Are You Concerned Your Child With Apraxia Will Never Talk???
I want you to know I have been in your shoes. I was told "wait & see", "she will eventually talk",
and "some kids are just slower." I understand the devastation of hearing the diagnosis of apraxia and of
learning your child may never speak normally.
I was told my daughter was not just a "late talking child" and she would need "special services" at school for at least ten more years. And
like you I just could not accept that fact. There had to be something more I could do to help my precious
little girl.
At age 3 my daughter was diagnosed with apraxia and was attending a special needs preschool for speech therapy
four days a week. We saw little progress that year. She went from saying one word - "Hi", to about
thirty partial words.
At her year end conference her teachers expressed concern about her lack of progress; they suggested
we consult a neurologist and an audiologist. Other than being a nonverbal child those reports came back fine. We
also had her tested for mercury overload by hair analysis and blood work, those tests were also normal. We
were desperate to find something that would help our daughter lead a normal life. That's when I began
researching all possible options. I spent many hours reading everything I could about apraxia and even
found myself informing my daughter's pediatrician about her condition.
What you can do right now to recover from apraxia
I have compiled my research to an eBook, "Apraxia Explained" there
I will tell you what you can do in your own home in addition to speech therapy to
enhance your child's speech. Your child will not simply "grow out of it". Their speech may improve as they
get older but it will still be filled with errors and be difficult to understand without proper intervention.
Speech therapy for apraxia is generally intensive - 3-5 hours per week and expensive (average
$100/hour, which may or may not be covered by insurance or your local school district). What I am
suggesting you try is not a "quick fix"; however it will greatly enhance speech therapy.
The key that allowed my daughter with verbal apraxia to speak
I will reveal the key that unlocked her voice in Chapter 9 of my eBook "Apraxia Explained"
- she went from thirty partial words to speaking 3 -
4 word sentences in about two months. We did this over the summer and her teachers were shocked when she
returned to school in the fall. We did this at home and she enjoyed it very much.
I am in no way advocating you end speech therapy - this is in addition to therapy - it's for the
parent that wants the best for their child - who is willing to do whatever it takes to give their child a
normal life. These things are not complicated; some of them are a lot of fun!
How she is talking now
At age 6 Josie was a normal active, kindergartener. She did exceptionally
well in school - she had no trouble making friends, everyone could understand her. When friends and
relatives who hadn't seen her in over a year saw her, they are often shocked & amazed at the changes she
had made. She had no trouble learning to read; in fact she is now able to read books on her own that are
above her grade level. Research has shown that 75% of children with apraxia also have dyslexia Much of what
we did for her is also proven to help with dyslexia. In fact no one would ever guess she struggled so much
learning to talk.
This newly released iPad app, NACD Home Speech Therapist is a convenient, effective tool for children with Apraxia of Speech to use at home in between speech therapy visits.