Making Sense of Apraxia and Dyspraxia
Different areas of the world use different words but ‘apraxia’ and ‘dyspraxia of speech’ both describe what used to be known as mutism.
Speech apraxia, as it is called in the U.S., is a motor speech disorder. People have problems saying sounds, syllables, and words. This is not because of muscle weakness or paralysis. The brain has problems planning to move the body parts (e.g., lips, jaw, tongue) needed for speech.This may be caused by a connection problem between the mouth and brain. Since a child who has apraxia doesn’t talk, the condition is often interpreted as a cognitive problem.
It’s not.
Kids with apraxia are usually just fine cognitively but are unable to get their mouths to say the words that are in their heads. That can be a very frustrating experience and is much different from not knowing what words to say; which is more of a cognitive problem.
With Gemiini, kids with apraxia CAN learn to talk.
What happens in the brains of these kids? We don’t know for sure yet but it seems that Gemiini may correct the problem between the mouth and the brain. Or it could be that the kids who we thought were apraxic actually weren’t… but the evidence so far points to success in Gemiini’s ability to re-route neurological blocks that may be causing the apraxia.
Researchers at USC are planning a study to do scans on children with apraxia and research how Gemiini is affecting the brain. We will, of course, keep you updated on the findings of that study.
Gemiini has a protocol for parents to use if they suspect apraxia. One of the keys in that protocol is repetition. We highly recommend scheduling a call with a product specialist to go over the details and learn how to test the receptive language of your child and implement therapy that will help ease the frustration of an apraxic child.
Regular testing will help a parent determine if there is a problem with understanding (not apraxia) or a problem with connection between the brain and mouth (apraxia).
It appears that Gemiini is able to wake up a student’s active network and, eventually, may even eliminate the effects of apraxia. It’s not something that can be accomplished in 40 minutes of therapy every week, but is something that would need to be accomplished by many hours per week at home Gemiini.
Check out this edition of Laura Live for more information, and be sure to schedule a call if you’re currently a Gemiini member. If you’re not, you can click here to sign up.