and learning disabilities are among the most common" problems associated with VCFS according to Therapy Techniques for Cleft Palate Speech and Related Disorders, by Karen J. Golding-Kushner. The author is also the Executive Director of the VCFS Education Foundation and was a speaker at the conference.
Ok, I did not know that. I did know that there were speech problems and language impairments. My interpretation of that, was I knew hypernasality and speech delays were involved. So honestly I figured "ok, not too much of a big deal!" Well that is not the case! It is a big deal! Not until I heard some of the kids talking did I really get it. Unfortunately I get it, but not enough to really explain it to you...not in a few sentences anyhow.
Some of the speech/language problems found in VCFS are: severe Hypernasality, severe articulation impairment, delayed language, dyspraxia, high pitched voice and hoarseness. What does that mean? Basically it sounds like someone is pinching your nose, and your talking without really pronouncing the consonants, and it may sound high pitched. There may also be an additional sound made, called a glottal stop which is like the sound you make in the middle when you say uh-oh. Confusing? I know!
I borrowed an example from a fellow VCFS mommy (Pam hope you don't mind) her little girl sings Minel Minel mina Nar, Ho oner wha oo are. (Thats Twinkle Twinkle Little Star).
The m-sound (lucky for ma-mas) is not affected. Some of you may have heard Angelina say (or holler) Ma-ma all the time. When she is not yelling, I really do consider it a blessing that she can say that much. Otherwise Angelina is a very quiet baby. Once in great while she'll say da when referring to Daddy, and Haaaa! for Hi. Being able to pronounce other consonants is definitely a good thing!
So not until she actually starts talking will we know if she'll require surgery. For now the right kind of speech therapy is important!
Enough info for now, but stay tuned: They said absolutely
NO SIGN LANGUAGE!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
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4 comments:
I'm very supprised that they told you no signing?!? It was Vaeh's speech therapist who introduced us to trying to get her to sign. As a result it has greatly stimmulated her communication skills! I guess different strokes for different folks!:0)
This sounds EXACTLY like what we went (are going) through with my son... Aidan is now 7 and his speach is greatly improved... We look at old videos where he's 4 or 5 just the other night and we were shocked at how bad his speach actually was then. We couldn't understand a word he was saying and when we realize how far he's come... He has dyspraxia. He's very smart in school and that was one of the signs he had dyspraxia. It's not an issue of intellegence-it's a motor issue. Nuerologically his brain can't make his body do what he wants tp do... He's been in early intervention since he was 18 months and went to a special preschool for 2 years for children with speech and other issues... SIGN was our saviour! I had to learn it as well and taught it to my husband. It enabled Aidan to communicate with us. He always spoke while he did the sign, and the dialog mistakes receeded and he was SO happy (we didn't understand him, and he'd get SO upset). Also, because he used sign he learned language at the right time. They say a child must learn correct language formation by 5 or 6 or they will speak incorrectly their whole lives... So while he could not actually speak, he learned the correct language and grammer necessary for language... When (and if) his speech kicked in he was gramatically speaking correctly... It's really impt. When he went to kindergarten we asked his teachers to learn sign before his arrival and they did! What WONDERFUL teachers!!! And he excelled beyond expectations... When he was 5 we learned about PROMPT therapy. It's a speech therapy where the therapist physically manipulates the face/jaw/mouth while the child is talking to teach them the proper way to pronounce words and sounds. This therapy showed the most promise for us. Unfortunately we have to pay for this service ourselves because the school district would not-but the Promt therpapist and his school speech therapist work together...Aidan's now 7 and his speech is fantastic. Not perfect, but everything is understood and he's very happy and doing great in school. Making friends has been difficult, but he pushes on and now has 2 little buddies... So as a parent that's been through it, try everything... Do the sign and look into Promt!
wow i had no idea about the depth of speech delays! how is therapy working out for angelina? i too am also worried about speech delays, but we haven't sought a therapist yet. i also wonder how things will turn out. keep us up to date!
I'm really surprised they sad no to sign language. We do sign language with Arianna and that has really helped with our communication gap. She is talking alot more even using the signing. I'll be interested to see your post about this topic.
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