RE: Re: Severe, moderate or mild apraxia

[Guest guest]

Hi rubykatree---just looking for your email address so I can respond....thanks!

From: rubykatee <ttaniaa0000@...>

Subject: [ ] Re: Severe, moderate or mild apraxia

Date: Thursday, January 28, 2010, 11:12 AM

 

I also would be interested to hear opinions on this. My boy is 24mths, and has

not been formally diagnosed as having apraxia. He is totally non verbal, having

not even one word in his vocabulary. He also makes very limited sounds, and has

little in the way of consnant sounds. I can't help but think he may be on the

severe side of things?

>

> Hi There,

> Just wondering if anyone could tell me what the 'symptoms' are between the

three levels of apraxia. I am new to the group and I am reading a lot of

different posts and people refer to their child as having severe apraxia, mild

apraxia, and just wondering if there is a 'definition' that one would use to

classify these.

> My almost three year old son was diagnosed last week with apraxia, but I must

admit I have no idea of where he 'fits' and our next appointment in not until

next week.

> Thanks for your help.

>

[Guest guest]

When I have mentioned on this board my son as being " Severe " what I was

referencing is that when he is tested on his speech skills using testing like

the Preschool Language Skill Test, Kauffman testing, or others such as they do

in the school system, the difference between his comprehension vs. his ability

to communicate is quite a large percentage which places him in the severe

category. For example, if comparing him to other children in terms of

comprehension, my son would score at about the median which is considered 100%)

meaning that of other 3 year olds he understands about as many of the words as

other children his age. However, when you ask him to convey through speech

those same items through verbalizing there is a huge gap.

For some children who cannot talk at all, they are placed in the category

" Profound " meaning they need to communicate using a device for assistance.

I would say at the age of 2 though that their are other children that cannot

talk at all, so it is probably too early to tell for your child.

I would encourage you to please have someone look at your son's oral motor.

He may not be able to make the sounds if his mouth muscles are not working

properly. My son was 2 years 6 mos and could only make 8 basic consonant

sounds. At age 2 like your son, he could make no consonant sounds and

communicated using grunting. When someone finally did an oral motor

assessment on him and was thorough about it we found out his muscles were at 0%

in some areas and basically not working at all on things like his back bite.

Now after persistence my son is talking in 2 words.

In addition, you should have a neurologist test for seizures and also if his

sleep seems disrupted you should check this out. Children can have

seizures you aren't even aware of and this can cause speech delays. In my

son's case he had sleep apnea. We had his adenoids removed this December and

his speech has really surged since.

I would also rule out hearing.

I mention all this because just because your son might be " Severe " doesn't mean

he will always be that way. My son is still severe because when comparing

him to other children his age his speech skills are very hard behind. He has

great difficulty talking. I do see huge surges these last two months thought

and do believe he may be able to catch up, although speech may always be hard

work for him.

Best of luck to you.

[ ] Re: Severe, moderate or mild apraxia

I also would be interested to hear opinions on this. My boy is 24mths, and has

not been formally diagnosed as having apraxia. He is totally non verbal, having

not even one word in his vocabulary. He also makes very limited sounds, and has

little in the way of consnant sounds. I can't help but think he may be on the

severe side of things?

>

> Hi There,

> Just wondering if anyone could tell me what the 'symptoms' are between the

three levels of apraxia. I am new to the group and I am reading a lot of

different posts and people refer to their child as having severe apraxia, mild

apraxia, and just wondering if there is a 'definition' that one would use to

classify these.

> My almost three year old son was diagnosed last week with apraxia, but I must

admit I have no idea of where he 'fits' and our next appointment in not until

next week.

> Thanks for your help.

>

[Guest guest]

Unless I see a child in person, I am not able to state severity of apraxia

generically. There are many factors that go into severity ratings. We look

at & rate each section individually-jaw, lips, tongue, speech production,

sound errors, expressive/receptive language skills, etc. I couldn't say

that all kids with mild apraxia look like X----kids are so different that

that statement is not possible.

Whatever SLP your child saw for the diagnosis should be able to include this

info (above) in the report.

Sorry I can't be more specific.

Warmest wishes,

Barbara

Barbara A. , M.S., CCC-SLP

Executive Director/ Help Me Speak, LLC

<http://www.helpmespeak.com/> http://www.helpmespeak.com

(o) 410-442-9791 (f) 410-442-9783

2500 Wallington Way; Suite 103

Marriottsville, MD 21104

follow us on FaceBook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marriottsville-MD/Help-Me-Speak-LLC/1046288520

32

Call me with any questions about NutriiVeda!

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of rubykatee

Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 12:12 PM

Subject: [ ] Re: Severe, moderate or mild apraxia

I also would be interested to hear opinions on this. My boy is 24mths, and

has not been formally diagnosed as having apraxia. He is totally non verbal,

having not even one word in his vocabulary. He also makes very limited

sounds, and has little in the way of consnant sounds. I can't help but think

he may be on the severe side of things?

>

> Hi There,

> Just wondering if anyone could tell me what the 'symptoms' are between the

three levels of apraxia. I am new to the group and I am reading a lot of

different posts and people refer to their child as having severe apraxia,

mild apraxia, and just wondering if there is a 'definition' that one would

use to classify these.

> My almost three year old son was diagnosed last week with apraxia, but I

must admit I have no idea of where he 'fits' and our next appointment in not

until next week.

> Thanks for your help.

>