Speaking of Apraxia: A Parents' Guide to Childhood Apraxia of Speech [Paperback]

Leslie Lindsay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 2012

At last, a parents' guide to understanding, treating, and living with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Written in an empathic style by a parent who "has been there", Speaking of Apraxia offers hope and practical advice for parents of toddlers to teens with this neurologically-based motor speech disorder. Characterized by difficulties with planning and producing the complex set of movements necessary for intelligible speech, CAS can be a child's only diagnosis or can be accompanied by other special needs such as learning disabilities, Down syndrome, or autism. Parents and professionals will appreciate the author's clear explanations of everything from diagnosing CAS and working with speech-language pathologists (SLPs), to understanding how to distinguish it from other speech disorders, and getting appropriate early intervention and special education support.

Drawing on the latest research, professionals' insights, her own and other parents' experience, the author covers these important topics:

I: The Straight Scoop on Speech Basics--CAS definition; An Overview of Speech & Language; Where to Get Help and What to Ask; Your First Appointment with an SLP

II: Now What?!--Getting, Coping with and Understanding the Diagnosis; Health & Genetics; All about Speech Therapy

III: Helping Your Child--Complementary and Alternative Medical and Treatment Approaches (Diet, Music, Movement Therapy and More)

IV: Off to School--Getting Ready; Special Education Ins & Outs; Phonological Awareness; Reading Issues

V: Coping & Hoping--Dealing with Emotions and Family Life; What the Future May Hold; Networking, Support Groups, and Advocacy

Appendices: Information on insurance, summer camps and enrichment programs, speech-language milestones, and a glossary of terms

Speaking of Apraxia is a comprehensive and authoritative resource any family, SLP, occupational therapist, or pediatric practice will be glad to own or recommend.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The writing style also makes the reader feel as if he or she is actually sitting there, with Lindsay, having an informed conversation with someone who's been there, done that, and made it--giving hope to parents of a newly diagnosed child that they can make it, too. --ForeWord Digital Reviews

[An] excellent resource for parents, educators, and speech-language pathologists. I highly suggest other health care professionals read this as well. It belongs on every therapy agency's lending book shelf. ---Judy Michels Jelm, M.S., CCC-SLP, Neuro-Developmental Treatment Association SLP instructor emeritus

About the Author

Leslie Lindsay was formerly a Child and Adolescent Psychiatric nurse at the Mayo Clinic. She attended the University of Missouri-Columbia and earned a B.S.N. from the Sinclair School of Nursing with a minor in psychology. She and her family, including a daughter with CAS, live in suburban Chicago. She writes about a range of parenting issues on her blog, Leslie 4 Kids.

Product Details

• Paperback: 450 pages
• Publisher: Woodbine House (March 28, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606130617
• ISBN-13: 978-1606130612
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 0.9 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,868 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Special Education > Communicative Disorders
  • #72 in Books > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Parent Participation

More About the Author

Leslie Lindsay has always been a writer at heart having penned her first "book" at the tender age of 5 in the self-help field, "I Like You, Do You Like Me?" While girl's self-esteem has been at the center of her life as a child/adolescent psychiatric R.N. at the Mayo Clinic, and now a mother of two girls her first published book, "Speaking of Apraxia: A Parent's Guide to Childhood Apraxia of Speech" also resonates with her real-life. Her oldest daughter suffers from this complex, neurlogically-based motor speech disorder. When she isn't glued to her laptop at a local coffee shop, you'll find her running around the Chicago suburbs in a crazy effort to get everyone, including a floppy Basset hound and husband to school, soccer, Irish step dance, or the groomer. Lindsay is continuing to write, though this next book will be in the women's fiction genre.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is just what I needed! May 9, 2012

By GinaS

Format:Paperback

So I'm not one to write reviews of books. Typically, I'd just write a review if the book was so horrible (so bad I'd want my money back) or so fantastic that it moved me. This book definately moved me.

Like the author of this book, I tried to read everything available about apraxia when my daughter was diagnosed with the disorder. The books that I found were either about general speech delays (with apraxia just a small section) OR technical books that seemed to be aimed at speech therapists. Even the website supposedly for parents of children with apraxia seemed too technical...and I'm a college graduate! I also asked by daughter's speech therapist if there was *ANYTHING* written about apraxia that normal parents can understand. She mentioned some of the books I had already read (and was dissatisfied with).

But a few weeks ago, the speech therapist pulled me aside and said "Are you still looking for a book on apraxia for normal parents?? If so, I've got the book for you." She handed me a postcard showing "Speaking of Apraxia's" book cover on it, and said that she'd seen a copy and that its probably exactly what I was looking for.

She was absolutely right! This book is comprehensive. It talks about what apraxia is, traditional therapies for treating the disorder, alternative therapies, things parents can do to help their child with this disorder and cope with it, and even a section on insurance coverage for therapy. Best of all, the author *translated* all that technical SLP jargon into language that a parent can understand!! She also gives a list of additional resources at the end of each chapter if you want to know more.

Her writing style is kind of chatty, so it seems like she's another parent at the speech clinic giving me a mix of Apraxia 101 and her personal experiences as a parent of an apraxic child. The book seems lengthy (~400 pages), but the author's writing style makes it a page-turner.

If you're a parent of child with apraxia, I HIGHLY recommend this book! No qualifications or reservations. Buy it! I've convinced our speech clinic to buy 2-3 copies for their lending library.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Life changing for those of us dealing with an apraxic child June 14, 2012

By Vanessa

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I just got my copy of "Speaking of Apraxia" in the mail. I sat down and read as much as I could right away. I can't thank the author enough for taking the time to write this book for us 1% of parents that need it. I have often blamed myself time and time again for my daughter having this disorder. I can relate to everything the book talks about. Now that I look back through my family, both my father and I were late talkers. I can see more of a pattern now which is a tremendously good feeling. Lauren was an unplanned pregnancy and I have always feared that I did something wrong to cause this.

As we prepare for kindergarten, this was just the resource that I needed. I'm looking forward to the challenges we may face with school and getting her ready. It is so nice to think of approaching this from every angle - diet, addt'l therapy, etc. I have so many pages flagged that I don't know where to start...hippotherapy, vitamins, music therapy, etc.

My daughter has red hair and blue eyes as well so right when I saw this book, it struck a chord with me and I knew we needed it. THANK YOU, thank you to the author that in this busy world that we live in with children, work and life that you took the time to create this guide for us parents that only want the best for our children.

If I could give this review and book 10 stars I would. I'm buying 2 more copies this week for both sets of grandparents. This is an answer to many of our prayers after many tough years of dealing with apraxia.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars written for grandparents July 27, 2012

By Grandpa/ma

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Our granddaughter lives several hours from us, so we depend on the phone in order to communicate with her. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with childhood speech apraxia at age 3 and we had been unable to have any meaningful conversations. For years, my wife & I have tried to understand apraxia and could not find a good source of meaningful information, until, we recently discovered and read the "Speaking of Apraxia: A Parents' Guide to Childhood Apraxia of Speech". I would recommend this for grandparents as well ... The book allows us to ask intelligent questions about the diagnosis and therapy. Fortunately, our granddaughter received appropriate help and we now enjoy our conversations with her. The book has given us an increased understanding of the disorder and increased patience and admiration for what our granddaughter was able to overcome.