apraxia- LDs

[Guest guest]

I just read one or 2 posts on this. My son is in a special private speech school

for prek- specializing in speech/language needs. At this school, the thought

with apraxic kids is that they are at very high risk for developing a LD later.

However, in talking to a well regarded SLP outside of the school and a friend

who has taught k-garten at 2 LD private schools in the area, by no means does

apraxia = LD. There is no direct correlation. His SLP at the speech school said

" well, he has language delays too so that puts him at great risk. " Then I talked

to the other 2 again (SLP and LD teacher) and they said " Well, language delay is

pretty much a given with apraxia and still it does not mean the child will

develop an LD. " His OT thought at one point he might have auditory processing

issues. His main teacher (another SLP) thought about it for a few days and said,

" No, what you're seeing is developmental. He has language delay and sensory

issues- that is it. "

He is getting " language catch up " in this class and his transitional class

(between pre-k and kindergarten) next year. He also gets separate ST and OT even

though his class has an SLP and OT in it. Academically, he's on par with his

mainstream peers if not ahead of them somewhat. My friends, the outside SLP and

the teacher at other LD schools said after they heard what he was able to do,

" It doesn't sound like an LD to me. " Yet, the school is standing by its firm

stance of " kids with apraxia/language delay are at HIGH RISK for developing LDs

later. " I only know 2 kids who have had apraxia. One was reading 4th grade level

in 1st grade. The other is not in the top reading level, but is doing fine.

My child's expressive/receptive testing #'s were not that low a year ago; some

scores were in the average range- so he's mildly delayed to begin with and

making great progress in this special school. Yet, they still insist on that

" HIGH RISK for LD assessment. "

not sold on the apraxia/language delay = LD.