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My Son's Story with ApraxiaI will never forget the way I felt when I found out that my three year old son had apraxia. Relief! Yes, that's right, I was relieved to find that my son's severe speech delay had a name and I had something to hold on to in order to research what I did not know.When my son was only 10 months old, I knew something wasn't right. He would smile and interact, and his motor development was on track (he was crawling and grasping), but he wouldn't imitate or babble. Since I had a daughter that said her first word at 7 months, and was reciting the ABC's by a year old, I thought maybe he was delayed, but wasn't sure. People told me that he would grow out of it and he was too young to come to any conclusions. I knew in my gut that because my child was not talking yet, I needed to at least ask the professionals. I asked the pediatrician at his one year appointment, and she referred me to a speech therapist to appease me, since I was so concerned. The speech therapist definitely said he had a speech delay and referred me to the state program, AZEIP, or Arizona Early Intervention Program. By fifteen months, I had a developmentalist coming to my house once a week to see him, and I was involved in a playgroup for children who had different kinds of delays, whether it was speech, motor skills, or the child had a form of autism. It was great, but I still didn't have any answers, they would just say he had a severe speech delay. He wasn't eligible for State funded speech therapy until he turned two, and he still was not pronouncing any syllables. I yearned for him to say "Mama", but all I could get was a grunt or a sign with his hands. Luckily, sign language was enforced during therapy and playgroup, so we had a lot of the basics down which eased some of his (and my) frustration. Finally, once he turned two and started with speech therapy once a week, progress was happening...though very, very slowly. At the end of every session, I would ask the speech therapist, "What's wrong? Why isn't he making progress? Is there something else going on?" She didn't have an answer, not a label, possible diagnosis, nothing. They would tell me that he was normal in every way, except that he had a "severe speech delay". I felt so isolated, because people didn't understand and continued to tell me that he will grow out of it. I continued on with his therapy through the state, which was great for him and me. By age three, he was able to say "Mama" and "Dada", and would also say "no" and "wawa" for water. He didn't sing, or try to sing, though he would dance to music, and he enjoyed it. He was a great kid, with a great temperament and didn't notice that people couldn't understand him. I admired his innocence and obliviousness to his speech delay. But I worried that children would make fun of him, that he would do okay in school, and if he would be able to communicate one day. Once he was registered in Priority Preschool (preschool for kids with special needs in Arizona), I met with his speech therapist, and she told me that she was using therapy that she used with kids with Apraxia. What? I had never heard that term before. The therapist sifted through his paperwork and asked if he had ever been diagnosed or profiled for apraxia? Nope! When I got home, I ran to the computer and googled "apraxia". Voila! I devoured every word, and thought, "That's my son! That's what he has!" I didn't need a "diagnosis" from anyone, I knew this is what we were dealing with. I spent hours on the internet and found support groups, and even a conference to go to. I immersed myself in finding out as much information as possible. I learned that I needed to get my son private speech therapy as soon as possible, and continue his therapy at home as well. By the time my son was four and a half, he was over 85% intelligible, meaning that a person could understand 85% of what he said. He went through kindergarten with no problems in reading and writing, and speaking quite well. Though he was not at the level of most kindergarteners for speech, he was improving. At the end of the year, when the speech therapist, couselor, teacher and I met to discuss his therapy and progress, they told me that he is doing very well and that his therapy would continue and they expect him to not need it after next year. I couldn't help but cry. Now, Tyler is a thriving first grader who has friends, is involved in sports and fights with his sister like any kid his age. I am so proud of how hard he has worked, and glad that I didn't give up! If you are a parent of a speech delayed child, or your child has apraxia, please don't hesitate to contact me by email, trina@themomtree.com. Please contribute and talk about your story below as well. You are NOT alone! Update!Click here for an update on Tyler. Do You Have a Story about Apraxia?Do you have a story, information, advice or therapy to share about apraxia? Please share your story here! You are not alone! What Other Visitors Have Shared about ApraxiaClick below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Tyler was dismissed from therapy
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