

http://www.apraxia-kids.org
http://www.apraxiaspeaks.com
http://www.asha.org/default.htm

Also this book is helpful.
The Parents Guide to Speech and Language Problems by Debbie Feit

Good luck and be strong.
Your son needs you.
And find a good support team for you.

Jamie Said:

I am looking for financial help for our daughters speech and occupational therapy's. we live in Ohio. Thanks.

We Answered:

Call the local school. I am not sure how it is in your state, but in Texas you can get help through the school system. Also check for rehab programs that use a sliding scale if your insurance does not cover it. I hope you find something. There should be a orginaization in your state for Early Childhood Intervention...sometimes you could get a referal from a doctor or do a web search to find it in your state. Try the link below. I hope you find the help you need. My son does speech through our local school....Hang in there.

Jack Said:

I need info on Apraxia of Speech???

We Answered:

First of all let me say that I understand just what you are going through. My son has Autism and like your son, he had some words and then he went backwards with it loosing some of the words, that was the first sign and I did not pick up on it. I know how dishearting this is and you need help not hendrence.

There is a group called Shadow Syndrome Children on line it is a yahoo group, I am a member, and it is very helpful for mild problems like this. You will find lots of people who are very supportive and there children have various learning dissabilities including Apraxia. I hope that this helps you.