some books... apraxia

Not much has been going around here lately, well that's not really we have been super busy just not much going on in the blog world so I thought I was time for some more information on Apraxia. When your child has special needs of any kind it can become all consuming of your thoughts, your day and your life. When People look at Harrison they may not think that he looks like a child with "special needs" but in fact his apraxia and sensory issues can be as life altering as many other disabilities. Can you begin to think how hard it would be to not be able to communicate with other, and then when the frustration hits or you hear the wrong sound etc, your whole day goes down the drain and you have NO CONTROL over it. I can't not image what our little red head wonder lives with and on most days I think the fights it really well and makes the best of it.





So without getting teary eyed tonight I thought I would share some books that GREAT resources if you know some one with apraxia, ADHD, autism, etc. Most research that is used for Apraxia includes ADHD and Autism or the study was started with ADHD or Autistic children and parallels were found with apraxia since they all share many similar traits. As I read all these books tears just flowed, because I could see my little man in all of the children profiled in the books, because you realize you are not the only one who has a child that cries for days on end, never sleeps, and can not control their bodies no mater how hard they try, and because you see how different their lives are and may have to remain for some time from that of their peers.





So this first one may be the hardest to swallow. The Kid Friendly ADHD & Autism Cookbook is a great source to understand what effect gluten(wheat) and casein (dairy) can have on ones body and especially that of people with ADHD, Autism, and Apraxia. It talks about how these kids crave the foods that help their bodies lose control, how for some children MILK and WHEAT can be like morphine in their little bodies. Going Gluten free takes MAJOR dedication, it is in everything. We took about two months of really watching labels and trying new things, and watching the amount of wheat & gluten Harrison had in is diet. We did not cut it out 100% but have we seen changes. Last week we said we are going to take a break and let him eat anything he wants, and he LOVES BREAD and did we reap the consequences. Now John is also a believer and we trying to him Harrison onto a Gluten free diet, I am sure we will fail lots, but we see such a difference in his behavior, frustration, rebellion, and attention span that is is worth it to us.



Yes it is going to be hard to go to birthday parties and not eat cake and pizza yes it will be hard to pass up a cracker or cookie, but we are going to have to to it for the health of our child. This also means we will be eating at home even more, because there is very little out in restaurant that are gluten free, even french fries fried in the same oil as breaded chicken can have gluten on them. Now he does not have Celic disease which is the reason most people go to a gluten free diet so if he eats it he is not going to get sick, the negative behaviors will return within hours and stay around for what we have found at least 24-48 hours.

The Late Talker is a MUST READ for anyone with an apraxic child or person in their life. It is the only book that is all about Apraxia and it gives great insights on the life of someone with verbal apraxia along with how to deal with doctors that are not familiar with apraxia or even SLP (speech and language pathologist) and how to work with insurance companies in trying to get more coverages for this disorder, down to what codes need to be in medical files. THIS IS A MUST READ...

The LCP Solution talks about the benefits of LCP or fatty acids to help show remarkable results in people with ADHA, Dyslexia, Autism, Dyspraxia, and apraxia. Basically show the research in how fatty acids, mainly omega-3 and benefits these disorders. We started Harrison on Fish oil about 2 1/2 months ago and really think it has been the one factor that has made the most difference in his ability to gain speech. His attention span has gotten so much longer in turn allows him to work much harder on his speech. We we started the fish oil he had about 12 words that most people would know and they were never put together like in a sentence now he is saying 5 or 6 words at a time that at lease John, his SLP, and I know what he is saying. IT IS AMAZING.

I am not a doctor by any means but I am all for the most natural approach to our health and found that I can manage my lupus as well with what I put in my body or what I choose to keep out of my body. I am not saying we never use medication but in our book that is a last resort, since we don't really know what the long term side effects may be.