Re: Deflated in California

[Guest guest]

The fact that you are out searching for help shows what a loving mom

you are Tricia. We all get worried -that's normal. What will make

you feel better is doing all you can now- which you are doing. I

hope for you that you find out as most (75%) do that your twins

are " just " late talkers. But please know that even if they both have

impairments in speech there is so much hope. Most here historically

have children that end up mainstreamed even if they don't speak

exactly as well as their peers. Also contrary to what I thought -a

speech impairment does not mean your child will not have friends/will

be teased. Some will be -but there are strategies to prevent and

overcome this. Most important is keep your children's self esteem

high and keep doing what you are doing -searching for ways to help

them! Here are archives which may help more:

Re: Should I do more now, with my 19 month old?

Hi and welcome!

Since you have already read The Late Talker I know you have much of

the basics such as speech milestones and types of therapies etc.

Here's an article

Here's an article I wrote for Contemporary Pediatrics on things we

can do at home to stimulate speech:

My parent guide still works (for free)

http://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/contpeds/data/articlestandard/contpeds/492\

004/136315/article.pdf

Remember the odds are in your favor that your child is 'just' a late

talker in that 75% of late talkers are just that.

but most " late talkers " with simple delays don't have DSI.

Below is an archive on more:

Re: At what age can Apraxia be diagnosed?

Hi !

If apraxia is suspected -a visit to a neurodevelopmental medical

doctor (pediatric neurologist or neuro developmental pediatrician)

is recommended.

It's true that a solid diagnosis of apraxia prior to 2 is not likely -

but oral apraxia can be diagnosed possibly before 18 months -and a

good neuroMD will be able to look for or rule out signs that what you

are seeing is or is not just a simple delay in speech. If apraxia is

suspected -it's possible the diagnosis will be " suspected apraxia "

and then therapy can begin that is appropriate for apraxia just in

case. If it ends up your child is just a late talker -the therapy is

benign/won't hurt your child. May help stimulate speech even!

Your feelings are so normal -but know that there is so much hope.

You don't have to know or do everything at once. Read The Late

Talker and read the following archives and read the rest of the

answers here (not all tonight) It's clear that you are a parent that

is out there seeking help -which tells me that your child's

fortunate! One of the lucky ones. Most of the children in this

group if you check the archives are mainstreamed in school -and many

do well in school and have lots of friends. It's not as bad as it

was -after all there are so many speech impaired children today -you

are not alone!

Below are two archives for new members with young late talkers

Re: 19 month old not talking

Hi all!

Just want to jump in and remind everyone that even with the rise in

children with speech impairments, 75% of late talkers are just that -

children that talk late. And that's with or without therapy. Thing

is that speech therapy is benign even if not needed, and may in fact

provide stimulation to encourage the speech to come in sooner even

with a simple delay.

I'm also posting because there is a large group here of parents and

professionals who were faced with children that they 'thought' was

just a late talker, or 'just' ____. What we all want isn't the

assurance from friends, relatives and even our spouse...we need to

know from a professional who is skilled at knowing the difference

between all the various reasons why your child may not talk yet at

all or as much as you'd like.

Below is an archive which clearly lets everyone know that I too

thought Tanner was " just " a late talker, and then thought he " just "

had apraxia. OK -so he had a few other things going on. Today

Tanner is a cool little 9 year old boy who continues to amaze not

just me -but those that work with him.

Again I had two " late talkers " both my boys, Dakota and Tanner. For

those say " just give him time " that are right most of the time -

since 75% of the children are just late talkers -they would have

been wrong with 50% of my children (Tanner)

We all heard about late talkers with simple delays....just like

We all know about colds with sniffles....

We all know about scrapes that need a band aid.

We don't join a grouplist to learn about colds and scrapes.

This group isn't just for apraxia -but apraxia is a condition we

need to

talk about more since there's no information just about anywhere

else and it appears to be on the rise.

At least know the warning signs and if needed, learn how to help.

Knowledge is power, and in this case, comforting.

(there is so much hope no matter what!)

Below is an archive on more:

From: " kiddietalk " <kiddietalk@...>

Date: Mon Jul 26, 2004 10:08 pm

Subject: Re: question on receptive communication delays/pure

apraxia?

Hi Gail and welcome!

Based on what you wrote it would be hard to say if your daughter has

apraxia. What are the 5 to 10 words she can say? Believe me, as one

who has been there and done that I look back now at what I

considered " words " when Tanner was three. " Ma ma mommy " was a three

word sentence to me of " Where is Mommy? " And when Tanner " learned "

my sister 's name, Aunt , we were all excited to hear him

call her " Doo doo " (we all laugh at that one today -even Tanner)

You guys that read The Late Talker have my Tanner dictionary that I

gave to the school in there, so you know what I mean!

So, how clear and how complex are the words? Does she say them

consistently the same way each time? How quick did she learn the

word? Did she ever say a word and then 'lose' it, where she

couldn't say it again? Can she imitate various sounds? Different

from needing encouragement -apraxic children want to be able to

repeat -they just can't -it's part of the disorder in that at times

the more they want to say it the more it eludes them. This is why

some will say words while you are playing chase, or while you are

pushing them on a swing -while they are not thinking about it.

Apraxia creates of problem of doing the activity 'on demand' Once a

word like " ma " is in an apraxic child's 'motor memory' they tend to

say it the same each time. It's how they learned those words, and

how complex they are.

You did give one sign of apraxia. The child's receptive ability

being ahead of the expressive ability is just one of the signs of

apraxia. Apraxia is simply a motor planning disorder. In itself

apraxia is not a cognitive or psychological behavior, even though it

can co exist with many disorders. Can a gymnast have apraxia?

Sure. Depending on what type of apraxia a child has, it may or may

not affect the child's motor abilities in movement of the body

outside of speech at all. It's wonderful that your daughter is

excelling at gymnastics because it brings her something to take

pride in that doesn't demand verbal abilities. Other children with

apraxia may enjoy karate, swimming, dance, cooking, art, etc.

I too thought Tanner was 'just' a late talker as you will read

below. We, like most, didn't notice his warning signs that were

there long before the neuroMDs and therapists spotted them. After

all, Tanner passed all his developmental milestones on time or

early. Because most apraxic children have normal receptive ability -

they are aware of what is expected of them and will push themselves

to keep up. This is why most that don't receive early intervention

will have " other symptoms " that pop up down the road when more is

expected of the child and they can't keep up.

http://www.cherab.org/information/speechlanguage/parentfriendlysoftsig

ns.html

Most children with apraxia today present with a delay in speech,

normal to above average receptive ability, and one or more

neurological " soft signs " such as hypotonia (low tone -weakness of

the muscle for speech or body), sensory integration dysfunction,

and/or mild

motor planning deficits in the body. Some can be so mild that they

are not obvious to most until the child reaches school age and more

is expected of them. This is the reason for a thorough

neurodevelopmental exam, so that if any signs are present you can

begin early interventions...early. If there are soft signs present

they should also be viewed as warning signs of a possible speech

impairment like apraxia. This is because most of the children today

with " multifaceted " impairments of speech like apraxia do not

have " pure " apraxia. Pure apraxia is possible, just not probable.

Re: New...not sure if I belong here or not

April welcome! There are all kind of people in this group, parents,

professionals. And the mix of children represented are those that

are 'just' late talkers to those with various diagnosis, even rare

genetic ones. I myself have two former " late talkers " Dakota and

Tanner. Both spoke late for different reasons but both did

wonderful due to early interventions. If you read The Late Talker

book I am one of the co-authors of that book. From this group some

come and go and some stick around even after their child is talking

to continue to learn and help others like you and your child! I

hope all welcome you with support and advice!

Re: What are warning signs of speech delay in 15 month old?

Hi Shilo!

There are a number of warning signs of a disorder vs. a delay of

speech. We have so many covered in The Late Talker book that I

couldn't sum them all up here -so here is just a quick one page

handout from the CHERAB website below. Thing is -they are all just

warnings -and if you notice warning signs then acting early is a

good thing. Contacting EI for an evaluation won't hurt if not

needed -and could help big time if needed. Since you have another

child with apraxia however -you do want to consider taking the late

talking serious as a precaution just in case.

The good news is that since you have an older child with apraxia you

do know many of the warning signs for down the road even though you

may not have been aware of the early signs of apraxia. (please

don't call it childhood apraxia of speech which is what CAS stands

for -it's a cool name for a 3 or 5 year old child -but you are

pushing it using the name even with a 7 year old like my son Tanner

http://www.cherab.org/information/familiesrelate/letter.html -and

forget it by the time they are 9...and insult for anyone in the

tweenie years -10-12, and not at all appropriate for those in their

teens...so just call it what it is -apraxia -or you end up with kids

that grew up like

Khalid http://www.cherab.org/information/familiesrelate/success.html

and http://www.cherab.org/news/.html and they are

stuck saying that they as teens and adults have " developmental "

or " childhood " apraxia of speech. If your child has apraxia you

know right now there is not cure -so it's a lame and mean thing to

call it something that makes it sound like our kids are mentally

retarded to childhood age in some way. OK I'm off on a tangent -

smak to me!)

Is Your Child A Late Talker?

· Are they quiet? · Seem shy? · Not talking like their peers?

· Allow you or siblings to speak for them? · Do you wonder why?

Your baby's babbling and toddlers first words can be music to your

ears. When faced with a child who doesn't speak or seems to have

difficulty with words parents are often told that their child

is " just a late-talker. " Unfortunately, all too often, that is not

the case. The American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA)

estimates that 16 million Americans under the age of eighteen have a

chronic speech-language disorder and that some 45 million Americans

are affected by communication disorders of one kind or another which

was announded by Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy during the kick-off

of the Better Hearing and Speech Month Health Fair in Washington, DC

on May 8, 2002 .

Most parents, and even most pediatricians, are not concerned when

faced with a two-year-old who passes all of his developmental

milestones on time - except speech and language. However, they

should be. It is vitally important to identify and treat speech and

language challenges as early as possible in a child's life, with a

strong emphasis on the early intervention years of birth to three.

At this age the brain is undergoing the most rapid development. No

harm will come from therapeutic services. " Early intervention

services are benign in their delivery but can be extremely

beneficial. Don't wait. Six months for a 2 year old is equivalent to

a quarter of their lifetime developmentally " as Dr. Judy Flax says,

who is a Research Coordinator of the Tallal Lab and a Senior

Research Speech Pathologist for the Infancy Studies Laboratory at

the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience (CMBN) of

Rutgers University, Newark, NJ

To find out about your nearest Early Intervention program you should

call your local school district, they will be able to refer you to

the program appropriate for your child's age. Waiting to refer is a

loss of precious time that may impact on the child's learning

ability and social-emotional well being in later years.

Pediatricians and parents should insist on a speech and hearing

evaluation as soon as there is a real concern about a child's early

language development. Early referral is endorsed by the American

Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Neurology. In

addition, " any child with a severe speech/language delay should have

a comprehensive health and neurologic assessment to look for medical

conditions that may be causing or contributing to the delay " as

Dr.Marilyn Agin says, a developmental pediatrician who is the

Medical Director for Early Intervention for NYC.

CHERAB is a non-profit foundation that focuses on raising awareness

of Apraxia and other speech and language delays, and the importance

of early intervention. Working with developmental pediatricians,

speech pathologists, neuroscientists and major hospitals the CHERAB

Foundation is working towards research on therapies which may help

late talkers with Apraxia, Dysarthria, delayed language development,

Autism and other speech and language impairments. A list-serv

overseen by pediatricians, speech-language pathologists, and

educational consultants is run by CHERAB and can be found at their

web-site. Through the list you can connect to many other parents who

have children who have speech or language delays, and find out what

they have been able to do to help their child.

Some speech disorders can overlap, or be misdiagnosed. For

example, " Verbal apraxia, a disorder of central nervous system (CNS)

processing, and dysarthria, a disorder of output, are commonly

confused " , says Dr. , chief of child development at the

Chicago College of Medicine. " Experts are able to differentiate

between these two disorders by listening carefully to a child's

speech and by identifying certain physical clues " , says Dr. ,

but adds, " These disorders are poorly understood by physicians and

by a lot of speech therapists as well. " It is possible for

phonological disorders, apraxia and dysarthria to all occur together

in the same child. Speech Language Impairments, which is connected

to language based learning difficulties may also be present. And the

severity of each may vary.

Apraxia is perhaps the most misunderstood of all the speech

disorders. So, what is apraxia? Verbal Apraxia is a neurological

motor speech impairment that involves a breakdown in the

transmission of messages from the brain to the muscles in the jaw,

cheeks, lips, tongue and palate that facilitate speech. There is no

obvious weakness in these muscles and the child may well be able to

move them quite happily when not trying to speak. Apraxic children,

who are usually seen as " just late talkers " when young, are able to

comprehend language at an age appropriate level, however have

difficulty expressing themselves using speech. With apraxia, a child

knows what he wants to say but there is a road block obstructing the

signal from the brain to the mouth. For any child with a speech

disorder, but especially with apraxia, the earlier therapy is begun,

the better the results for your child and their social-emotional

development.

Your Child's Language Development

So how do you know when your child is having problems with speaking?

When is a good time to seek out help? Being aware of average speech

milestones can also help you decide whether or not to speak to your

doctor. Some guidelines are provided here for your information, but

if you have concerns about your child's speech or language

development, or any other developmental issue, make an appointment

with your pediatrician so you can discuss these issues. While the

average milestones are a good way to measure development, every

child develops at their own pace, and this overview should not be

used to diagnose a specific problem.

Normal Language Milestones - Clues of a Possible Problem

Typically seen in first 6 months

· Responds to name by looking for voice · Can regularly find speaker

or source of sound · Cooing, gurgling, chuckling, laughing ·Imitates

sounds and actions · Enjoys social games (peek-a-boo, pat-a-cake) ·

Babbling (bababa, mamama)

Cause for concern in first 6 months

· Cannot focus, easily over-stimulated · Seems unaware of sound,

Cannot find source of sound · Seems unaware of people and objects in

environment · Does not seem to understand or enjoy imitating · Lack

of connection (eye contact, vocal turn-taking)

· No babbling, or babbling with few consonants

Typically seen in first 9-12 months

· Attracts attention by vocalizing · Waves bye · Vocalizations that

sound like first words (mama,dada) · Clearly indicates desire for

objects · Imitates new sounds and actions

Cause for concern in first 9-12 months

· Easily upset by sounds that would not upset others · Lack of

response indicating comprehension of words · Lack of consistent

patterns of babbling · Does not clearly indicate desire for objects

Typically seen in first 12-18 months

· Single word production begins · Requests objects: points,

vocalizes, word approximations · Gets attention vocally or

physically (mommy) · Knows adult can do things for them (wind up a

toy) · Uses " ritual " words (bye, hi, please, thank-you)

Protests: Says no, shakes head, moves away etc) · Comments: Points

and vocalizes or uses word approximations) · Acknowledges: Eye

contact, vocal response, repetition of word

Cause for concern in first 12-18 months

· Lack of communicative gestures · Does not attempt to imitate or

produce single words

· Does not persist in communication (may hold hand up for help, but

gives up if adult does not respond immediately) · Limited

comprehension (understands less than 50 words) · Limited vocabulary

(speaks less than 10 words) · Lack of new words between the age of

12-18 months

Typically seen in first 18-24 months

· Uses mostly words to communicate · Begins to use two word

combinations (more cookie etc) · By 24 months has more than 50

words, or word approximations

Cause for concern in first 18-24 months

· Relies on gestures to communicate · Limited vocabulary (speaks

less than 50 words)

· Does not use any two word combinations · Limited consonant

production · Mostly unintelligible speech · Regresses in language

development: Stops talking, repeats phrases inappropriately

Typically seen in first 24-36 months

· Engages in short dialogues · Expresses emotions · Begins using

language in imaginative ways · Begins providing descriptive details

when speaking · Begins to use articles and word endings (a, the,

ing,) uses plurals (cats)

Cause for concern in first 24-36 months

· Words limited to single syllable and no final consonants · Few or

no multiword utterances · Does not demand a response from a listener

· Asks no questions · Speech difficult to understand · Tantrums when

frustrated · Echoing of speech without communicative intent

Adapted from Clinical Practice Guidelines Communication Disorders

III 22-25

In addition, the policy statement from the neurology journal

Neurology, (August, 2000), states that Absolute Indications for

Immediate Evaluation include,

· No babbling or pointing or other gestures by twelve months · No

single words by sixteen months · No two-word spontaneous phrases by

twenty-four months · Any loss of any language or social skills at

any age.

Oral-Motor Problems

Early feeding problems could be a sign of later speech challenges.

The same muscles that are used for eating are used for speaking. A

baby that has trouble nursing could be a early sign that the baby

has muscle weakness in the oral motor area for example. If oral-

motor difficulties are present your child should have an evaluation

by a pediatric medical and oral motor speech expert to determine the

cause and best therapy to possibly prevent some future speech

problems. A few possible signs of oral-motor problems are outlined

next.

Does your child have difficulties with any of the following?

· Blowing (unable to blow out birthday candles, or blow bubbles by

one year) · Kissing or making a kiss face · Licking his lips ·

Imitating facial expressions such as smiling · Chewing or

transitioning to solid foods · Excessive drooling

When trying to speak does your child?

· Display groping behaviors, searching for proper mouth position,

silent posturing, dysfluencies · Show expressive language

disturbances: limited vocabulary, grammatical

errors, disordered syntax · Make up sign language, or show

frustrations when not understood?

It is important to note that some children have no difficulty with

oral-motor movements, and may also pronounce speech clearly, but

still may have difficulty learning language. There are many

different types of speech and language problems, which together

represent the number one learning disabiltiy in schools today. That

is why again it is important to seek an assessment if a child is not

attaining the language milestones at the expected age. Early

intervention is key to your child's development. If you have any

concerns about your child's speech or language development be sure

to express them to your child's doctor. If you want to find out more

about early speech and language development and CHERAB's efforts to

help children with speech and language delays you can contact the

group or visit the web-site at:

CHERAB Foundation, Inc., Communication Help, Education, Research,

Apraxia Base

Web: http://www.cherab.org

Grouplist:

PO Box 8524

PSL, Florida 34952

772-335-5135

Speechville

Web: http://www.speechville.com

To find a Speech Language Pathologist near you:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

10801 Rockville Pike

Rockville, MD 20852

Phone: 1-900-638-8255

301-897-8682 (Voice or TTY)

Web: www.asha.org

Acknowledgements:

Marilyn Agin MD

Medical Director NYC Early Intervention, Advisor CHERAB Foundation

[Guest guest]

I cant tell you that I know a whole lot since we're new to the

diagnosis ourselves, but I wanted to share that my sister has 22

month old twin girls who are also not talking. She has said the

same thing - she hears a lot of multiples have their own language

and dont start talking until much later than most " normal " kids.

That said, it's certainly wise to look into it now rather than

assume it's just a " twin thing " - something I cant seem to get my

sister to consider. Good luck!

Darin

>

> Hello----My name is Tricia--I have 21 month old fraternal boy twins

> who havent said a word yet--Lots of " talking " --but no words. We

have

> been to EI, and to see a ST for an hour for a eval---When I got her

> report , at the end, I saw the " A " word---not Autism the other " A "

> word Apraxia. I read The LAte Talker a few months ago after

starting

> to be concerned--and I remember thinking " God, Please let it NOT be

> that " ! And then I saw that report--that they would need to rule

out

> Apraxia and Oral motor. We are currently close to starting ST---

but I

> am so torn-------I belong to a support group for moms with

multiples

> where I live and I got so many emails that all these twins in the

> group didnt start talking until 2.5 or 3 years old and not to

> worry---but I cant think of anything else--It keeps me up at

night.

> My day is aleady so hard, I shiver with the thought of them BOTH

> having this problem---how will I manage when I can barely take

them to

> the park by myself. No kids in our families had any speech delays

> ever----what did I do wrong? I am just DYING to hear " mommy " ---I

> cried so hard on Mothers Day, because they couldnt say it. I think

> there were 2 things that red flagged them during the eval---the

> drooling while concentrating on a task and the huge gap between

their

> recepting and expressive---but all the other mommies from my group

> said their twins also understood, but just didnt talk. Are there

kids

> that just " talk late " and are fine? Im so, so confused-----Thanks

for

> listening

>

[Guest guest]

Regarding the multiples thing and other moms telling you to

wait...don't. Aside from all the great points made late talking,

be it apraxia or something else, is best addressed as early as you can.

I have a Godson who is a twin. Both he and his brother were very

different growing up and each had different delays. Now both have

reading issues in 4th grade and may even have some other stuff that if

caught earlier could have been helped more. You caught this early,

whatever it is can be addressed well. Be proud as you are on the case.

If I had a nickel for every eyeroll at me in the past year I'd be rich

but my son is better off for it. I may have said things differently

along the way but I would not reverse one decision to check anything

out. Even in the cases where I was wrong I learned what we were not

dealing with and that was valuable. Whatever this is you and your

children can do it. Hang tough!

[Guest guest]

yes-- there are TONS of kids who are simply " late talkers " who turn out just

fine! If I'm not mistaken, Twins and multiples (must mostly twins) have a

higher rate of being late talkers because they have their own little language

thing going on. Most of them are able to communicate with EACHOTHER, and that's

enough for them until they are quite a bit older. This is very common among

twins-- and you shouldn't get TOO worried about it at this point where it's

keeping you up at night. Worrying about it will do nothing more than sap you

of all energy and ability to fight an issue.

Rather than worry-- educate yourself as to things you CAN be doing to help

what issues you see right now.

With drooling at this age-- that implies weak oral motor skills, which, if

they haven't been talking, is something they would most likely have. There

are things that you can do to improve this. Get rid of ALL sippie cups that

don't use thinner straws. Toss them in the garbage without a second glance.

Invest in a few cups with STRAWS and get the kids using straws. This helps

with the muscles strength around the mouth.

Get them playing little tongue games with food around their lips-- peanut

butter, jelly, or other sticky things that taste good are a good starter. Put

the food at the corners of their mouths and have a contest to see who can lick

it up faster. This will work well with twins due to the natural competition

thing they have going on.

Get them blowing bubbles as often as you can. That's a simple and FUN way to

get in some oral motor exercises. Get two of those SPILL PROOF containers--

save yourself the frustration and just go to Toys R Us and buy two of the

large ones and let them go outside and blow blow blow. Anything to get that

little pucker lip movement going.

also-- they have harmonicas and kazoos that help aid in oral motor skills.

There is so much you can do to start improving it-- so don't worry-- ACT on

it and FIGHT it before it becomes a larger problem later on.

Becky

In a message dated 5/15/2008 9:41:04 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

triciarnny@... writes:

Hello----My name is Tricia--I have 21 month old fraternal boy twins

who havent said a word yet--Lots of " talking " --but no words. We have

been to EI, and to see a ST for an hour for a eval---When I got her

report , at the end, I saw the " A " word---not Autism the other " A "

word Apraxia. I read The LAte Talker a few months ago after starting

to be concerned--and I remember thinking " God, Please let it NOT be

that " ! And then I saw that report--that they would need to rule out

Apraxia and Oral motor. We are currently close to starting ST---but I

am so torn-------I belong to a support group for moms with multiples

where I live and I got so many emails that all these twins in the

group didnt start talking until 2.5 or 3 years old and not to

worry---but I cant think of anything else--It keeps me up at night.

My day is aleady so hard, I shiver with the thought of them BOTH

having this problem---how will I manage when I can barely take them to

the park by myself. No kids in our families had any speech delays

ever----what did I do wrong? I am just DYING to hear " mommy " ---I

cried so hard on Mothers Day, because they couldnt say it. I think

there were 2 things that red flagged them during the eval---the

drooling while concentrating on a task and the huge gap between their

recepting and expressive--recepting and expressive--<WBR>-but all the

said their twins also understood, but just didnt talk. Are there kids

that just " talk late " and are fine? Im so, so confused----that just "

listening

**************Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on family

favorites at AOL Food.

(http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001)

[Guest guest]

Hi Tracie,

I live in California, too. I'm in Sacramento. Where are you? If you're local,

we probably have mutual friends.

My advice to you would be to go with your instincts, and follow the advice of

EI. If they are seeing signs of apraxia, than that's significant. But try not

to overburden yourself with worry.....early intervention is key. There's a

group called PAI. It's a nonprofit group based in California, and they have an

office in Sac. Anyway, they can help you if the going gets rough when

requesting services. They know the law, and they are incredibly helpful. Just a

little information for that " what if " situation...... " what if my kids can't get

the services they need, etc..... " kind of stuff.

My son began services at 24 months, and now he's doing quite well. People would

never guess that he has apraxia. We do ST 3 times per week, OT once a week, and

we're getting ready to start small group speech therapy once a week. I know

this is a lot of moving around for us, but we would have been doing tons of

mommy and me classes anyway.....if he'd not had apraxia. It is hard sometimes,

but I see tons of growth.

The fish oil made a significant impact on his speech development. If you

haven't tried it, look into for your kids. I also had my son tested for food

allergies, and eliminated the offending food. THis was significant, too.

Just take it one step at a time.

@...: triciarnny@...: Thu, 15

May 2008 05:00:44 +0000Subject: [ ] Deflated in California

Hello----My name is Tricia--I have 21 month old fraternal boy twinswho havent

said a word yet--Lots of " talking " --but no words. We havebeen to EI, and to see

a ST for an hour for a eval---When I got herreport , at the end, I saw the " A "

word---not Autism the other " A " word Apraxia. I read The LAte Talker a few months

ago after startingto be concerned--and I remember thinking " God, Please let it

NOT bethat " ! And then I saw that report--that they would need to rule outApraxia

and Oral motor. We are currently close to starting ST---but Iam so torn-------I

belong to a support group for moms with multipleswhere I live and I got so many

emails that all these twins in thegroup didnt start talking until 2.5 or 3 years

old and not toworry---but I cant think of anything else--It keeps me up at

night. My day is aleady so hard, I shiver with the thought of them BOTHhaving

this problem---how will I manage when I can barely take them tothe park by

myself. No kids in our families had any speech delaysever----what did I do

wrong? I am just DYING to hear " mommy " ---Icried so hard on Mothers Day, because

they couldnt say it. I thinkthere were 2 things that red flagged them during the

eval---thedrooling while concentrating on a task and the huge gap between

theirrecepting and expressive---but all the other mommies from my groupsaid

their twins also understood, but just didnt talk. Are there kidsthat just " talk

late " and are fine? Im so, so confused-----Thanks forlistening

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The just a late talker thing though, multiples or not, at 21 months

with no actual words, that would concern me. I waited to get EI

services until 21 months listening to all that " he's a boy, don't

expect him to be like your daughter, he's just late " stuff so maybe I

am not completely objective. We had drooling, etc. and the cup thing

did not change that though it was a good strengthener. Every story is

different and it is great that these boys have sounds if not words

but I think doing what you can, apraxia or not, at this time is

critical. Recall, 50 words by age 2 is the expectation. That #, when

my son had 12, was what thrust us inro action and it served our son

well.

>

> yes-- there are TONS of kids who are simply " late talkers " who

turn out just

> fine! If I'm not mistaken, Twins and multiples (must mostly twins)

have a

> higher rate of being late talkers because they have their own

little language

> thing going on. Most of them are able to communicate with

EACHOTHER, and that's

> enough for them until they are quite a bit older. This is very

common among

> twins-- and you shouldn't get TOO worried about it at this point

where it's

> keeping you up at night. Worrying about it will do nothing more

than sap you

> of all energy and ability to fight an issue.

>

> Rather than worry-- educate yourself as to things you CAN be doing

to help

> what issues you see right now.

> With drooling at this age-- that implies weak oral motor skills,

which, if

> they haven't been talking, is something they would most likely

have. There

> are things that you can do to improve this. Get rid of ALL sippie

cups that

> don't use thinner straws. Toss them in the garbage without a

second glance.

> Invest in a few cups with STRAWS and get the kids using straws.

This helps

> with the muscles strength around the mouth.

>

> Get them playing little tongue games with food around their lips--

peanut

> butter, jelly, or other sticky things that taste good are a good

starter. Put

> the food at the corners of their mouths and have a contest to see

who can lick

> it up faster. This will work well with twins due to the natural

competition

> thing they have going on.

> Get them blowing bubbles as often as you can. That's a simple and

FUN way to

> get in some oral motor exercises. Get two of those SPILL PROOF

containers--

> save yourself the frustration and just go to Toys R Us and buy two

of the

> large ones and let them go outside and blow blow blow. Anything to

get that

> little pucker lip movement going.

>

> also-- they have harmonicas and kazoos that help aid in oral motor

skills.

> There is so much you can do to start improving it-- so don't worry-

- ACT on

> it and FIGHT it before it becomes a larger problem later on.

>

>

> Becky

>

>

> In a message dated 5/15/2008 9:41:04 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

> triciarnny@... writes:

>

>

>

>

> Hello----My name is Tricia--I have 21 month old fraternal boy twins

> who havent said a word yet--Lots of " talking " --but no words. We

have

> been to EI, and to see a ST for an hour for a eval---When I got her

> report , at the end, I saw the " A " word---not Autism the other " A "

> word Apraxia. I read The LAte Talker a few months ago after

starting

> to be concerned--and I remember thinking " God, Please let it NOT be

> that " ! And then I saw that report--that they would need to rule out

> Apraxia and Oral motor. We are currently close to starting ST---

but I

> am so torn-------I belong to a support group for moms with

multiples

> where I live and I got so many emails that all these twins in the

> group didnt start talking until 2.5 or 3 years old and not to

> worry---but I cant think of anything else--It keeps me up at

night.

> My day is aleady so hard, I shiver with the thought of them BOTH

> having this problem---how will I manage when I can barely take

them to

> the park by myself. No kids in our families had any speech delays

> ever----what did I do wrong? I am just DYING to hear " mommy " ---I

> cried so hard on Mothers Day, because they couldnt say it. I think

> there were 2 things that red flagged them during the eval---the

> drooling while concentrating on a task and the huge gap between

their

> recepting and expressive--recepting and expressive--<WBR>-but all

the

> said their twins also understood, but just didnt talk. Are there

kids

> that just " talk late " and are fine? Im so, so confused----that

just "

> listening

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

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>

>