Speech Apraxia

[ZZBane]

My son is almost 2 1/2 and has speech apraxia. Does anyone else have a child with that? He’s in speech therapy 3 times a week and he’s making progress, but it’s very slow.
I’m just curious. At what age did it “click” for your kid? Was there a specific thing that seemed to help the most?
Sign language has helped tremendously as far as the frustration with lack of verbal communication, but as much as I’d like for him to continue to learn that, he seems to pick that up much easier than talking. So I’ve stopped teaching him new signs.

Idk. I just feel fairly alone in this and I was hoping someone else was going through it or went through it at some point with their kid and could give me a boost

 

[sha3279]

Hi!
My son is almost 5 and was diagnosed with severe apraxia at 3. I totally understand how you feel about progress being slow. My son just recently started to have things click for him. He is finally able to imitate sounds and some words but is still considered preverbal. Keep in mind that my son is severe in terms of apraxia and he also is globally affected(developmental coordination disorder)so his fine and gross motor skills are delayed as well. For us the thing that helped him the most is PROMPT therapy. We found a PROMPT certified therapist near us who we see 1x a week in addition to 3x at school and 2x private through our insurance. She has been the game changer though. We tried so many therapy methods and approaches and nothing really clicked until we started working with this more specialized therapist. Because of his fine motor delays and problems with full body motor planning, sign language didn’t work for my son. But don’t stop, keep encouraging it if it gives your son a method of communication. My son uses an AAC(augmentative communication device)in the form of an iPad with a specialized program on it called proloquo2go as his “talker.” It’s wonderful because it gives him the opportunity to use words that he cannot yet express verbally.
Have you looked up apraxia kids? It’s a wonderful non profit that supports, researches and provides assistance for apraxia. They have a Facebook support group that is a lifesaver for us parents. It gives us access to others experiencing this which is so important because it really is so rare.
Let me know if you have any questions or anything. I’ve done lots of research and am also a
special education teacher myself. I’ve been very involved in the apraxia community as well-we attend walks and I attended the national conference for the first time this past year and now have plans to attend every year I possibly can.
I know this is a hard journey and it can feel lonely, but just know you and your child are absolutely not alone in this!!!

 

[ZZBane]

Wow! You are amazing! Thank you so much for your response and you encouraging words.
My son is developmentally delayed and this diagnosis of apraxia is only recent.
We just got him approved for speech therapy right before his 2nd birthday in May, but then we moved in June. He had been seeing a developmental therapist and an occupational therapist for about a year before we got the speech one. She was only once a week though and we didn’t get any form of a WHY he wasn’t talking. They all thought he was just a bit late. Lo and behold, we move to FL in June, I get insurance, find a place to get him evaluated, and boom! We have a diagnosis.

I do have a Facebook, but never use it. I never actually thought to look there for any support or any information.

I will absolutely look up proloquo2go as well.

And in reading your response, it’s sad that I’ve never even heard of PROMPT or anything like that. Perhaps l’m even further behind than I should be in getting him help.

I’m debating on putting my son in daycare once a week for a half a day or even a full day. He’s not around other kids normally, so maybe that could help? Sometimes his frustration is so terrible and he lashes out and I just don’t know what to do. I’m a single mom and having just moved to FL, I also don’t have any friends down here yet. We live with my parents, and of course that’s helpful, but isolating in and of itself.

The friends I do have in PA and that have kids are very sweet and they mean well, but all their kids were/are....’normal’ for lack of a better word. Developed properly maybe? I just feel like my son is the odd one out I guess. He’s incredibly sweet and super smart, just different.

I really do appreciate you so much for your kind words and for responding to my post. Even meeting other parents and his therapy, I haven’t met anyone who’s kid has or had apraxia.

I’ll definitely be looking on Facebook and seeing if there is a community here

 

[Jingle]

My grandson was diagnosed with Apraxia around age 3. He just turned 8 in September. He is finally to the point where I can understand most of what he says, although it is obvious he has speech issues. Of course he is and has been in speech therapy.

When he was younger he would get frustrated and could get aggressive around other kids but that behavior is all but gone now. We acknowledged his frustration, we're consistent with letting him know that lashing out at other kids was not acceptable (calmly but firmly, yelling does not help) and encouraged him to slow down and use his words. It doesn't get better overnight, but hang in there and it will get better. My grandson is now the sweetest, most living little boy and is a delight to be around.

 

[china mom]

My daughter never had an official diagnosis, rather, everything has been lumped under a "language processing delay" and speech delay" title. She was adopted internationally at age 33 months and I asked the guide in china to translate what she was saying and the response was "its just baby babble". The other kids were already calling their new other's "Mom or Mommy and even mimicking some words within a week.

Her situation was more akin to aphasia rather than apraxia as she could understand the words and pronounce the words but could not retrieve them from her brain when needed. Example, show her a picture with numerous animals and ask her to point to the horse - she does. ask her to say horse - she does. point to the horse (even moments after the first exercise) and she could not tell you that it was a horse.

We got services immediately upon returning home and I have to say that the sign language component was extremely important. It help ease the frustration we had communicating and studies have shown that even neurotypical babies benefit from learning sign language. It has been shown that babies who are taught sign language learn spoken language earlier.

For the longest time, I though she would never speak. When she didn't know the real sign, she would make one up. I always said that she could make a career out of playing charades.

Her language processing delay has greatly affected her reading and she is in the 8th grade, reading at a third grade level. At age 14, she still sometimes struggles to find the right word when speaking but her writing skills are good.

I say don't give up on the sign language.

 

[ZZBane]

My grandson was diagnosed with Apraxia around age 3. He just turned 8 in September. He is finally to the point where I can understand most of what he says, although it is obvious he has speech issues. Of course he is and has been in speech therapy.

When he was younger he would get frustrated and could get aggressive around other kids but that behavior is all but gone now. We acknowledged his frustration, we're consistent with letting him know that lashing out at other kids was not acceptable (calmly but firmly, yelling does not help) and encouraged him to slow down and use his words. It doesn't get better overnight, but hang in there and it will get better. My grandson is now the sweetest, most living little boy and is a delight to be around.

That’s a relief. The aggression worries me. I know it’s out of frustration, but still. He does like being around other kids, but it’s difficult when they’re doing something that I won’t allow him to do. For the most part he understands what I say, but can’t voice really anything back. Kids don’t always understand why he can’t talk either.

He can shake his head yes and no. He says up, mama, and the most recent is uh oh. He can also sound out almost all the letters of the alphabet.

He’s been more vocal, just no actual words. I know it’ll come and I know it’ll take time, but it’s nice to know that I’m not alone.

thank you for your response and I’m so glad to hear that your grandson made such progress. progress is progress no matter how little or how
Long it took

 

[ZZBane]

My daughter never had an official diagnosis, rather, everything has been lumped under a "language processing delay" and speech delay" title. She was adopted internationally at age 33 months and I asked the guide in china to translate what she was saying and the response was "its just baby babble". The other kids were already calling their new other's "Mom or Mommy and even mimicking some words within a week.

Her situation was more akin to aphasia rather than apraxia as she could understand the words and pronounce the words but could not retrieve them from her brain when needed. Example, show her a picture with numerous animals and ask her to point to the horse - she does. ask her to say horse - she does. point to the horse (even moments after the first exercise) and she could not tell you that it was a horse.

We got services immediately upon returning home and I have to say that the sign language component was extremely important. It help ease the frustration we had communicating and studies have shown that even neurotypical babies benefit from learning sign language. It has been shown that babies who are taught sign language learn spoken language earlier.

For the longest time, I though she would never speak. When she didn't know the real sign, she would make one up. I always said that she could make a career out of playing charades.

Her language processing delay has greatly affected her reading and she is in the 8th grade, reading at a third grade level. At age 14, she still sometimes struggles to find the right word when speaking but her writing skills are good.

I say don't give up on the sign language.

First, I think that’s beautiful that you adopted. Someday, I’d like to as well.

Did they not realize that she was behind? Or is it not as prevalent over there?

That’s interesting. I’ve never heard of aphasia. I’ve always thought that signing was important and before my son was born, I had every intention of teaching him. I had no idea it would become a necessity. We still use simple signs...but I hate explaining to people that no, he’s not blowing you a kiss, he’s literally saying thank you. I know they don’t know. It’s not their fault, but damn. It just gets old sometimes. People are curious. I get it. They always ask about his glasses too, especially if they know he can’t talk. Sometimes, I just wish I didn’t have to answer any questions. You know?
No one has ever been rude or anything like that, but again, people are just curious.

Does your daughter have an aid at school or anything? Is the school supportive of things like that? Or any therapy that she needs. My son is a way away from that, but that’s also a worry I have.

Thank you so much for your reply. I’ve gotten more information here than I have from any of his therapists. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great, but they see a lot of kids. It’s hard to get one on one time with them

 

[disykat]

I'm on the far end of this. My now 24 yr old had apraxia of speech, with no other diagnoses. He started speech therapy at 2 1/2 and started doing some talking by around 4. By junior high he was still a little mumbly,but otherwise had normal speech. He always had horrible time organizing his writing (as well as his thought processes) and that started to work itself out in high school. By junior year he had joined the debate team - something I NEVER saw coming.

I would say his case was mild and only involved speech, but I find it interesting that everything about him was disorganized. it was like some connections weren't there. As a teacher I suspected a tie between his speech and his academics, specifically in writing and anything that required organization. As he matured, all aspects of that seemed to change, with large parts if it coming together after puberty.

For us the issue is totally in the past. He did well in college and is now a working adult. Other anecdotal info is that we swear there was huge improvement when he started band in 5th grade. Something about that process changed things.

I know my experience is outdated and there's probably a lot more knowledge of this diagnosis now, but hopefully my experience gives some hope that what seems huge now might not be forever.

 

[ZZBane]

I'm on the far end of this. My now 24 yr old had apraxia of speech, with no other diagnoses. He started speech therapy at 2 1/2 and started doing some talking by around 4. By junior high he was still a little mumbly,but otherwise had normal speech. He always had horrible time organizing his writing (as well as his thought processes) and that started to work itself out in high school. By junior year he had joined the debate team - something I NEVER saw coming.

I would say his case was mild and only involved speech, but I find it interesting that everything about him was disorganized. it was like some connections weren't there. As a teacher I suspected a tie between his speech and his academics, specifically in writing and anything that required organization. As he matured, all aspects of that seemed to change, with large parts if it coming together after puberty.

For us the issue is totally in the past. He did well in college and is now a working adult. Other anecdotal info is that we swear there was huge improvement when he started band in 5th grade. Something about that process changed things.

I know my experience is outdated and there's probably a lot more knowledge of this diagnosis now, but hopefully my experience gives some hope that what seems huge now might not be forever.

No no. I GREATLY appreciate your input. Truly. My own mother just keeps saying ‘I never had to deal with any of this when you kids were little’
My mom is supportive to an extent.

it’s nice to hear another point of view, especially one that I have yet to hear. People tell me all the time that their kid was a ‘late talker’ and I know they’re trying to help, but that’s not exactly the same. It’s nice to hear the success stories of the older kids that had/have it. Does it actually go away or does it just get better? Does your son have to consciously think about speaking or is it like it never happened?

I know all kids are different and one won’t be like the other. I do find all of this incredibly interesting and incredibly helpful.

I’ll be looking into PROMPT and apraxia kids as @sha3279 mentioned.

Thank you so much for your reply!

 

[disykat]

When he was little,it was hard work and he would try so hard and only get out "Bsh." Speech therapy helped so much! They pretty much worked on one or two sounds at a time and moved on when mastered. When he mastered a sound he no longer had to think about it at all. He remembers having speech therapy, but has no lingering deficits.

I did speech therapy as a child due to some specific articulation things like a lisp and I still struggle at times. He has no articulation issues or any of the missing or disorganized connections he had.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

OP, have you looked into an Early Start program for him? He may qualify for preschool or at least some home or clinic-based services. When he's closer to 3, you can have him evaluated by your local school district. He may qualify for a special needs preschool program that usually includes speech services. I work in one of these programs in California. We take students on their 3rd birthdays, and some have already received services through Early Start. Our students have varying disabilities, but all have some sort of speech/language issue. We work on speech, communication and the behaviors that often arise from the frustration of not being able to communicate. Our classes are small (usually up to 6 students and three staff members), so the kids get a lots of individualized instruction and attention. Perhaps this is something you'd like to look into to see what is offered in your state.

 

[Jingle]

That’s a relief. The aggression worries me. I know it’s out of frustration, but still. He does like being around other kids, but it’s difficult when they’re doing something that I won’t allow him to do. For the most part he understands what I say, but can’t voice really anything back. Kids don’t always understand why he can’t talk either.

He can shake his head yes and no. He says up, mama, and the most recent is uh oh. He can also sound out almost all the letters of the alphabet.

He’s been more vocal, just no actual words. I know it’ll come and I know it’ll take time, but it’s nice to know that I’m not alone.

thank you for your response and I’m so glad to hear that your grandson made such progress. progress is progress no matter how little or how
Long it took ❤

As the kids got older we have also had good results by explaining his situation to others he wanted to play with so they had a better understanding. Most kids have been really good with him after they understood! We really appreciate the kids who have had empathy and treated him well.

 

[elaine amj]

My son had speech apraxia. He was never formally diagnosed but I started having him regularly evaluated at 18 months and shortly after two, he got free weekly therapy. The toddler years were tough with the communication difficulties, but it got better and by 7 or 8, he was a happy, sunshiny boy with very rare major tantrums. Thankfully he didn't have many problems with friends and never got teased for struggling with words or whatever.

He continued getting therapy in school from 6-7 yrs (reduced to biweekly) until he was deemed improved enough to stop. I did get a private therapist at 5yrs when I pointblank asked his teacher at the end of the school year and she finally told me it would be helpful. I have been upset ever since that she didn't proactively suggest it earlier in the year. I had no idea at the time that apraxia could be a lifelong thing.

His school therapist kinda sucked (I really missed our local free preschool therapy program where the therapists were excellent) and so the private sessions were useful.

He is 16 now and is a great public speaker with a smooth and easy speaking voice. From the time he was 8/9, nobody (other than me) would have guessed he had a speech issue.

It did delay his language skills which affected schoolwork in general. In Grade 3 I got a full psychological exam done (paid via private health insurance) and the findings were non-conclusive. Just some comprehension issues and the psych recommended tutoring. That didn't do much sadly. Although he did work quite a bit harder - I think the assessment scared him a bit lol.

At 16, he was still having odd difficulties so I sent him for yet another psychological exam after someone in the field suggested it. Finally he was diagnosed with mild ADHD and issues with executive functioning. The diagnosis helped more than I expected and we finally know why he can handle certain things well and not others. Turns out the way information and assignments are given out make a big difference. No wonder he does so much better with some teachers than others.

It's been a long road for us but thankfully my son has had a very mild case of it and in general pulls Bs and C's even with no additional support. English continues to be a tough subject (he hovers around C's and D's here *sigh*) but we are continuing to work at it.

With your son, I just want to encourage you that speech therapy WORKS. It doesn't always seem so in the moment, but it really does. But if you don't see regular improvement over a longish period of time, a different therapist might be the answer.

Also, keep an eye on your kid even after the speech issue is solved as there may be other problems he needs support with down the road.

 

[china mom]

Did they not realize that she was behind? Or is it not as prevalent over there?

I was not told that she was behind and none of her paperwork indicated anything. We had about five minutes with one of the orphanage nannies to ask any questions (with the aid of a translator) but I quickly figured out that this was not one of the nannies who regularly cared for her so the meeting was not helpful.

We still use simple signs...but I hate explaining to people that no, he’s not blowing you a kiss, he’s literally saying thank you. I know they don’t know. It’s not their fault, but damn. It just gets old sometimes. People are curious. I get it. They always ask about his glasses too, especially if they know he can’t talk. Sometimes, I just wish I didn’t have to answer any questions. You know?
No one has ever been rude or anything like that, but again, people are just curious.

It took me a while to realize that I didn't need to keep explaining myself or my daughter or our unusual family or anything else. Sometimes, you do need to clarify something but most people are just being nosy and don't need an explanation.

For example, I may explain that my daughter is using signs but is not deaf so that people will talk directly to her but won't go into detail explaining her speech delays.

I have a biological son and an adopted daughter of a different race. Yes, I have gotten questions over the years. If someone is truly interested in what it takes to adopt because that might be their journey, I will take the time to have a conversation but when people are just being nosy, I deflect and don't answer.

Does your daughter have an aid at school or anything? Is the school supportive of things like that? Or any therapy that she needs. My son is a way away from that, but that’s also a worry I have.

My daughter started out needing all the things (OT,PT ST...) and they came to the house until she turned 3. Then I had to fight a little bit to get her services in the county where I worked and her daycare was rather than where we lived but once she got in, she got amazing services. At that time, she was at a special education center.

By the time I moved her back to our home county she received services in school and although she didn't have her own aid, there was an aid in the classroom. She used to get pulled from the classroom for Speech Therapy and reading intervention. Now, she is in middle school and one of her classes is reading intervention.

My schools have been amazing. They are always ready to throw services at her. They are super supportive.

I have a friend one county away who had such a bad experience with her school system that she actually sold her house and moved to my county for her special needs child.

My key pieces of advice are: Get help early and be prepared to be an advocate for your child.

 

[DLgal]

My son has speech apraxia and he is 13 now, diagnosed around 2.5. He still struggles with enunciation and making certain letter sounds properly. He still cannot properly place his tongue and lips to make 's' and 'z.' He tends to speak very quickly now and sometimes people can't understand him. He is also autistic.

For us, the signs helped as well as the PECS for communication. He didn't actually start saying recognizable words until around 4-4.5 years old. He started to babble "ba ba ba" at age 3 and slowly worked up from there.

I will say, he used to have the MOST EPIC MELTDOWNS ever due to frustration/lack of communication that started at age 1.5 and continued until about age 8. As he has gotten better about expressing himself, and sharing his thoughts, they have tapered off considerably. He is a very sweet, kind kid and has never lashed out externally, but man, can he get worked up

My best advice to you is READ TO HIM EVERY DAY, NUMEROUS TIMES A DAY. This is a super important thing to do that will help SO much with learning speech patterns, cadence, rhythm, etc. Do not ever stop doing this. I still read to my teen son.

Also, do as much therapy as you feel is right, but don't overdo it. Let the kid be a kid too, you know? You may not have luck with a daycare/preschool situation until your child is 3 and can be eligible for public school district based special education. Many places won't take a kid with special needs and will kick out kids who have behaviors that are difficult to manage. Being around typical kids also doesn't help as much as you think it might, especially if there are other developmental issues at play. Mine had a hard time in just group speech therapy...he needs a very small, uncrowded environment to learn best. I would contact the state's Early Intervention service and get enrolled which will help provide additional resources at no cost to you, as well as get you ready to transition to district based services at 3. Speech apraxia is a qualifying condition for special education services, and depending on what that looks like in your area, may mean free all day preschool from ages 3-5. Both my kids had that and it was invaluable. We actually never paid anything for any therapies; as it was all covered by the state from 0-3, and then by the school district after that. Our medical insurance never came into play.

 

[amcc]

My son has apraxia and we are in Florida. Look up Early Steps Florida, call them and get an evaluation. That gets you free services through age 3. At age 3, my son entered a pre-K3 class at a public school that was specially for children with speech difficulties. The teacher was a speech pathologist and she made all the difference. Signs were very helpful.
He’s 7 now, still speech delayed. I have had him in private therapy and therapy through his school for years. He has come so far but his speech is still not perfect although he talks a lot.
The Miami Dade public schools provide very good services just make sure that you stay on top of getting them for him. Another thing to know is that if he goes to public school for at least a year but you feel it is not the best for him, the state of Florida has the McKay scholarship that provides money to send him to a private school.
Feel free to continue to ask questions - I learned most things from other parents.

 

[ZZBane]

When he was little,it was hard work and he would try so hard and only get out "Bsh." Speech therapy helped so much! They pretty much worked on one or two sounds at a time and moved on when mastered. When he mastered a sound he no longer had to think about it at all. He remembers having speech therapy, but has no lingering deficits.

I did speech therapy as a child due to some specific articulation things like a lisp and I still struggle at times. He has no articulation issues or any of the missing or disorganized connections he had.

That’s amazing! I’m so happy things worked out so well for him. I do think it’s more than just speech with my son...they say he’s developmentally delayed by almost a year. I agree to a point, but he’s my only kid and I’m not around any other ones. Even the therapist has a hard time telling me if what’s going on with him is ‘normal’ 2 year old behavior or possibly something more. I suppose time will tell

 

[ZZBane]

OP, have you looked into an Early Start program for him? He may qualify for preschool or at least some home or clinic-based services. When he's closer to 3, you can have him evaluated by your local school district. He may qualify for a special needs preschool program that usually includes speech services. I work in one of these programs in California. We take students on their 3rd birthdays, and some have already received services through Early Start. Our students have varying disabilities, but all have some sort of speech/language issue. We work on speech, communication and the behaviors that often arise from the frustration of not being able to communicate. Our classes are small (usually up to 6 students and three staff members), so the kids get a lots of individualized instruction and attention. Perhaps this is something you'd like to look into to see what is offered in your state.

He was actually in Early Start when we lived in Pittsburgh. He had OT, DT, and ST. When I asked his pediatrician down here about the Early Start program, they had no idea what I was talking about. I feel like I’m going to have to do some investigating and see what I need to do to get it down here too. It was super easy in Pittsburgh. I hope it’s the same here. That sounds amazing in California and like something Aiden would benefit greatly from! I hope we have something similar

 

[ZZBane]

My son had speech apraxia. He was never formally diagnosed but I started having him regularly evaluated at 18 months and shortly after two, he got free weekly therapy. The toddler years were tough with the communication difficulties, but it got better and by 7 or 8, he was a happy, sunshiny boy with very rare major tantrums. Thankfully he didn't have many problems with friends and never got teased for struggling with words or whatever.

He continued getting therapy in school from 6-7 yrs (reduced to biweekly) until he was deemed improved enough to stop. I did get a private therapist at 5yrs when I pointblank asked his teacher at the end of the school year and she finally told me it would be helpful. I have been upset ever since that she didn't proactively suggest it earlier in the year. I had no idea at the time that apraxia could be a lifelong thing.

His school therapist kinda sucked (I really missed our local free preschool therapy program where the therapists were excellent) and so the private sessions were useful.

He is 16 now and is a great public speaker with a smooth and easy speaking voice. From the time he was 8/9, nobody (other than me) would have guessed he had a speech issue.

It did delay his language skills which affected schoolwork in general. In Grade 3 I got a full psychological exam done (paid via private health insurance) and the findings were non-conclusive. Just some comprehension issues and the psych recommended tutoring. That didn't do much sadly. Although he did work quite a bit harder - I think the assessment scared him a bit lol.

At 16, he was still having odd difficulties so I sent him for yet another psychological exam after someone in the field suggested it. Finally he was diagnosed with mild ADHD and issues with executive functioning. The diagnosis helped more than I expected and we finally know why he can handle certain things well and not others. Turns out the way information and assignments are given out make a big difference. No wonder he does so much better with some teachers than others.

It's been a long road for us but thankfully my son has had a very mild case of it and in general pulls Bs and C's even with no additional support. English continues to be a tough subject (he hovers around C's and D's here *sigh*) but we are continuing to work at it.

With your son, I just want to encourage you that speech therapy WORKS. It doesn't always seem so in the moment, but it really does. But if you don't see regular improvement over a longish period of time, a different therapist might be the answer.

Also, keep an eye on your kid even after the speech issue is solved as there may be other problems he needs support with down the road.

It’s weird...it’s like I had the PERFECT kid and then he turned 2. It was truly overnight that there was a huge shift in his personality and tantrums. I even took him to the dr and was like “this is not my kid”
I get that there’s a thing called terrible 2s, but is it made worse by not being able to voice what exactly your angry about? Idk.

I’m so glad to hear that even though it was tough, it worked out for your son. I do think mine will have ADD or ADHD. I have ADD and so does my mom. My brother has ADHD. I think his donor has it too, but was never diagnosed when I was with him.

 

[amcc]

He was actually in Early Start when we lived in Pittsburgh. He had OT, DT, and ST. When I asked his pediatrician down here about the Early Start program, they had no idea what I was talking about. I feel like I’m going to have to do some investigating and see what I need to do to get it down here too. It was super easy in Pittsburgh. I hope it’s the same here. That sounds amazing in California and like something Aiden would benefit greatly from! I hope we have something similar

Here is the website for the Florida Early Steps program. It’s the best way to start getting the services available to him.
http://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/childrens-health/early-steps/index.html