3 year old Jargoning w/ no word attempts

[Guest guest]

I've posted here about Elias' story and we've since taken the advice of the

wonderful members here and have seen a great SLP who suspects Apraxia but

doesn't want to confirm for a while because Elias is 3 next month, still young

for diagnosis.

The thing that really stands out for me though, is that Elias doesn't make word

attempts and fail, and he's not mute. He just jargons constantly using ALL the

sounds in the alphabet with realistic inflections. Does this sound like anyone

else? I would love someone to chat with about what has worked or what this might

be. He does not attempt much in the way of blowing bubbles, candles, or horn

toys. He has no fine motor issues, he is great with pencils/crayons and other

small motor activities. He was an early crawler and walker but is not overly

physical, just average.

I love that I can throw this stuff around here in this big room of people who

get it! Thank you so much for your input and ideas!

-Hillary, mama to Elias who is a late talker with no diagnosis.

(Austin, Texas)

[Guest guest]

My son did the jargoning too, from the time he turned 2 until he was well

into his 3's. He was diagnosed with apraxia when he was 3.3. The jargon he

rattled off endlessly during his 2 year old year was sort of alarming but part

of me just thought that was how he was developing language. I was wrong though

and it was apraxia. To give you some relief, I can tell you now that is

5 and talking up a storm! It took a lot of speech therapy (prompt and kaufman)

4 times a week, a special needs preschool where he gets speech and OT, private

OT, fish oil (Nordic Naturals Arctic Cod Liver Oil with extra vitamin D) and

Nutriiveda. But I am thrilled to tell you today, that is tremendous!

His preschool teacher told me her biggest concern is fine motor where he's still

behind, but all of his classmates can understand his words and he's thriving.

Elias sounds a lot like with the same symptoms. I hope your SLP will be

able to give you answers soon so you can start the road to recovery

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

[ ] 3 year old Jargoning w/ no word attempts

I've posted here about Elias' story and we've since taken the advice of the

wonderful members here and have seen a great SLP who suspects Apraxia but

doesn't want to confirm for a while because Elias is 3 next month, still young

for diagnosis.

The thing that really stands out for me though, is that Elias doesn't make word

attempts and fail, and he's not mute. He just jargons constantly using ALL the

sounds in the alphabet with realistic inflections. Does this sound like anyone

else? I would love someone to chat with about what has worked or what this might

be. He does not attempt much in the way of blowing bubbles, candles, or horn

toys. He has no fine motor issues, he is great with pencils/crayons and other

small motor activities. He was an early crawler and walker but is not overly

physical, just average.

I love that I can throw this stuff around here in this big room of people who

get it! Thank you so much for your input and ideas!

-Hillary, mama to Elias who is a late talker with no diagnosis.

(Austin, Texas)

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

You know it makes me so MAD--that SLps " do not want to diagnose apraxia

prematurely... "   That means they do NOT KNOW apraxia--and you should see

another. What happens if they say apraxia--he gets the treatment he so

desperately needs and in 6 months he speaks like a regular kid!??--What's the

problem?!!--Most likely tht will NOT happen ---and the kid will get intensive

speech which he needs anyway--and especially so if it is apraxia--since early

intervention is critical.

And YES--my daughter was like that--jargoned all the way--made spounds but

incoherent, inconsistent so it was NOT like she was attempting words. Appraxic

kids are NOT MUTE.  I do not know what this SLP is thinking of, she must have a

HUGE EGO and not want to e proven wrong--nevermind that a child misses out on

precious early intervention time and he most likely is apraxic. Doctors ar ethe

same way--but that's understandable--they do not really know speech disorders in

general and apraxia in particular---and they doDO tend to HAVE BIG EGOS--it's

all that brainwashing residency 36 hours on and 12 h off and then 36 h on again

etc... taht doe sit to them.

But SLPs work with disabled kids all the time--and they know how importnat early

diagnosis is, they know that these are NOT written in stone--and if the child

improves and loses the diagnosis all the better for everyone-except for her-she

may lose a client-but hey--these days there are so many waiting to fill that

spot--as one in 6 children in the US public school system has a leatrnign

dissability involving speech and or behaviour-usually both--that she will not go

hungry and no one will take her to a court of law if that child improves and it

turns out it may not ahve been apraxia after all. if right now he manifests as

an apraxic--he IS APRAXIC.  NOW--at the time of the diagnosis--when other

neurotypical kids are already asking questions and explaining what they want and

need and can or can't do--but our kids can't and they just throw a fit and risk

being diagnosed ASD on top of it.

ANyway---you cna tel I feel very strongly about this issue. If an SLP aill not

diagnose an almost 3 year old with apraxia when the symptoms are there--I am

sorry but that SLP does NOT KNOW apraxia --and shoudl NOT be treating that

child-regardless of what they say.  if they knew it, they would know how

importnat early intervention is and diagnose it---a child can really be

diagnosed even earlier--2--2.5--yes it is early but what is there to be lost---A

child who had no speech by 2--2.5 y--most likely has real speech problems

andyway--and the intensive speech therpay is needed regardless-and the diagnosis

can be modified as it evolves no problem.  It's really not like the vast

majority of the kids who are non-verbal by 3 go on to be perfectly normal by 4-5

y anyway --so give them intensive motor planning speech therapy and  if there's

no apraxia-they'll be out of it that much soner--if it is apraxia--early

intervention is key--can make a world of

difference not jsut for speech development but also for social and

emotional--these kids suffer greatly not being able to express themselves.

So just FYI--my daughter at 3 had no words other than " NO! " which she used and

used all the time along with face plants and tantrums. An SLP --one as good and

bright as the one you are seeing proabaly--to whom I went for a second opinion

after the intial diagnois of apraxia at 2.10 y---had her own agenda--pictures

and pointing--Augumnetive Communication--and she didn't even evaluate for

apraxia as I requested--she was just trying to ge tmy daughter to point to

objects and then objects in a clear case and then pictures and when she

absolutely refused and melted down under the table several times--she concluded

there was much more worong with my child than speech and recommended a full

developmental eval--which I was signed up for anyway--but my point is--this SLP

did NOT know apraxia or care--she had her own thing--and that's all she wanted

to do---pretty much told me my child may never speak and AC was the way to

go--recommended treatment with pictures

and parent training--and this was none other than the famous STANFORD Lucille

Packard cChildren's Hospital where I had gone for a second opinion on the

apraxia diagnosis--knowing a Hospital verdict would weigh more than the SLp

treating her--but apparently the SLP working there was not capable of such a

diagnosis--and had her own agenda.

Fast forward 3 years---we went through hell and back as my daughter was so

uncomplient that 3 local apraxia experts-including the one who first diagnosed

her declared they could not work with her-and recommended ABA--RDI--in spite of

the fact that she did not fit the ASD diagnosis--no one really felt she did

because she was so social with kids and wanted to copy everything they did--be

with them--but they were at a loss how to reach her--she refused to comply--only

on her terms would she agree to even play with the therpists--and her eye

contact was poor, her willingness to allow PROMPT cuing was almost

non-existent--she did not allow her face to be touched--so I was at my wit's

end--when I found a few good therapists--two to be precise--who had the patience

and skill to work with a child like har-but thye were still struggling.  

At 3.5 when she was beginning to say the beginning of soem words, but still not

consistently--not whenever she wanted-- " mama " was finally said because the secod

syllable was hard for her; the " wa " for water became " wa-t "   than " wat-a "   and

we fianlly started seeing a hand full of words but with 4 sessions of speech a

week and it was still like pulling teeth--Until BIOMED.

We started biomed treatment--diet/supplements-the fish oil she was already on

since birth but it turns out she needed carnatine to absorb it and Co Q10 and

magnesium and zinc, and so many things---but the B12 shots were the most

spectacular for us. Within days she becan making better eye contact--mouthing

objects like mad--which she never did at the age appropriate time--and finally

making more consistent sounds for words and within a few weks-months putting

sounds together to form syllables and shotrt words, within a year she was a

completly different child with a few hundred words under her belt--and behaving

more--following directions.  another year and she ahd a few thousand words and

after that we stopped counting.  Tday she is often indistinguishable form her

peers-in short answer-well rehearsed statements.  Ahe si stiull apraxic so we

are still doing intensive speech and one OT session--startign to have grammer

and expressive language issues as

well now that she cna speak--so we need more work on that--still difficulty

with soem multisyllabic words--the longer the word or the sentence--the more

difficulty--but for the most aprt she is about 755 intelegible to a stranger in

free conversation --where she is asked to describe or elaborate on

something--and maybe 90--95% intelegible in well rehearsed shor answers--daily

speech--which is why her teacher busy with 30 kids keeps wondering why she needs

so much therpay---but to me it only shows how little time she has spent so far

with my child.

So really--tell her either she gives you a diagnosis and explains why in that

report as per ASHA--defines apraxia as a neurologicla disorder etc etc..

recommneded treatment--again, as per ASHA--so you can get started and get

coverage---or you go to a therpaist who relaly understands apraxia and the need

for early intervention.  And definitely look into biomed--our apraxic kids ahve

a lot of metabolic issues--malabsorptions and reactions to common foods and

chemicals that other kids are not as affected by--and this is most certainly one

of the factors preventing normal brain function--you wnat to optimize that with

the right diet/supplements and you'll be amazed how much smoother the speech

therapy and OT will go.  Before biomed--she was able to say things in therapy

with the PROMPT cuing--but it all got lost after that--it hardly ever carried

through outside of therapy--her brain just couldn't retain that skill---and

biomed made it all possible  + the

intensive therapy-make no mistake about that--but with an understanding and

compasionate and motor planing skilled SLP--not the ones who care more about

their egos than the child's future.

Excuse the typos-i do nto touch type-and have no time to correct them

now----hope you cna read them---most are reversals of letters as my hands go

faster than my brain soemtimes.

All the best,

Elena

From: hilsandelias <hilarie@...>

Subject: [ ] 3 year old Jargoning w/ no word attempts

Date: Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 9:03 AM

I've posted here about Elias' story and we've since taken the advice of the

wonderful members here and have seen a great SLP who suspects Apraxia but

doesn't want to confirm for a while because Elias is 3 next month, still young

for diagnosis.

The thing that really stands out for me though, is that Elias doesn't make word

attempts and fail, and he's not mute. He just jargons constantly using ALL the

sounds in the alphabet with realistic inflections. Does this sound like anyone

else? I would love someone to chat with about what has worked or what this might

be. He does not attempt much in the way of blowing bubbles, candles, or horn

toys. He has no fine motor issues, he is great with pencils/crayons and other

small motor activities. He was an early crawler and walker but is not overly

physical, just average.

I love that I can throw this stuff around here in this big room of people who

get it! Thank you so much for your input and ideas!

-Hillary, mama to Elias who is a late talker with no diagnosis.

(Austin, Texas)

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