Hi April -
Thank you for the update on Alana, it is great to hear that she is showing progress. It may seem slow now, but when you look back in a few years all the therapy will be worth it. Good luck in school this year & let us know how it goes.
Sep 01, 2009 Rating
Showing progress... by: April
I have to say my daughter Alana is showing great improvement in her speech her vocabulary has gone from about 5 to 10 words to 20+ words and attempts at speaking sentences. Although some words are still not completely clear family and friends who haven't seen her in a while are seeing the improvement and are able to understand her a lot better than just a few months ago! Alana is also asking "what is that"? and "Why" this is very exciting for me. I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read our story and thank you for your kind words and support. At a time when I felt alone and my daughter misunderstood, I now know I am not alone and I know more now so that I am able to help my daughter be understood. I have been taking her to our local Easter Seals where she is seen by a wonderful therapist she seems to have just gravitated strongly to her and I feel that has a lot to do with her improvement. She feels very comfortable with her therapist. She starts school in a few more days she's 41/2 now and continuing in her EIP program. I am also continuing her therapy at Easter Seals once per week for 45 min. I'm also thinking about adding another session possibly a group session because it is far less expensive for her to go there for therapy due to it being a non-profit organization. I also continue our one on one time with reading a singing. I found a great CD called Time To Sing for children with Apraxia they slow down a variety of children's songs so they are easily understood she absolutely loves it. I know we still have a long way to go, but we're getting there one day at a time.
Aug 31, 2009 Rating
4 year old has speech problems! by: Jovan
Hi everyone,
I also have a son with speech problems that turned 4 in July. He is the same way as some of your children. He can barely talk, he says a few words, and points to things when I can't understand what he is saying. It is very heartbreaking, because when I take him to school, I usually sit a while to see how he interacts with the other kids. He is the only one in his class who can't speak clearly. While the other kids can hold conversations, he at times can't even say one word. I took him to get tested a few times, because I thought it was autism, and by the Good Lords Grace, he is not autistic. Even with that diagnosis, they still could not pinpoint what the issue was at hand. He is currently in speech therapy, but it seems that he is making little progress. I have never heard of Apraxia, so when I take him back to his doctor, I will make sure to print this and show this to them. Good luck with the little one.
Jun 29, 2009 Rating
We're in the same boat! by: Trisha
Hi April, I teared up when I read your post about Alana. Her capabilities and challenges sound the same as my son's. Robbie (my son)will be turning 4 in a few weeks. He can clearly say: no, daddy, bubble, and baby... there are some other words he attempts but unless it contains the consonant b or d he ommits the consonants and only says the vowel portion -- which makes his words meaningless unless you see him pointing at the object that he is naming. I know how heartbreaking it is to watch your child not be able to respond when another child asks what their name is. I've even thought about calling my son Bob, so maybe he could say his own name :( I go through periods of sadness about my son's apraxia, mainly because I'm worried about him socially because the gap between him and his peers just keeps getting wider and wider. My husband promises me though that our son will not grow up to be a mute and that it will all come together for him. I really wish their was a magic cure for our little ones, but I guess we just need to teach, love, and encourage them and trust that one day they will be given a voice. I wish you and your family all the best!!!
Mar 17, 2009 Rating
Same Situation... by: Anonymous
I am the exact same situation, my daughter is soon to be 4 and speaks maybe about 10 words clearly & about 15-20 signs. I took her to UCLA to seek specialists on this case and they basically said that it will take alot of time and devotion, but in the professional aspect they can't say for sure that she will or will not talk because every individual is different. Trust me, that's not what I wanted to hear!! All I can say is keep your faith, know that you are doing all you can and keep researching and experimenting with different learning strategies until you find what works for your little angel!!
I know it's always easier said than done, but that's really all you can do!!
Feb 15, 2009 Rating
Hang in there by: Kate
Hi April - Excellent job on being proactive - researching & spending one on one time with your daughter will go a long way in helping her recover fully. Keep the faith that she will speak normally some day, and remember that the little things you do on a daily basis will add up to big changes in the long run.
Feb 14, 2009 Rating
4 year old by: jana
Wow-you sound just like me. I almost cried. My little boy is 2 and it's sooo hard to watch kids be rude to him. They understand every word-they just can't spit it out. I saw a big difference in my little boy once I started him on omega vitamins-I use the ProEFA (there's a link on this website for Nordic Naturals). There's been some pretty good research done and they are seeing that it does help the speech center of the brain. It sounds like you're doing a wonderful job with the one on one time. Our therapist does a lot of imaginative fun play just using words that are consonant, vowel, consonant...like dog, boat, go (g is a hard sound) etc. He's really responded to it. I know how hard this is and this is the only website out there that offers any support. Good luck.
