Re: Night Terrors and Apraxia?

April 9, 2009

Funny you mention this, as my 2 year-old who mimics older brother's apraxia),

has been waking up in the wee morninghours (around 3 am or so and screams out

(sounds like nightmares).

I have a possible cause, but it is not apraxia related, that I know of.

The cause be related to thyroid issues, specifically hypothyroidism.

Does anyone els have thyroid issues in your family? (I know there are many in my

family, and so, I am taking him to an endocrinologist for also growth issues and

previous elevated TSH.)

>

> I've been reading this book called " The Parent's Guide to Speech and Language

Problems " by Debbie Feit. The author's own children have apraxia. I've found it

the most informative book out there on the subject. That said, the author

mentions that her son had a severe case and needed therapy daily. She also

mentions that he would wake up screaming in the middle of the night. It's not

mentioned again after thatl

>

> My son is 31 months old and thankfully has a much more mild case. However, for

as long as I can remember he would wake up screaming and hysterical in the

middle of the night as if having a night terror. Doctors thought he was sick to

his stomach and that was the problem: He was treated successfully for GERD,

which he has since grown out of. However he still has the problem. Melatonin at

night helps, but my ex-husband won't administer it on his weekends and sleeps

through the screams. I would love to know the cause of the problem so I can help

him work past it without medication.

>

> Has anyone else heard that a problem like this is tied to apraxia?

>

April 9, 2009

My 20month old has low thyroid. Hypothyroid. He wakes 4 or more times at night

to drink a bottle of (rice milk diluted) milk...wonder if he is having

nightmares or such...or just used to the bottle..or is hypogycemic from being

hypothyroid...all a mystery to me.

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

-

April 20, 2009

I hate to bring this thought up as many people don't want to " go there " in

their thinking--

but have you considered doing a Hair Test on your child to see if there are

any toxic metals in her system?

Almost always-- with a child dealing with things like endocrine failure (as

my son with his Juv Diabetes) , or thyroid issues or auto-immune issues--

there's always a REASON for it.

Unfortunately, one of the main reasons for these system failures is Metal

Toxicity. Then there are sometimes other things going on where Mitochondria

might be an issue etc.

and of course then there's always allergies to certain foods (primarily

wheat, casein, and dairy)

So personally speaking-- with a child and thyroid issues, I would run a

hair test to see what's going on with metals in their system (you'd be VERY

surprised as to what things sneak into our kids through environmental and

dietary things) I would also consult a Geneticist to see what else is going

on--

in addition to seeing a sleep specialist for Sleep Apnea

hope this helps

bek

In a message dated 4/20/2009 11:23:57 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

fab4jc@... writes:

This will sound naive....but thyroid problems so young? My daughter

(apraxic) also wakes up screaming periodocally, and we have fam history of

thyroid problems (her maternal great grandmom and grandma).

she also has frequently very soft bowel movements. these seemingly

unrelated things are what tempt me to take her to an alternative doc.

i'm looking into adenoid issues for sleep (x-ray tomorrow) and we'll go

from there (sleep study, if needed), but thanks for mentioning this.......

**************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy

steps!

(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1220572844x1201387506/aol?redir=http:%2\

F%2Fwww.freecreditreport.com%2Fpm%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsc%3D668072%26

hmpgID%3D62%26bcd%3DAprilfooter420NO62)

April 20, 2009

This will sound naive....but thyroid problems so young? My daughter (apraxic)

also wakes up screaming periodocally, and we have fam history of thyroid

problems (her maternal great grandmom and grandma).

she also has frequently very soft bowel movements. these seemingly unrelated

things are what tempt me to take her to an alternative doc.

i'm looking into adenoid issues for sleep (x-ray tomorrow) and we'll go from

there (sleep study, if needed), but thanks for mentioning this.......

________________________________

From: <agirlnamedsuess@...>

Sent: Thursday, April 9, 2009 2:41:30 PM

Subject: [ ] Re: Night Terrors and Apraxia?

Funny you mention this, as my 2 year-old who mimics older brother's apraxia),

has been waking up in the wee morninghours (around 3 am or so and screams out

(sounds like nightmares).

I have a possible cause, but it is not apraxia related, that I know of.

The cause be related to thyroid issues, specifically hypothyroidism.

Does anyone els have thyroid issues in your family? (I know there are many in my

family, and so, I am taking him to an endocrinologist for also growth issues and

previous elevated TSH.)

>

> I've been reading this book called " The Parent's Guide to Speech and Language

Problems " by Debbie Feit. The author's own children have apraxia. I've found it

the most informative book out there on the subject. That said, the author

mentions that her son had a severe case and needed therapy daily. She also

mentions that he would wake up screaming in the middle of the night. It's not

mentioned again after thatl

>

> My son is 31 months old and thankfully has a much more mild case. However, for

as long as I can remember he would wake up screaming and hysterical in the

middle of the night as if having a night terror. Doctors thought he was sick to

his stomach and that was the problem: He was treated successfully for GERD,

which he has since grown out of. However he still has the problem. Melatonin at

night helps, but my ex-husband won't administer it on his weekends and sleeps

through the screams. I would love to know the cause of the problem so I can help

him work past it without medication.

>

> Has anyone else heard that a problem like this is tied to apraxia?

>

April 20, 2009

Yep. There can be a familial tendency. The earlier caught the better.

In , abby janiszewski <fab4jc@...> wrote:

>

> This will sound naive....but thyroid problems so young? My daughter (apraxic)

also wakes up screaming periodocally, and we have fam history of thyroid

problems (her maternal great grandmom and grandma).

> she also has frequently very soft bowel movements. these seemingly unrelated

things are what tempt me to take her to an alternative doc.

> i'm looking into adenoid issues for sleep (x-ray tomorrow) and we'll go from

there (sleep study, if needed), but thanks for mentioning this.......

>

> ________________________________

> From: <agirlnamedsuess@...>

>

> Sent: Thursday, April 9, 2009 2:41:30 PM

> Subject: [ ] Re: Night Terrors and Apraxia?

>

> Funny you mention this, as my 2 year-old who mimics older brother's apraxia),

has been waking up in the wee morninghours (around 3 am or so and screams out

(sounds like nightmares).

> I have a possible cause, but it is not apraxia related, that I know of.

> The cause be related to thyroid issues, specifically hypothyroidism.

> Does anyone els have thyroid issues in your family? (I know there are many in

my family, and so, I am taking him to an endocrinologist for also growth issues

and previous elevated TSH.)

>

> >

> > I've been reading this book called " The Parent's Guide to Speech and

Language Problems " by Debbie Feit. The author's own children have apraxia. I've

found it the most informative book out there on the subject. That said, the

author mentions that her son had a severe case and needed therapy daily. She

also mentions that he would wake up screaming in the middle of the night. It's

not mentioned again after thatl

> >

> > My son is 31 months old and thankfully has a much more mild case. However,

for as long as I can remember he would wake up screaming and hysterical in the

middle of the night as if having a night terror. Doctors thought he was sick to

his stomach and that was the problem: He was treated successfully for GERD,

which he has since grown out of. However he still has the problem. Melatonin at

night helps, but my ex-husband won't administer it on his weekends and sleeps

through the screams. I would love to know the cause of the problem so I can help

him work past it without medication.

> >

> > Has anyone else heard that a problem like this is tied to apraxia?

> >

>

April 20, 2009

Could it be that it is simply just night terrors and nothing else? After all,

night terrors are common in young children. My non-apraxic daughter (but she

does have hypotonia) had them nonstop the entire year she was two and partly

into her third birthday. She would wake up screaming and act like something or

someone was in the room with her. We would just tell her that mommy/daddy was

here and to go back to sleep. Sometimes that worked when I laid down next to her

to calm her down, other times, it would take a long time for her to get out of

that sleep stage. Night terrors are disruptions in the sleep cycle. The sleep

cycle gets stuck between dreaming and waking up..they act like they're awake but

they are really not, hence, anything you say or do doesn't get through to them.

My apraxic daughter, she really didn't have any night terrors, though she does

not sleep through the night. She did have her adenoids removed due to heavy

snoring but still waking up once during the night to find mommy.

I would suggest reading up on night terrors and sleep patterns in young

children, it was very helpful to me to determine what was going on with my child

and better understand what was going on.

HOpe that helps.

Lori

>

> This will sound naive....but thyroid problems so young? My daughter (apraxic)

also wakes up screaming periodocally, and we have fam history of thyroid

problems (her maternal great grandmom and grandma).

> she also has frequently very soft bowel movements. these seemingly unrelated

things are what tempt me to take her to an alternative doc.

> i'm looking into adenoid issues for sleep (x-ray tomorrow) and we'll go from

there (sleep study, if needed), but thanks for mentioning this.......

>

April 20, 2009

I agree with Lori not to jump to extreme diagnosis just because a child has

nightmares or is screaming...even if they are older than 2 years old.

Here's an article for " normal " children on nightmares or terrors: (they do say

that the night terrors are more frightening for the ...ready for this...parent.

~~~~~~~

SLEEP PROBLEMS

Like adults, children have dreams when they are in REM sleep. This occurs 4-5

times each night, and while most dreams aren't remembered, some are frightening

enough to wake the child and make them summon their parents. Nightmares usually

begin when a child is about three years old, they are most common between the

ages of three and eight (when their fantasy life is more active) and they are

most likely to occur later in the night. Unlike night terrors, your child will

be wide awake and responsive after the nightmare and she may be able to recall

the details of the nightmare the next morning.

While an occasional nightmare is normal, an increase in the number of nightmares

can be a response to stress or your child being anxious about something. Other

triggers can be a change in her normal routine, like moving, starting a new

school, or a death in the family. Or the nightmares may be a response to a

violent or scary movie, television show or story.

When your child has an occasional nightmare, you should reassure her that it was

just a dream and isn't real. Give her lots of hugs and be supportive. You may

need to search her room with her to reassure her that their aren't any monsters

or whatever the nightmare was about. It is probably best to wait until the next

morning to really talk about the details of the dream, at which time she should

be calmer. And try to figure out if there was a specific event or stressor that

may have triggered the nightmares. Did she see a television show or movie or

read a story in which this may have occurred? Have you recently moved or had

another big change in your home situation? Is she on any new medications that

may be affecting her sleep?

Tips to decrease nightmares include:

* Decreasing stress in her life.

* Avoid television at least an hour before bedtime.

* Avoid telling her scary bedtime stories.

* Let her sleep with a night light.

* Talk about the nightmare the next day. Suggest that she draw a picture of

the dream to help her talk about it.

While an occasional nightmare is normal, you should seek professional help if

the nightmares are also associated with changes in her daytime personality or

behavior. If she is under a lot of stress or seems very anxious and the

nightmares are increasing, then she may need professional counseling. Otherwise,

with a lot of reassurance, she should outgrow them.

Night terrors are more frightening for parents, but can also be normal. They

usually occur a few hours after your child has gone to sleep, at which time you

may wake up to your child's crying or screaming. When you go to him, he will NOT

be alert and won't recognize you, even though he may seem like he is awake. He

will usually seem like he is terrified and may have a rapid heart beat and rapid

breathing. Night terrors occur as your child moves through different stages of

sleep and they represent a partial awakening. Since your child isn't really

awake, there is nothing that you can do to reassure him. You should see that he

is safe and do not try to wake him up. He will usually settle himself down after

a few minutes.

Sleepwalking is similar to night terrors, in that they represent a partial

awakening. They also occur a few hours after your child goes to sleep. Although

your child may be walking around the house, he is not awake and isn't aware of

what he is doing. It is not necessary to wake a child up that is sleepwalking.

Instead, you should just make sure that he can't hurt himself and maybe return

him to bed. If sleepwalking occurs often and you are worried about your child's

safety, you can try and wake him up yourself, before the time that he typically

wakes up. This treatment can disrupt the cycle and decrease his sleepwalking.

Some children grind or clench their teeth while sleeping. This is called bruxism

and is usually not a concern, unless it is leading to damage of his teeth.

Children with bruxism should be evaluated by a pediatric dentist, who may

recommend a plastic mouth guard to prevent damage.

Also see the article Bedtime Problems for more information and help getting your

child to sleep through the night.

http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/toddler/toddlerproblems/sleepproblems.html

You can also try the Seaside Naturals Go Away Monster Spray or something like

that. (you can get it through Kathy's website which helps her

http://www.ShopToBeHeard.com and it's under Seaside Naturals)

But thyroid problems...that's so out there it's not even listed at

WrongDiagnosis.com

Causes in Children: Night terrors in children

* Normal occurrence (especially between ages of 3-5)

* Possibly inherited trait

* Stressful life event

* Sleep deprivation

* Fever

* Medications

that affect the brain

* Emotional conflict

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/symptoms/night_terrors_in_children/causes.htm

(it's not even under misdiagnosis

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/symptoms/night_terrors_in_children/misdiagnosis.ht\

m )

=====

April 20, 2009

I have three children. All three were/are speech delayed, but only my

middle has apraxia. The oldest was a late talker (resolved

practically overnight around age 4) and the youngest has a severe

artic issue possibly phonological, but I really don't see apraxia at

this time (she had lots of red flags, but the more speech she gets the

less it looks like apraxia.)

My oldest and youngest have had night terrors. Not as bad as some

people I know, but it happened during periods around 2.5 years (my

daughter is having them now 3-4 times a week and sometimes multiple

times) and I have to fully wake the child and in my son's case take

him outside into the cold to " snap " him out of them. They don't seem

to remember the terrors. My middle child, the apraxic one, is the

only one who hasn't had night terrors! Periods of night terrors can

be very common. Not to say don't get it checked out, but I have never

seen anything saying it is related to apraxia.

Miche

April 21, 2009

night terrors are related to diabetes.

**************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy

steps!

(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1221621490x1201450102/aol?redir=http:%2\

F%2Fwww.freecreditreport.com%2Fpm%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsc%3D668072%26

hmpgID%3D62%26bcd%3DAprilfooter421NO62)

April 21, 2009

Hi ! My son has sleeps very lightly, kicks and screams and always has soft bowel

movements. This is thyroid? Ali

April 21, 2009

Ali how old is your child and did you speak to your pediatrician about your

concerns? (And can someone please post one credible reference that links night

terrors to a thyroid problem in toddlers as I can't find any?!!)

As was posted a few times now any kid can have night terrors where they scream

during the night and as I posted from the one article it's scariest for the

parent. About the soft bowel movements- that's another pediatrician question as

nobody here knows how soft they are (loose?) and if not that soft it would

probably fall into normal. I mean it's better than hard stools! But there's

probably a doctor out there who would be paid to look at it and let you know.

None of us would. (and that's a job I don't want thank you very much!)

If you do suspect thyroid problems (again) speak to your pediatrician. Here's

some info on thyroid issues in children that looks reputable -but not sure as

again this isn't something that comes up here.

http://www.hartex.com.ua/children.html

Based on this group over a decade...no links with nightmares or terrors with

apraxia. No links with thyroid issues and apraxia. It's not to say that

children with apraxia won't experience the normal stuff other kids

experience...I mean they 'are' still growing children just like other growing

children!

=====

April 21, 2009

Here ia a link and it even explains the " why " . Just go to the link and search

for the word nightmare using your " control " and " f " key.

http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/ray-peat.htm

Just in case someone does not like this link, you can find hundreds of others by

searching the web with the terms " hypothyroidsm + symptoms + nightmares " . Please

do note that hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism often have similar symptoms.

Your child can have one or the other or both. Yes, I said both. I had both and I

was fluctuating between Grave's and Hashimoto's.

>

> Ali how old is your child and did you speak to your pediatrician about your

concerns? (And can someone please post one credible reference that links night

terrors to a thyroid problem in toddlers as I can't find any?!!)

>

> As was posted a few times now any kid can have night terrors where they scream

during the night and as I posted from the one article it's scariest for the

parent. About the soft bowel movements- that's another pediatrician question as

nobody here knows how soft they are (loose?) and if not that soft it would

probably fall into normal. I mean it's better than hard stools! But there's

probably a doctor out there who would be paid to look at it and let you know.

None of us would. (and that's a job I don't want thank you very much!)

>

> If you do suspect thyroid problems (again) speak to your pediatrician. Here's

some info on thyroid issues in children that looks reputable -but not sure as

again this isn't something that comes up here.

> http://www.hartex.com.ua/children.html

>

> Based on this group over a decade...no links with nightmares or terrors with

apraxia. No links with thyroid issues and apraxia. It's not to say that

children with apraxia won't experience the normal stuff other kids

experience...I mean they 'are' still growing children just like other growing

children!

>

> =====

>

April 21, 2009

Hi ,

Its good to know that it was just a coincidence that others posted about night

terrors and its not connected to apraxia. My child is 3 and I just moved to the

area so the pediarician does not know his history. When I told him about my son

when we first started getting services ...he said " Oh, that's not good . " so I

am still in the process of finding someone that can really look into all these

issues. Thanks for the link. Ali

From: kiddietalk <kiddietalk@...>

Subject: [ ] Re: Night Terrors and Apraxia?

Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 7:45 PM