Hi there, My 3-year-old son is in speech therapy 1x/week for 50 min. He has been tube fed all of his and continues to this day. He just turned 3. He says mama and dada very clearly when he does speak. I live in a small town and they don't have the resources for any speech clinics, like he needs. He did a feeding clinic 1200 miles away and did very well with the applied behavior assessment. He can't go to pre-school due to compromised immune system and per his pediatricians orders. So we are doing alternative methods with him for school. Right now he is showing that he is trying to talk and is babbling and imitating some vowel sounds. I have been looking at the Kaufman cards, but just not sure what else is out there and what would work best. The speech clinic that he is at is very, very tiny and he is responding some. He can only go 1x/week and from what I have been reading they need intense programs to progress. I'm looking for any information on how the kaufman cards work or something that else might work for him. We are really at a loss for resources on apraxia here.
Thank you.
I've been doing some more research online and have talked to a couple of therapist that will do some coaching and are trained for long distance therapy. They do video conferencing to see how well we both are doing. We happen to have a really good speech therapy coverage through our private insurance, due to Joel's medical issues its a medical necessity they will cover as long as he has the correct billing code.
I also found out that with the apraxia they should be doing articulation exercises to actually help with the movement of the mouth. Since he's been tubefed all of his life he has muscle weakness.
Look forward to hearing more tips..
Thanks!!
do you sit in on his secions? and if not then i recomend that you do and talk to ST and ask what can you do at home to work with your son.
You do need intensive therapy for your son--1 hour per week is not enough. You definitely need to participate in speech therapy with your son and observe what works and what does not work for him and apply what you've learnt at home. There are a number of books that target parents and caregivers--check out the Henan method--there may even be classes for caregivers in your community. Some private providers have programs that train caregivers in speech therapy for their kids. The Internet is an amazing resource and your library may have a number of books available that you can check out. Best of luck! It's so great when your child starts using words and sentences, you can see how happy he is when he can communicate what he wants. Unfortunately, many insurance companies don't cover much speech therapy because they don't consider inability to talk a "medical" condition, parents have to deal with this on their own or spend a lot of time fighting their insurance companies.
I know that you said your pediatricain says no to pre-school due to a compromised immune system. Have you looked for a second opinion or checked with the school district? Your son should qualify for Ready Start through your local school district and now is the time to get in touch with them as they do a lot of assessments over the summer. Ready Start is not quite like regular preschool as the classes are smaller, the adult:child ratio higher, and the services provided are targeted toward special needs. My immune compromised (post heart transplant) son attended last year and really benefited from the extra hours of PT/OT provided (vs. what our insuance will cover). Check with your district about their Special Education/Special Programs availabity for preschoolers, they might even have home-based support services and resources available.
More Info: checked your city from your profile, in Oregon you need to contact your local Regional Education Service District for birth - 5 services. If you don't know which center that is your district's special education department will be able to give you that information.
Have you tried someplace in Eugene? Here is a website for services for children through OHSU and located in Eugene. http://www.ohsu.edu/cdrc/clinical/eugene/communication_di...
I know it isn't real close, but it's better than going 1200 miles.
And definitely check your local school district. They will give you numbers for the specialists you need and the school district is free. You won't have to pay for the services in most cases.
Good luck to and hope you can find more help for your son.
my 3 1/2 year old has apraxia or had. Through speech therapy for 1.5 years she can talk like a normal kid with a very slight delay. We had speech therapy 1X a week for 45 min and then a play group w/ kids w/ various developmental delays.
we are about to start a similar process with our 19 month old who may possibly have apraxia.
There is an apraxia foundation with info online. http://www.apraxia-kids.org/ Look into "Time to Sing" CD they slow down popular kids music to make it easier for them.
Otherwise speech therapy (we have always been present in therapy sessions), time and patience and we also read alot to our kids. Sorry I don't know anything about the Kaufman cards
