Having a child who doesn't speak much would seem to be a blessing to many. Though all my children tend to be on the quieter side (we highly value peace and quiet in our home), our last child took it one step further and decided not to speak at all. Though I wasn't worried about this and assumed it was a simple speech delay (hey, he'll be talking by the time he's 16, right?), I received a notification in my mailbox one day about a new speech therapy office opening in town and made the decision to go check them out. A very quick and easy evaluation showed us he was almost a year behind in language skills. I still wasn't too concerned, knowing all too well that speech delays can fix themselves and children can start talking in complete sentences at a later age. But as he continued, the therapist became more sure that he did not in fact have a simple speech delay but rather seemed to be showing signs of a speech motor planning problem. Well, that's a mouthful... I may not have quite understood what it meant when she said it, but it was enough to bring his "deficit" sharply into focus and me running to do my research on what that meant.
My therapist was (and is) very cautious not to label him or give an official diagnosis of anything until he can speak more. As she explained, it's quite impossible to diagnose a speech problem without any speech; it's only when one hears the child say their letters, words and sounds that one can diagnose based on the arrangement, order and sounds of their vocalizations. So though Landon still only says a few words at most, based on my description of his words and his attempts at sounds, the therapist is theorizing it could be
apraxia. So what does this mean? We're not really sure.
Developmental apraxia of speech (DAS) occurs in children and is present from birth. It appears to affect more boys than girls...DAS is different from what is known as a developmental delay of speech, in which a child follows the "typical" path of speech development but does so more slowly than normal.
The cause or causes of DAS are not yet known. Some scientists believe that DAS is a disorder related to a child's overall language development. Others believe it is a neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to send the proper signals to move the muscles involved in speech. However, brain imaging and other studies have not found evidence of specific brain lesions or differences in brain structure in children with DAS.
Children with developmental apraxia of speech generally can understand language much better than they are able to use language to express themselves.
The severity of both acquired and developmental apraxia of speech varies from person to person. Apraxia can be so mild that a person has trouble with very few speech sounds or only has occasional problems pronouncing words with many syllables. In the most severe cases, a person may not be able to communicate effectively with speech, and may need the help of alternative or additional communication methods.
Children with developmental apraxia of speech will not outgrow the problem on their own. Speech-language therapy is often helpful for these children...1
Landon's speech motor planning problem was described to me like this: when a word forms in his brain and he tries to speak it, the message may not reach his mouth or his mouth can't physically form the word properly. Usually children learn to say a word and over time and with practice can master the sound of that word. Muscle memory plays a vital role in remembering how to say a word, moving your muscles in such a way to correctly pronounce that word. With apraxia, there is a muscle memory deficit so even if a child accomplishes in saying a word, they may not be able to say it correctly again. Words can come out in a jumble of sounds not making any sense. This can lead to frustration on the part of the child and the parents. Because Landon has opted to stay quiet and only say a few words, the frustration hasn't set in for him yet, however the therapist is very quick to caution us to find ways to circumvent this potential frustration. This has lead us to learn more sign language. While Landon learns how to speak, he can supplement the words he can't speak with sign. We have always used baby signs for the boys as they grew up and know very basic signs, but our education in ASL will take us to a new level. Landon will continue speech therapy once a week while also learning more signs from various resources (books, DVDs, a friend of mine who comes in weekly to teach us some new signs).
Another idea we've introduced is having him listen to complex music. It's been shown that listening to music, a typically right-brained activity, can help bridge the gap to the left side where the speech center of the brain is found. We now have classical music playing in the background on a daily basis and enjoy the peace it brings along with the intellectual stimulation. We can just feel our brain neurons multiplying! lol
The power of music to affect memory is quite intriguing. Mozart's music and baroque music, with a 60 beats per minute beat pattern, activate the left and right brain. The simultaneous left and right brain action maximizes learning and retention of information. The information being studied activates the left brain while the music activates the right brain. Also, activities which engage both sides of the brain at the same time, such as playing an instrument or singing, causes the brain to be more capable of processing information.2
We are excited to see how Landon develops and, in turn, our whole family develops as we delve into sign language and into a more musical world. Jayce and Reagan will be learning the violin this year and studies have shown that the earlier we can get our children to learn and practice an instrument, the more intelligent they'll be. I'm hoping this all rubs off on Landon in a very positive way and have him talking normally -or in fluent sign - in no time!
1. From the NIDCD site.
2. From the website Cerebromente.
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