Friday, October 30, 2009

Dyspraxia

I've been wondering why this one - (not an official diagnosis cos we aren't getting the formal assessment done) - which our fantastic ST says she thinks we are dealing with dyspraxia (verbal I'm assuming) has thrown me. I think it is because with DS and speech delay like other areas that kids with DS experience delay in - can be explained in terms of 'she will get there - just more slowly' ie the development is similar to that of typical development - just slower - so it is familiar and she will get there inher own tme and in her own way. Not so this diagnosis - and that is what has thrown me - it requires specific and intensive language/speech therapy of a particular style. We have already been doing a lot of it - but it is the 'official' and 'routine' and 'systematic' things that scare me. I don't want to let my precious girl down. I know it isn't autism but it feels like a need for something like ABA - and while I will do anything I possibly can to help Hannah - routine and systematic don't come easy to me. It's a challenge. I know she'll get there, in her own time and at her own pace but I wish she didn't have this additional difficulty to something as vital as speech.

1 comment:

datri said...

Kayla's five, she's nonverbal. I've brought up apraxia a few times and they've tried some of those techniques while working with her, but it hasn't really helped. While it saddens me that Kayla may never talk, we've just sort of moved past that and are now just focusing on communication.