Re: connection between very good memory and lack of speech.

[Guest guest]

Very timely question Laimi because on our apraxia.org faceboook page for Cherab-

in the discussion area I shared about the strong memory-late talker link which

came up here recently. So yesterday parent named Tammy wrote that while her

child's memory is incredible in certain areas -it's not in all. So we've been

going back and forth on this just yesterday and today.

The point that I make is that this area has never been validated or studied.

All we have is very very strong anecdotal reports for over a decade now. We

also know from the archives that most of the children here do end up in the

mainstream and good students. Tammy asked if most are gifted and I said not

that I know of that our children are in gifted placements- but she asked because

strong memory is one sign of a gifted student.

My point is that when you are aware of the strong memory -you can use it to work

to the child's advantage in school and learning math, spelling and reading.

That's much of the beginning skills.

So while there may be areas that it appears the memory isn't strong -we don't

know if we change how to present it if that area too will be strong. But as a

parent it's in my opinion a good thing to be aware of any positive we can that

comes out of an impairment.

As I say on the fb page

" They just discovered that those with ADHD have greater creativity for example

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/650981.html and my other

son who has ADHD so fits this -he's always been crazy creative. Are there ADHD

kids that are not creative? Does that make the study invalid if there is? Too

many variables so you look at the norm.

I do believe that like ADHD and for other impairments that when one sense it

impaired -others rise higher in compensation.

Memory for speech impaired children makes total sense. Most have receptive

abilities far above expressive. A speech impaired child has to remember what he

wants to say -at times desperately wants to communicate, perhaps essential

needs, long enough to have another understand him or her. A typical little one

without any speech impairment will go from just babble and start to talk by the

time their receptive ability is high enough to express needs. Unlike our

population of verbal disabled - their expressive is right there being able to

communicate whatever thoughts pop into their head. Kids that talk and talk do

not NEED to remember what they want to say. And being around kids that are not

speech impaired many have an endless flow of conversation. Speech impaired kids

clearly do have to recall at least their most important thoughts long enough to

try and try to communicate them to us -that's obvious. Frustration is a

secondary problem of the verbal disabled. This is why alternative ways of

communication help relieve frustration -simple sign, PECS, and perhaps now the

iPad "

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=115029735601 & topic=15822

So it's an interesting question -and one I hope that is researched. Because if

validated the belief level about our population from medical and education

professionals as well as the public...and as well as parents (!!) will raise

higher and from that alone we all know from the Rosenthal theory the majority of

our population will start to do better. Goodness knows we need to raise that

belief level up!!!

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