I Rearned my Rifter sounds!!!
You Learned your Lifter sounds??
I can say PLLLLay! not just PRay!
Honey, I am so proud of you!! You can do your lifter sounds!!
Yes Mama, I ROVE YOUR JOB TOO. I ROVE YOU!!
Okay, Babe - we'll work on that!
Showing posts with label apraxia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apraxia. Show all posts
Friday, February 25, 2011
Monday, October 25, 2010
Apraxia in Action; Continued....
Tomorrow is Bubbles' first IEP at his new school. In fact, it will be his first IEP in elementary school. It's late October, and I still try and wrap my brain around the twisted fact that he ended up in kindergarten this year.
I've already been warned that he will lose services. The school, bless their budget-deficient little soul, set me up nicely by suggesting at first that he will no longer qualify for any speech services, as a result of having made so much progress in the past three years. Now, I love this school, and I get it that they have no money, but there is no way I am going to accept that he is cured of Apraxia merely because they don't have funding for speech therapy.I had a blunt talk with the SLP and let her know that I do not like surprises, and would hope to not expect any at the upcoming IEP.
To her credit, she called me last week making her recommendations. I cringed at the number of times she ignored my 'motor planning' questions and cringed again each time she peppered her recommendations with the phrase 'articulation disorder'.
BECAUSE APRAXIA IS NOT AN ARTICULATION DISORDER!!!
(Sorry for shouting. But it's not.) (Inability to articulate is a SYMPTOM.)
Anyway....I don't expect to be surprised when they tell me they are cutting his services in half, down to 1/2 hour session per week.
Saying he is 'almost all better' would feel great.....if it were actually true.
But the truth is, California is broke, and the educational system is broken. I hope some administration employees in Sacramento are having a lovely lunch out today. I bet the tab could be close to $90! Which is EXACTLY what an hour of private speech therapy costs. The VERY SAME speech therapy which my child is about to lose.
Hmmmm.
With that said, I am able to push aside the doom and gloom and for a little while the oh-so-many-concerns I have about his future learning challenges.
Why? Because I am grateful to have this child beyond belief. I am grateful to be able to watch the layers of his intelligence be revealed as his expressive language capacity increases. It is the most amazing process. It's not developmental, technically, because he is being treated for something which would not correct itself with a delay. But it is developmental as I watch him achieve communication milestones and make the connections.
His brain appears to be working overtime as his capacity for intelligible speech increases.
This weekend he came running up to me.
"Mommy!!! Mommy!!!! LISTEN TO THIS!!!! 'Plane' you go somewhere! 'Playing' you have fun! 'Plain', with nothing on it. OH MY GOD!!!"
OMG indeed, little man. You managed to blow my mind yet again.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
The Apraxia Letter
The following letter was composed to inform Bubbles' class parents, all of whom are required to volunteer or teach in the classroom, about Apraxia and the quirks which accompany this affliction:
Hi Parents;
I have met most of you, and I am Bubbles' mama, Gwendomama. We were (lucky) last minute-ers to sign on to the I/S Kinder program, so I feel like I am still catching up with information, and there was so much to digest in those first two meetings, that I neglected to share what I intended to cover when first gathering with our wonderful group of parents.
I have had the opportunity to chat with some of you in person and explain to you that Bubbles not only has a late Fall birthday and will do 2 years of kindergarten, but he also has Apraxia.
I wanted you to have the option to read this if you wish to learn just a bit more about Childhood Apraxia of Speech, which is the fancy term for Bubbles' speech delay (which at this point, generally presents as halted, delayed articulation, phonological disorder, and word retrieval confusion). Which, in short, is why Bubbles sounds just a little funny.
CAS? Apraxia?
What does this mean? You can read more about it here, and/or you can read my very short, 3 bullet synopsis below. Either way, you will have a deeper understanding of Apraxia than you did 5 minutes ago, and that will surely impress your friends.
My three favorite quick descriptions of this complex 'oral motor planning and neuro-processing disorder' are as follows:
So....Bubbles has to take time to get his words out, and he sometimes gets stuck. For instance, he will exchange words for something that sounds familiar to him if it is not a familiar word.
In the past month alone, I have had to interpret: 'gadget' for 'shadow', 'indolin' for 'Indian', and 'helicopter' for 'elevator'. Just today he asked me why are there clones in the movie, 'The Polar Express'?
Of course I responded, "What? Clones? What clones?"
And he said, "Yes, they all have those Christmas hats and they love the Santa!"
I realized right away that he meant 'elves'. I don't know why he used that word....it may have been some combo of 'clowns' and 'cones' (hats) and/or him hearing the word 'clones' recently (has a 9 yr old sister)...all I know is that I have learned to think outside the linguistic box when interpreting him.
Oddly, other children have often easily interpreted for him, which is particularly lovely because at this age, there is not one speck of judgment among them when this is done. It is, in my mind, an act of humanity and an insightful gift into who our children are at this young age. On a recent drive home, he was desperately trying to tell me something.
"BISMAL!!" he kept saying. 'Dismal? Abismal?' I kept asking him for any close approximation but could not figure out what he was saying. Finally, our five year old carpool mate spoke up. She said, "I know what he's saying. It's 'invisible'"
Bubbles responded by saying, "Yes!!! INBISDIMAL!!! Ank you, friend!!"
That is a classic Bubbles moment.
The words are there. He just can't always get them out intelligibly or in the syntactically correct order.
Another bizarre thing about Apraxia is that the oral motor delay component means so much more than you can see. Bubbles has very selective eating habits, which is very frustrating for the parent of a teeny tiny skinny boy, but understanding the oral motor issue does help to explain his pickiness. It takes about 14 coordinated motions with the tongue to swallow any bite of food. When he was almost three, Bubbles still could not make about half of those motions. Which explains why he would never eat baby food (would have choked him) and would only accept dry, quickly dissolving foods. It also explains why he could not string 4 words together before intensive speech therapy.....his mouth could not actually make those sounds.
It also explains his extreme pickiness which has become a bad habit.
FYI, Bubbles, if you are the volunteering parent, will ALWAYS choose the 'meat' option, even if he cannot tell you this. He will approach any new food with caution and perhaps rejection, but because of his history, I know that being surrounded by his peers eating diverse food offerings, eventually he will try new things, which is why I am adamant about not packing him a different lunch. If he does not eat, he will when he comes home. It is more important to me to know that sharing lunch with his peers is great exposure, and even therapeutic.
So...that's the optional glimpse into the world of Apraxia.
And by the way, I cannot wait to play with our children on Tuesday - they are so fun in music class.....I love this group of ours!
Thanks for reading.
Gwendomama
Hi Parents;
I have met most of you, and I am Bubbles' mama, Gwendomama. We were (lucky) last minute-ers to sign on to the I/S Kinder program, so I feel like I am still catching up with information, and there was so much to digest in those first two meetings, that I neglected to share what I intended to cover when first gathering with our wonderful group of parents.
I have had the opportunity to chat with some of you in person and explain to you that Bubbles not only has a late Fall birthday and will do 2 years of kindergarten, but he also has Apraxia.
I wanted you to have the option to read this if you wish to learn just a bit more about Childhood Apraxia of Speech, which is the fancy term for Bubbles' speech delay (which at this point, generally presents as halted, delayed articulation, phonological disorder, and word retrieval confusion). Which, in short, is why Bubbles sounds just a little funny.
CAS? Apraxia?
What does this mean? You can read more about it here, and/or you can read my very short, 3 bullet synopsis below. Either way, you will have a deeper understanding of Apraxia than you did 5 minutes ago, and that will surely impress your friends.
My three favorite quick descriptions of this complex 'oral motor planning and neuro-processing disorder' are as follows:
- Early on in his Dx, I heard someone describe the affliction of Apraxia as: Not the child you want coming to tell you that the house is on fire.
- My impression of watching Bubbles struggle with Apraxia is: You know how it feels to have something 'on the tip of your tongue' and not be able to access it? That's how Bubbles feels all of the time.
- But the most amazing description of Bubbles' frustration is best coined by Bubbles himself, who said to his speech therapist: The words is there. They is just all tangled up on a string in my throat.
So....Bubbles has to take time to get his words out, and he sometimes gets stuck. For instance, he will exchange words for something that sounds familiar to him if it is not a familiar word.
In the past month alone, I have had to interpret: 'gadget' for 'shadow', 'indolin' for 'Indian', and 'helicopter' for 'elevator'. Just today he asked me why are there clones in the movie, 'The Polar Express'?
Of course I responded, "What? Clones? What clones?"
And he said, "Yes, they all have those Christmas hats and they love the Santa!"
I realized right away that he meant 'elves'. I don't know why he used that word....it may have been some combo of 'clowns' and 'cones' (hats) and/or him hearing the word 'clones' recently (has a 9 yr old sister)...all I know is that I have learned to think outside the linguistic box when interpreting him.
Oddly, other children have often easily interpreted for him, which is particularly lovely because at this age, there is not one speck of judgment among them when this is done. It is, in my mind, an act of humanity and an insightful gift into who our children are at this young age. On a recent drive home, he was desperately trying to tell me something.
"BISMAL!!" he kept saying. 'Dismal? Abismal?' I kept asking him for any close approximation but could not figure out what he was saying. Finally, our five year old carpool mate spoke up. She said, "I know what he's saying. It's 'invisible'"
Bubbles responded by saying, "Yes!!! INBISDIMAL!!! Ank you, friend!!"
That is a classic Bubbles moment.
The words are there. He just can't always get them out intelligibly or in the syntactically correct order.
Another bizarre thing about Apraxia is that the oral motor delay component means so much more than you can see. Bubbles has very selective eating habits, which is very frustrating for the parent of a teeny tiny skinny boy, but understanding the oral motor issue does help to explain his pickiness. It takes about 14 coordinated motions with the tongue to swallow any bite of food. When he was almost three, Bubbles still could not make about half of those motions. Which explains why he would never eat baby food (would have choked him) and would only accept dry, quickly dissolving foods. It also explains why he could not string 4 words together before intensive speech therapy.....his mouth could not actually make those sounds.
It also explains his extreme pickiness which has become a bad habit.
FYI, Bubbles, if you are the volunteering parent, will ALWAYS choose the 'meat' option, even if he cannot tell you this. He will approach any new food with caution and perhaps rejection, but because of his history, I know that being surrounded by his peers eating diverse food offerings, eventually he will try new things, which is why I am adamant about not packing him a different lunch. If he does not eat, he will when he comes home. It is more important to me to know that sharing lunch with his peers is great exposure, and even therapeutic.
So...that's the optional glimpse into the world of Apraxia.
And by the way, I cannot wait to play with our children on Tuesday - they are so fun in music class.....I love this group of ours!
Thanks for reading.
Gwendomama
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Apraxia in Action
Mama: Bubbles, how can you swim so well? Wow! You just figured it all out! Look at you go!
Bubbles: My brain! It is like the magic!!
Bubbles, showing me a book from the library: Mama, do you know this is your brain? Your brain is in your head, see mine? When you get pinched, it makes your brain go 'DING!' and then you say 'OW!' It goes, 'DING!' like an alligator.
Mama: Like an alligator?
Bubbles: Yes! Alligators going up and down, ding ding ding!
Bubbles: My brain! It is like the magic!!
Bubbles, showing me a book from the library: Mama, do you know this is your brain? Your brain is in your head, see mine? When you get pinched, it makes your brain go 'DING!' and then you say 'OW!' It goes, 'DING!' like an alligator.
Mama: Like an alligator?
Bubbles: Yes! Alligators going up and down, ding ding ding!
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Apraxia in Action; Continued
Today we were sorting through the old toy collection.
'We', being myself + the NDN (NextDoorNeighbors) who are also the BFF (BestFunFriends), also known as the LL's (landl'owners) and PWIHKF (People Whom I Have Known Forever). So let's just go with the NDN for now.....
'We' were all quite busy.
I had many 19th century 'spells' during the sorting, but managed to survive. (Oh I didn't tell you about the Pleurisy? Just waiting to contract 'The Vapors' next.)
We crossed paths with boxes and our children co-mingled with the discarded treasures.
Each child was allowed to keep one new toy from each others' donate pile.
Bubbles found himself particularly interested in a small toy cell phone with a 'John Deere' logo. He told me he wanted this toy because it was 'a deer phone'.
I said, "Yes, it has a John Deere on it. John Deere is a kind of tractor."
He said, "Yes! I have a deer attractor and I am gonna use this to catch a deer! Cause I have a deer attractor! I press this red button and I attract the deer!"
~~~~~~...............................~~~~~~~~
Mmm...............Okay.
'We', being myself + the NDN (NextDoorNeighbors) who are also the BFF (BestFunFriends), also known as the LL's (landl'owners) and PWIHKF (People Whom I Have Known Forever). So let's just go with the NDN for now.....
'We' were all quite busy.
I had many 19th century 'spells' during the sorting, but managed to survive. (Oh I didn't tell you about the Pleurisy? Just waiting to contract 'The Vapors' next.)
We crossed paths with boxes and our children co-mingled with the discarded treasures.
Each child was allowed to keep one new toy from each others' donate pile.
Bubbles found himself particularly interested in a small toy cell phone with a 'John Deere' logo. He told me he wanted this toy because it was 'a deer phone'.
I said, "Yes, it has a John Deere on it. John Deere is a kind of tractor."
He said, "Yes! I have a deer attractor and I am gonna use this to catch a deer! Cause I have a deer attractor! I press this red button and I attract the deer!"
~~~~~~...............................~~~~~~~~
Mmm...............Okay.
Monday, March 29, 2010
#ShitMyHilariousKidWithApraxiaSays
Clearly I am not cashing in enough on #Shitmykidsays.
I mean really. I know you all think your kid is way funnier than mine.
But here's the thing, he's not.
And here is why:
My kid has Apraxia.
AND he's funny. Hilarious, even.
And I see a touch of Aphasia.
And word retrieval issues.
And a phonological disorder.
AND A HUGE FREAKIN BRAIN AND VOCABULARY!
In a restricted-by-apraxia result.
Just a few recent gems:
Davey: Bubbles, I love you.
Bubbles: You do?
Davey: I do! I love you so much!
Davey's Mom: It's true, Bubbles. We all love you so much. We think you are just great!
Bubbles: Yes. And I'm shiny.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Speech Therapist: Bubbles, I want you to remember to say 'is'. 'Iiiiissssszzzzzzzz'. He IS holding a teddy bear. She IS feeling sad. Mommy IS going to the store.
Bubbles: Okay. I is gonna have a lot of words in my mouth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bubbles: MAMA!! I want to play with these eggs! They so bootiful!
Mama: Not yet, Bubs. Those are for filling up with treats for Easter!
Bubbles: Oh, okay! They for the Easter Egg Sneak?
Mama: (.....?......)
Mama: Oh YES!! For the HUNT!! The sneaky Easter egg HUNT!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mama: Bubbles, if your ear still hurts, I think we need to go to the doctor.
Bubbles (remembering his last visit w/shots and a 'finger stick'): Uhh....Mama? The doctor wanna poke me wif a stick that's sharp? I don like it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I mean really. I know you all think your kid is way funnier than mine.
But here's the thing, he's not.
And here is why:
My kid has Apraxia.
AND he's funny. Hilarious, even.
And I see a touch of Aphasia.
And word retrieval issues.
And a phonological disorder.
AND A HUGE FREAKIN BRAIN AND VOCABULARY!
In a restricted-by-apraxia result.
Just a few recent gems:
Davey: Bubbles, I love you.
Bubbles: You do?
Davey: I do! I love you so much!
Davey's Mom: It's true, Bubbles. We all love you so much. We think you are just great!
Bubbles: Yes. And I'm shiny.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Speech Therapist: Bubbles, I want you to remember to say 'is'. 'Iiiiissssszzzzzzzz'. He IS holding a teddy bear. She IS feeling sad. Mommy IS going to the store.
Bubbles: Okay. I is gonna have a lot of words in my mouth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bubbles: MAMA!! I want to play with these eggs! They so bootiful!
Mama: Not yet, Bubs. Those are for filling up with treats for Easter!
Bubbles: Oh, okay! They for the Easter Egg Sneak?
Mama: (.....?......)
Mama: Oh YES!! For the HUNT!! The sneaky Easter egg HUNT!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mama: Bubbles, if your ear still hurts, I think we need to go to the doctor.
Bubbles (remembering his last visit w/shots and a 'finger stick'): Uhh....Mama? The doctor wanna poke me wif a stick that's sharp? I don like it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Bubbles and Apraxia, continued
Today Bubbles asked me to sing a song to him and I didn't know what song. He kept gesticulating dramatically saying, "Blue skies!! Rainbows!! You gotta sing it like that!!" and apparently the blue skies and rainbows song which I know is the wrong one.
Finally he said, "I am trying to tell you the song but my words aren't working. They all tangled up!"
"Your words are tangled up??" I repeated, because he has said his words were not working before but this was a new one.
"Yes, my words is tangled up in my throat with string. The string is all tangled up."
This statement amazed both myself and his speech therapist, who thought it the most accurate description of what it is like to live with Apraxia and the word retrieval and other frustrating components of it.
His ability to describe the frustration is so articulate that it's almost counter-intuitive to the affliction!!
Finally he said, "I am trying to tell you the song but my words aren't working. They all tangled up!"
"Your words are tangled up??" I repeated, because he has said his words were not working before but this was a new one.
"Yes, my words is tangled up in my throat with string. The string is all tangled up."
This statement amazed both myself and his speech therapist, who thought it the most accurate description of what it is like to live with Apraxia and the word retrieval and other frustrating components of it.
His ability to describe the frustration is so articulate that it's almost counter-intuitive to the affliction!!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Apraxia in Action: Again
So, we love to go to the thrift store on Tuesdays, because it is half price day.
We got thistotally lame awesome find for only $2.5o the other day, and Bubbles is in love with it's archaic attractions. We start with just the word 'flamingos', which in some way, I would love to never change and always hear in (my mind at least) as 'fingogos, yeah!'....forever.
On the other hand, we have put almost two years into this speech therapy business, and that is almost half of Bubbles' life. Pretty soon he will have been in speech therapy for more than half of his life...
Whatever.
So. Here is the part where I introduce you to what I do approximately 23.8 times per day.
Oh yeah, watch the magic.
We got this
On the other hand, we have put almost two years into this speech therapy business, and that is almost half of Bubbles' life. Pretty soon he will have been in speech therapy for more than half of his life...
Whatever.
So. Here is the part where I introduce you to what I do approximately 23.8 times per day.
Oh yeah, watch the magic.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Spiderman Theme Song Debate
So Bubbles and his buddy, Orion, have a lot in common, beginning with their shared love of superheroes, especially The Best Superhero, Spiderman.
Much to Bubbles' excitement, Orion came to visit this weekend to 'pway wif toys and share the guys'!!
They then sat down to sing, and kept correcting each other on the lyrics of the Spidey theme song:
That was pretty funny, but then they got the giggles, and it devolved into some sort of knee-slapping hilarity:
I know. Just try not to laugh.
Much to Bubbles' excitement, Orion came to visit this weekend to 'pway wif toys and share the guys'!!
They then sat down to sing, and kept correcting each other on the lyrics of the Spidey theme song:
That was pretty funny, but then they got the giggles, and it devolved into some sort of knee-slapping hilarity:
I know. Just try not to laugh.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Apraxia Boy at New Preschool
Bubbles, after shaking his teacher's hand goodbye at the end of circle time (oh yes, I do love that manners are included in preschool!): MAMA!! I have a GREAT school! I have a great day at my school!
Me: Oh, that makes me so happy to hear! You like your new school?
Bubbles: I like my school! My school is great!
Language and concept development has tripled in the past few months. He was able to tell me his high opinion of his new school, describe a past action sentence, and sum up his thoughts into a emphatic comment about his school, using different combinations of synonymous words.
Go, Bubbles!!
Me: Oh, that makes me so happy to hear! You like your new school?
Bubbles: I like my school! My school is great!
Language and concept development has tripled in the past few months. He was able to tell me his high opinion of his new school, describe a past action sentence, and sum up his thoughts into a emphatic comment about his school, using different combinations of synonymous words.
Go, Bubbles!!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Apraxia Update
I haven't posted much about Bubbles' Apraxia lately, mostly because he is kicking Apraxia's ass. His articulation still leaves much to be desired, but his vocabulary and sentence structure are skyrocketing. Here are a few 'soundbytes' from our recent conversations.
Last week, as I was filling out some paperwork in a large building:
Bubbles: Mama, can we go ride the helicopter?
Mama: Yes, honey, we can go ride the elevator after I am done here.
Bubbles: YAY!!
Clerk behind window: He said 'helicopter'.
Mama: He did? Oh yes, I guess he did. Well, clearly there is no helicopter to ride here!
The other day, while house sitting for a friend with a pool:
Bubbles: Mama, can I go in the pool?
Mama: Yes, you may, but go get your bathing suit and ask the girls (Supergirl and friend) if they want to go in too.
Bubbles: Hey KIDS! Get your SPACE SUITS! We gonna go in the pooooooool!
Yesterday, after a fun visit with Daddy:
Mama: Did you have a fun time playing with Daddy?
Bubbles: Yes! We played Batman and Joker and Wescue Heroes and Fire! Did you have a happy see the coffee?
Today:
Bubbles: Mmmmm....I want some bacon. Can I please have bacon?
Mama: Yes, I can make you some (already cooked) bacon. I just need to heat it up.
Bubbles: Oh good! Can I eat the bacon and watch the movie?
Mama: No, because we are at Grace's house, and the bacon is too messy for the living room.
Bubbles: But I will eat the bacon at the table, and then it can't get messy, it be happy (happy=good)!
Mama: Well, okay but you have to stay at the table and use a napkin.
Bubbles: Okay! Its a good idea, Mom!
Bubbles: Oh no, is the bacon all gone? The box in the garbage.
Mama: Yes, that bacon is all gone now. We will have to go to the store to get some more.
Bubbles: Yes! We will get some more bacon and I will say, 'Mama, I have some bacon?' and you say, 'Yes!'...Then it be happy!
Last week, as I was filling out some paperwork in a large building:
Bubbles: Mama, can we go ride the helicopter?
Mama: Yes, honey, we can go ride the elevator after I am done here.
Bubbles: YAY!!
Clerk behind window: He said 'helicopter'.
Mama: He did? Oh yes, I guess he did. Well, clearly there is no helicopter to ride here!
The other day, while house sitting for a friend with a pool:
Bubbles: Mama, can I go in the pool?
Mama: Yes, you may, but go get your bathing suit and ask the girls (Supergirl and friend) if they want to go in too.
Bubbles: Hey KIDS! Get your SPACE SUITS! We gonna go in the pooooooool!
Yesterday, after a fun visit with Daddy:
Mama: Did you have a fun time playing with Daddy?
Bubbles: Yes! We played Batman and Joker and Wescue Heroes and Fire! Did you have a happy see the coffee?
Today:
Bubbles: Mmmmm....I want some bacon. Can I please have bacon?
Mama: Yes, I can make you some (already cooked) bacon. I just need to heat it up.
Bubbles: Oh good! Can I eat the bacon and watch the movie?
Mama: No, because we are at Grace's house, and the bacon is too messy for the living room.
Bubbles: But I will eat the bacon at the table, and then it can't get messy, it be happy (happy=good)!
Mama: Well, okay but you have to stay at the table and use a napkin.
Bubbles: Okay! Its a good idea, Mom!
Bubbles: Oh no, is the bacon all gone? The box in the garbage.
Mama: Yes, that bacon is all gone now. We will have to go to the store to get some more.
Bubbles: Yes! We will get some more bacon and I will say, 'Mama, I have some bacon?' and you say, 'Yes!'...Then it be happy!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Apraxia Update, or: The Summer with Apraxia Challenge
Yesterday was an Apraxia Triple Challenge Adventure.
Can you hear the cheering? That was for me, for making it through the day.
Bubbles is not adjusting well to his reduction in speech therapy hours from three/per week to one/per week. He is going through this awesome fun phase anyway, I call it the TRP: Transition Resistance Program. He says 'I don't want to' to almost anything at all, but once we get there he is fine. So I just nod and affirm that his protests are heard, but of course I continue with the original goal.
"You don't want to go potty, yes I know. Do you need help with your shorts?"
"You don't want to go to the store. Please hold my hand in the parking lot."
"You don't want to go to speech therapy. Let's go see what Guru has to play with today!"
My formula is pretty much: TRP + acknowledge + ignore = results.
Yesterday I got out 'The Box' of speech therapy tools and Bubbles went instantly into FULL FORCE TRP mode. Tantrums were thrown in for good measure.
I remained calm. I repeated myself. I stuck to the program.
Tantrums escalated. Things were thrown (by him).
Forty five minutes into it, we had made no progress.
I went into ABA mode. I had no more tricks left but ABA.
I like to think of ABA as outsmarting my very smart kid into doing something he is resisting, with a positive result. (Whatever works for you, right?)
It worked. I don't know that I am going to be able to spend three hours trying to get him to do one hour of speech program every single day (did I mention that I am also in school?), but at least I was smarter than a three year old yesterday.
Thank you, Squid, for the awesome new toy which broke the evil spell and brought me compliance. (Also, as my old friend pointed out, praise to the tried and true, never-gets-old toy, the fabulous Tickle Bee!)
Can you hear the cheering? That was for me, for making it through the day.
Bubbles is not adjusting well to his reduction in speech therapy hours from three/per week to one/per week. He is going through this awesome fun phase anyway, I call it the TRP: Transition Resistance Program. He says 'I don't want to' to almost anything at all, but once we get there he is fine. So I just nod and affirm that his protests are heard, but of course I continue with the original goal.
"You don't want to go potty, yes I know. Do you need help with your shorts?"
"You don't want to go to the store. Please hold my hand in the parking lot."
"You don't want to go to speech therapy. Let's go see what Guru has to play with today!"
My formula is pretty much: TRP + acknowledge + ignore = results.
Yesterday I got out 'The Box' of speech therapy tools and Bubbles went instantly into FULL FORCE TRP mode. Tantrums were thrown in for good measure.
I remained calm. I repeated myself. I stuck to the program.
Tantrums escalated. Things were thrown (by him).
Forty five minutes into it, we had made no progress.
I went into ABA mode. I had no more tricks left but ABA.
I like to think of ABA as outsmarting my very smart kid into doing something he is resisting, with a positive result. (Whatever works for you, right?)
It worked. I don't know that I am going to be able to spend three hours trying to get him to do one hour of speech program every single day (did I mention that I am also in school?), but at least I was smarter than a three year old yesterday.
Thank you, Squid, for the awesome new toy which broke the evil spell and brought me compliance. (Also, as my old friend pointed out, praise to the tried and true, never-gets-old toy, the fabulous Tickle Bee!)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Apraxia Update
Well, Bubbles no longer has Apraxia tests so high that he currently tests above the level which meets the criteria for the diagnosis of Apraxia.
:::::blink blink blink::::
He does, most likely still have Apraxia, and also perhaps a phonological disorder, which only appears as a distinguishable diagnosis around age four. We are fortunate to have such a well appointed speech therapist working with Bubbles; but The Guru is almost too good. She has made so much progress with him that he has blossomed like a bloomin onion. Because he is revealed to us with each new layer, and also because he is as delicious as a deep fried bloomin onion.
But, at the IEP, I was flabbergasted when I was told that his vocabulary AND expressive language skills test in the five year old range (he is 3.6), and that he technically no longer qualified for services, and especially not an ESY. So, the boy who has had 3 hours/week of speech therapy is suddenly released? I don't think so. I asked for at least one hour/week of continued 1:1 speech services, based on the following principles:
Guess what?
Bubbles has one hour of 1:1 speech therapy in an ESY and is scheduled to be re-evaluated when he is four.
If you need support at your IEP, please let me know - I am happy to share the love.
:::::blink blink blink::::
He does, most likely still have Apraxia, and also perhaps a phonological disorder, which only appears as a distinguishable diagnosis around age four. We are fortunate to have such a well appointed speech therapist working with Bubbles; but The Guru is almost too good. She has made so much progress with him that he has blossomed like a bloomin onion. Because he is revealed to us with each new layer, and also because he is as delicious as a deep fried bloomin onion.
But, at the IEP, I was flabbergasted when I was told that his vocabulary AND expressive language skills test in the five year old range (he is 3.6), and that he technically no longer qualified for services, and especially not an ESY. So, the boy who has had 3 hours/week of speech therapy is suddenly released? I don't think so. I asked for at least one hour/week of continued 1:1 speech services, based on the following principles:
- The school district was willing to pay for ESY if I would have taken their suggestion to send him to a special day school (which was not appropriate!).
- He was doing so very well with the speech therapist, that to take him away entirely, would be akin to removing one of 4 wheels on a car and expecting it to continue to run well.
Guess what?
Bubbles has one hour of 1:1 speech therapy in an ESY and is scheduled to be re-evaluated when he is four.
If you need support at your IEP, please let me know - I am happy to share the love.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
My Three Year Old Thinks He's Howard Hughes
Bubbles is very independent. Forced by apraxia, and motivated by his marvelous personality, he will help himself before he asks for help, such as: bring a box of cereal to me if he wants some, and run back out of the room to get a bowl if he forgot one.
So far, we are a potty training FAIL. He refuses to use the potty, runs from the potty in horror, denies having pooped despite green vapors filling the room, refuses even gummy treats in exchange for a mere moment on the toilet.
Yesterday, he peed on his shoes. Well, through his pants (I told him he wasn't wearing a diaper!) and onto his shoes.
And I wiped off his shoes and put them in the sun to dry. Later, the shoes were nowhere to be found. Missing shoes.
"Where are your shoes?" We asked Bubbles.
"I gonna pay trains!" He would answer.
"Bubbles, go find your shoes!"
"I want a cookie!"
This went on all day. We would ask him for the shoes, and he would change the subject and look innocent. We searched the yard, the house, the garage, the bike baskets, everything we could think of, because Bubbles will only wear this pair of shoes or rainboots, and today was too hot for the latter.
No shoes.
Tonight, I put him in the bath and started cleaning up in the living room, adjacent to the bathroom. I heard him rummaging through his bath toy basket, and he began playing. Dh walked in the bathroom a moment later and found Bubbles with his leather shoes submerged, happily scrubbing away.
"Shoe bath!" He announced.
Oh my holy hell. The boy hid his shoes under the toys in the bath toy basket, waiting for a secret opportunity in which to wash them.
What does one make of a child who refuses to use a toilet, but is afraid that his parents will not properly wash the pee off of his shoes?
So far, we are a potty training FAIL. He refuses to use the potty, runs from the potty in horror, denies having pooped despite green vapors filling the room, refuses even gummy treats in exchange for a mere moment on the toilet.
Yesterday, he peed on his shoes. Well, through his pants (I told him he wasn't wearing a diaper!) and onto his shoes.
And I wiped off his shoes and put them in the sun to dry. Later, the shoes were nowhere to be found. Missing shoes.
"Where are your shoes?" We asked Bubbles.
"I gonna pay trains!" He would answer.
"Bubbles, go find your shoes!"
"I want a cookie!"
This went on all day. We would ask him for the shoes, and he would change the subject and look innocent. We searched the yard, the house, the garage, the bike baskets, everything we could think of, because Bubbles will only wear this pair of shoes or rainboots, and today was too hot for the latter.
No shoes.
Tonight, I put him in the bath and started cleaning up in the living room, adjacent to the bathroom. I heard him rummaging through his bath toy basket, and he began playing. Dh walked in the bathroom a moment later and found Bubbles with his leather shoes submerged, happily scrubbing away.
"Shoe bath!" He announced.
Oh my holy hell. The boy hid his shoes under the toys in the bath toy basket, waiting for a secret opportunity in which to wash them.
What does one make of a child who refuses to use a toilet, but is afraid that his parents will not properly wash the pee off of his shoes?
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Inappropriate Parenting
Today's photo upload editing is brought to you by speech therapy cafe:
Is it wrong, that yesterday, after my Ebay score had arrived and been opened, that I only want to encourage a repeat reaction from my son?
My son, who wrapped the doll's legs around his neck, settling him on his shoulders, and romped around the house yelling, "I HAZ A WOODY! I HAS A WOODY! DADDY COME SEE MY WOODY!!"
I swear to you, picture to come if it's the only thing I do today.....
HERE THEY ARE!!!
Look, MA! I HAZ A WOODY!!
See? I got a WOODY!
Is it wrong, that yesterday, after my Ebay score had arrived and been opened, that I only want to encourage a repeat reaction from my son?
My son, who wrapped the doll's legs around his neck, settling him on his shoulders, and romped around the house yelling, "I HAZ A WOODY! I HAS A WOODY! DADDY COME SEE MY WOODY!!"
I swear to you, picture to come if it's the only thing I do today.....
HERE THEY ARE!!!
Look, MA! I HAZ A WOODY!!
See? I got a WOODY!Thursday, January 08, 2009
Speech Therapy is GREAT!
Let me share with you why speech therapy is not just great for Bubbles, but also for Mama:
This is the cafe two blocks away. They have free wi-fi and the ownerfeels so bad that I have to spend so much on gas to get there is so nice, that he gives me 1/2 price coffee!
Don't hate me. Even Mama deserves a few breaks.
This is the cafe two blocks away. They have free wi-fi and the owner
Don't hate me. Even Mama deserves a few breaks.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Bubbles' Apraxia & Speech Update: Now with Video!
Bubbles is making crazy progress with his speech lately; there is no denying that this child has a sense of humor. Even his speech therapist (the Guru) feels the need to take notes as he continually amazes her in sessions.
On Monday, she was sound-pairing and building syllables with him. Each word or sound is enunciated with sing-song-y tones, and she makes it very rhythmic, often tapping out each word on the table. He repeats everything she says without hesitation.
So, this went on once or twice, until she was satisfied with his progress. He waited politely until after she had stopped with the 'big ant' and put the picture down, and then he said,
"It's a spider."
I know, he slays me too.
His most amazing accomplishment is dazzling, however. A few weeks ago, he found the video case for The Letter Factory, and asked to watch it. I put it on for him, and after happily watching it, he went back to asking for Thomas videos.
The other day, I noticed him with a book - a remnant from his sister's long-ignored Leappad (the extra large blue one) which may or may not have accidentally made it into a donation box and out of our garage (am afraid to look).
He showed me the pages with the pictures of slightly anthropomorphic letters.
Pointing to the 'Z', he then sang, "Zuh-zuh-zuh....zuh-zuh-zuh..." to the tune of Brahm's lullaby (just like on the Letter Factory). Next, to the 'W', insisting, "Whah! Wuh-wuh-wuh-whah!"
I pointed to: J, N, M, V, T...he knew the correct sounds for each of them! He didn't label the letter, but made the sounds for these consonants and then I realized that he also knew 'O' and 'A'.
The boy is a bright little bulb.
On Monday, she was sound-pairing and building syllables with him. Each word or sound is enunciated with sing-song-y tones, and she makes it very rhythmic, often tapping out each word on the table. He repeats everything she says without hesitation.
Big ant: Big ant.
Big black ant: Big black ant.
Big black ant goes: Big black ant goes.
Big black ant goes up: Big black ant goes up!
Big black ant: Big black ant.
Big black ant goes: Big black ant goes.
Big black ant goes up: Big black ant goes up!
So, this went on once or twice, until she was satisfied with his progress. He waited politely until after she had stopped with the 'big ant' and put the picture down, and then he said,
"It's a spider."
I know, he slays me too.
His most amazing accomplishment is dazzling, however. A few weeks ago, he found the video case for The Letter Factory, and asked to watch it. I put it on for him, and after happily watching it, he went back to asking for Thomas videos.
The other day, I noticed him with a book - a remnant from his sister's long-ignored Leappad (the extra large blue one) which may or may not have accidentally made it into a donation box and out of our garage (am afraid to look).
He showed me the pages with the pictures of slightly anthropomorphic letters.
Pointing to the 'Z', he then sang, "Zuh-zuh-zuh....zuh-zuh-zuh..." to the tune of Brahm's lullaby (just like on the Letter Factory). Next, to the 'W', insisting, "Whah! Wuh-wuh-wuh-whah!"
I pointed to: J, N, M, V, T...he knew the correct sounds for each of them! He didn't label the letter, but made the sounds for these consonants and then I realized that he also knew 'O' and 'A'.
The boy is a bright little bulb.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Apraxia in Action
One of the interesting things about a child having Apraxia, is that he can repeat things as accurately as he may hear them each time, but rarely do they come out sounding the same way each time.
Also, since it is in reality, a neurological processing disorder, what he wants to say may differ completely from his ability to name an object presented to him for labeling.
To be able to understand a neurological disorder such as Apraxia (not exclusive to Bubbles'), one has to understand how the brain is capable of working independently (and, at times 'against itself') from its own desires.
Because If you want a spoon, you can ask for a spoon. If Bubbles wants a spoon, he can now ask for a spoon.
If you have a neuro-processing disorder (such as Apraxia), someone can hold up a picture of a spoon, oreven worse, hold up a real spoon, and you might not be able to say that it was, in fact, a spoon. The part of your brain that can request a spoon and the part of your brain that can label a spoon are two completely different parts of your brain.
So, the other day, Bubbles wanted to go in the car. He yelled, "I go HOUSE! I go HOUSE!"
Until I totally bit the bait, "WHO'S HOUSE??? WHERE do you want to go??"
And he said, "I wan go Nina's house."
And I said, "I think Nina and Joe are coming over here soon. We don't have to go there."
And he seemed satisfied with that.
Of course, when Nina and Joe arrived, there was much a-flurry! Bubbles ran about and hugged his beloved Nina, whose home he had just begged to visit.
I asked him to say her name, "Who is here, Bubbs? Who is this?"
He looked right at her, looked back over at her husband (Joe), grinned his rabbit tooth grin, pointed straight at Nina, and said, "Thas JOE!"
That? That, is Apraxia in action.
Another funny thing about having a child with Apraxia is that you can hear them say something perfectly sometimes. So perfectly that you wonder if your older child is somehow home from school. And that perfect utterance may or may not be repeated.
We are starting to hear more of these 'perfect utterances' in Bubbles' speech, and this has caused a bit of stir.
Yesterday as we were driving home from the guru (his speech therapist), we narrowly missed a metal-bending crash with a car that blindly crossed over three lanes of traffic. It was closer than inches; it was centimeters. My hands were shaking in that 'OMG THAT WAS SO CLOSE' way, and I yelled out something like, "HOLY SHIT!" and Bubbles, from the back seat, piped up,
"What happen?"
Without regaining composure, I muttered, "DUMBASS!" and from the back seat, I heard,
"Dumbass!" echoed with just the right amount of disgust, and spoken with the most perfect articulation you ever did hear.
You would never have guessed it was spoken by a child with severe Apraxia. A child who, just three months ago, could barely say any two syllable words.
Which is why today is the day I stop swearing in front of Bubbles.
(will someone pleasemotherfucking hold me?)
Also, since it is in reality, a neurological processing disorder, what he wants to say may differ completely from his ability to name an object presented to him for labeling.
To be able to understand a neurological disorder such as Apraxia (not exclusive to Bubbles'), one has to understand how the brain is capable of working independently (and, at times 'against itself') from its own desires.
Because If you want a spoon, you can ask for a spoon. If Bubbles wants a spoon, he can now ask for a spoon.
If you have a neuro-processing disorder (such as Apraxia), someone can hold up a picture of a spoon, or
So, the other day, Bubbles wanted to go in the car. He yelled, "I go HOUSE! I go HOUSE!"
Until I totally bit the bait, "WHO'S HOUSE??? WHERE do you want to go??"
And he said, "I wan go Nina's house."
And I said, "I think Nina and Joe are coming over here soon. We don't have to go there."
And he seemed satisfied with that.
Of course, when Nina and Joe arrived, there was much a-flurry! Bubbles ran about and hugged his beloved Nina, whose home he had just begged to visit.
I asked him to say her name, "Who is here, Bubbs? Who is this?"
He looked right at her, looked back over at her husband (Joe), grinned his rabbit tooth grin, pointed straight at Nina, and said, "Thas JOE!"
That? That, is Apraxia in action.
Another funny thing about having a child with Apraxia is that you can hear them say something perfectly sometimes. So perfectly that you wonder if your older child is somehow home from school. And that perfect utterance may or may not be repeated.
We are starting to hear more of these 'perfect utterances' in Bubbles' speech, and this has caused a bit of stir.
Yesterday as we were driving home from the guru (his speech therapist), we narrowly missed a metal-bending crash with a car that blindly crossed over three lanes of traffic. It was closer than inches; it was centimeters. My hands were shaking in that 'OMG THAT WAS SO CLOSE' way, and I yelled out something like, "HOLY SHIT!" and Bubbles, from the back seat, piped up,
"What happen?"
Without regaining composure, I muttered, "DUMBASS!" and from the back seat, I heard,
"Dumbass!" echoed with just the right amount of disgust, and spoken with the most perfect articulation you ever did hear.
You would never have guessed it was spoken by a child with severe Apraxia. A child who, just three months ago, could barely say any two syllable words.
Which is why today is the day I stop swearing in front of Bubbles.
(will someone please
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