Dyspraxia or Spectrum Behavior??
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| Thu, 11-10-2005 - 9:40pm |
Hi Everyone,
I am back with a new question. Background - My son began ST at 18 months of age, was diagnosed with dyspraxia at 2 1/2, and began making dramatic language gains at about 36 months. He now is approaching age appropriate articulation and can repeat almost anything you ask him to, a far cry from where we began. I still get a thrill out of his words and newfound voice.
My concern is that his language usage is spontaneous but not original. He will use lots of phrases that he has mastered in therapy spontaneously and appropriately, but doesn't really come out with many original thoughts or sentences. I have done loads of reading and research on children on the spectrum and I am concerned that his lack of original language is an indication that he may be on the spectrum. On the other hand, I think maybe for a child who has motor planning difficulties, it makes sense for him to stick to phrases he has mastered. Any thoughts?? Is this common with kids with dyspraxia? Do you think it most likely means he is on the spectrum? We don't go back to our dev. ped. until March.
Thanks.
Chrissy

Sonya
Hello,
Could you clarify for me. my understanding of dyspraxia is basically "clumsy child" syndrome where the child has motor planning difficulties that may be global (thus include articulation difficulties). Your post has me thinking apraxia which is a delay in language (I think similar to dyspraxia but limited to language trouble).
My AS daughter was originally diagnosed with dyspraxia along with ADHD and language disorder. It ended up all being part and parcal to her autism spectrum disorder.
The language troubles you mention I think are worth having evaluated for autism. As far as I know if it is just straight apraxia or dyspraxia it is the motor skills involved in forming language therefore they would understand and use language properly but thier mouth just really has a hard time forming the words. I could be wrong on this.
What you seem to be discribing is more a difficulty with actually understanding and proper usage of language. Though it isn't neccessarily ASD, one of the hallmarks of ASD is communication trouble and understanding and proper usage of language.
How old is your son? Does he have other symptoms as well? There is a checklist hopefully someone can post but I recently lost most of my links. I think it is at childbrain.org or similar and it is an online PDD screening checklist.
Renee
In my area, the doctors use dyspraxia and apraxia interchangeably - both to mean difficulty executing the motor planning sequences required to speak. Yes, ny son has had difficulties with speech. Yes, I do have other concerns, see some spectrumish behaviors but don't know if they are intense enough, or if I am just overlyanalytical. He has been to two dev. peds and hasn't been diagnosed on the spectrum. I continue to wonder though. He may end up being one of those borderline kids.
Chrissy
>>He will use lots of phrases that he has mastered in therapy spontaneously and appropriately, but doesn't really come out with many original thoughts or sentences<<
That sounds familiar. My son did it.
I agree with Renee. I thought apraxia was more to do with the mechanics of *speech* rather than the generation of spontaneous of *language*, which appears to be the concern here. have you had him evaluated by a SLP? I think you should at very least do that. Contact Early Intervention for a speech and language eval.
-Paula
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
Chrissy