Jake's Holistic Apraxia Success Story

Jake was an easygoing baby who slept through the night at three days old. Even as a quiet, ultra-chilled out infant who seemed healthy, I knew something was off with his system. Eczema had covered his body since he was three months old, he had gut issues, and he would wheeze when he got a cold. Also, when he was nine months old, he broke out in hives when he tried his first bite of eggs.

Then came the ear infections. While there were a couple of months in between each one, at every recheck I would get the same report: “The infection is gone, but the fluid is still there.” His right ear was especially problematic and never drained properly. The doctor didn’t think his ears were severe enough for tubes, and from age 13 months to 21 months old, he was on four rounds of antibiotics.

Although Jake's gross motor skills were excellent and he was meeting developmental milestones, he continued getting sicker. The food allergies increased, the eczema was out of control, and the steady wheezing continued. The medication that his pediatrician and allergist prescribed was making him worse, not better.

Forging a New Path

Shortly after Jake’s second birthday, I tried something new and made an appointment with a naturopathic doctor. The following was his protocol:

• Probiotic for infants/toddlers

• Nordic Naturals gummy multivitamin

• Quercetin - a natural antihistamine

• Flax oil

• Comprehensive elimination diet for two months

With the elimination diet, I removed gluten, sugar, dairy, corn, bananas, citrus, orange juice, food dyes, additives, and fast food from his diet. During this time, he ate fruits, veggies, protein, black-eyed peas, and Van’s organic gluten, dairy, egg free waffles with honey.

Incorporating these foundational health habits, was like pressing a reset button on Jake’s system. His gut issues and ear infections stopped, and the eczema and wheezing improved. After the elimination diet, I gradually added back the foods I had taken out, and from this point forward, we started eating cleaner.

While Jake’s overall health was trending in the right direction, he wasn’t talking like the other kids his age. I wanted to believe everything was fine — that he was just a late talker. But as each day passed, and my quiet baby remained speechless, I knew something wasn't quite right.

Early Speech Therapy

At 27-months-old, Jake started speech therapy once per week through our state-funded early intervention program. The SLP taught us basic sign language, gave me educational material, and encouraged simple communication like “more” and “eat.”

A couple of months later, I switched to a private speech therapist who would later diagnose him the week of his third birthday with Childhood Apraxia of Speech. This SLP was not a good fit for us, and I started looking for other options.

I contacted our public school system and Jake received his first formal speech test. The SLP confirmed the apraxia diagnosis and her results showed that he was speaking on a ten-month-old level. We went to her two times a week for 30 minute sessions. Her approach focused on Kaufman cards and hand cues, and he said some of his first sounds and tiny words with her.

At three years, two months old, Jake began speech therapy with a new SLP. I chose this private therapist because she specialized in the PROMPT method and also used Kaufman cards. She was the third person to confirm his apraxia diagnosis and from age three to four, we did 30 minute speech therapy sessions two times a week. During this time, I also worked with him every day at home.

Jake showed a little progress, but it was slow, never consistent, and there was a lot of gaining, then losing words.

New Symptoms

Although Jake’s ear infections, eczema, and wheezing had stabilized, his food allergies were getting worse. He had allergies to eggs, peanut, almond, dairy/casein, fish, shrimp, pork, pineapple, cat, dust mites, grass, scents, cleaners, and hygiene products.

He also had mild sensory issues. Things like hanging upside down on the couch to watch TV, chewing on his shirt collar and blankets, and mild stimming.

It was also becoming evident that Jake regressed and became more symptomatic when he didn’t eat clean.

For example, the summer before he turned four, we took a trip to Disney. On that trip, he ate a lot more junk food than usual. Near the end of our trip, he had a strawberry Pop Tart for breakfast and had an extreme reaction. He broke out in hives all over his body and his behavior became out of control. He was irrational, hyperactive, kicking, and biting. This was very out of character for him because he was always calm and obedient.

It was at this moment that I realized if I didn’t do something other than speech therapy, we were going to be dealing with more than apraxia of speech.

The First Appointment with the Integrative Doctor

Once we got back from Disney, I started researching integrative, holistic, and functional options. In August, one month before Jake turned four, he had an appointment with Dr. Taz, a reputable, integrative doctor in our area.

On our first appointment, we did the following tests:

• Genova Diagnostics NutrEval

• ALCAT food sensitivity test

• Ferritin and iron

• Gluten sensitivity & Celiac

• MTHFR 1298 & 677

  
  

While we waited for the test results to come back, we went ahead and got a few basics into place, which included:

• Reduce dairy to one time a day

• 40 grams of protein daily

• Healthy fats each day — olive oil 1-2 teas.; coconut oil 1/2-1 teas; ground flax

• Probiotic

• Sugar — 25 grams or less per day

The Test Results & Protocol

Based on test results, my son received the following diagnoses:

• Nutritional deficiencies in Vitamins A, C, E, CoQ10, B vitamins, magnesium and zinc

• Low antioxidant levels and mitochondrial dysfunction

• Poor methylation

• Fat deficiency

• Poor gut health — leaky gut, allergies, and intolerances to gluten and dairy

His protocol included everything from the first visit, plus the following:

• Clean, whole foods diet free of gluten and dairy

• Continue with heathy fat, protein, and low sugar

• Antioxidant support — juice greens and fruit three times a week - 1-2 oz.

• L-glutamine — for leaky gut

• B complex with methylated B12 and folate (compounding pharmacy)

• CoQ10 (compounding pharmacy)

• Low dose vitamin E (stopped shortly after starting due to an intolerance)

• Acupuncture and cupping to correct energetic imbalances and reduce inflammation

The Perfect Speech-Language Pathologist

A couple of months after we started integrative health, a twist of fate introduced me to a new SLP. Our therapist was out of town and Katie, the perfect fit for us, filled in for her. I watched with tears in my eyes as she used hand cues without me even asking. The chemistry between her and Jake was magnetic. I will never forget that day. A boy who had just turned four, and was about to start repeating the first Kaufman words because of regression, said “spaghetti” with hand cues. Wow.

Once the Words Started, They Snowballed

After four weeks on supplements, Jake’s speech started to improve. Reducing his total load, lowering his inflammation, and boosting his gut-brain connection allowed speech therapy to be dramatically more effective. During this time, he had new words, improved clarity, almost perfect mimicking, and he started saying basic sentences.

Also, there were things I didn’t expect. Like being able to dress himself, seeing his personality emerge, saying funny things, and being polite (saying please, thank you, yes sir, yes ma’am).

His speech continued to get better each day and after three months, it had significantly improved. Here’s what the specifics at this time looked like:

• If he said a word wrong, I could correct him with a hand cue, and then he would say it correctly.

• His vocabulary rapidly expanded, he could answer questions, and the complexity of his sentences improved.

• Each word had clarity in a sentence and no longer sounded like one big word strung together.

• Spontaneous conversation improved

• Personality continued to come alive

• Overall calmer and more comfortable in his body

• Stopped squirming all the time and itching his head

Testing Out of Apraxia

Eight months after starting integrative health, apraxia testing showed that Jake’s errors were consistent and age appropriate. But, our SLP wanted to take a wait-and- see approach before officially taking away the apraxia diagnosis.

About a year later, at age five years and two months old, his apraxia diagnosis was formally dropped. He continued on with speech therapy for another six months to work on pronouns, auditory memory, and phonological awareness to prep him for reading in kindergarten.

He was released from speech therapy at five years and eight months old.

Life After Apraxia

Although Jake’s speech had improved, we continued getting regular check-ups with our integrative doctor to monitor his health. Two years after starting his protocol, the B Complex was reduced to three times a week. He continued taking the probiotic and glutamine for gut support, and stopped the CoQ10. After about 2 1/2 years, he stopped taking all supplements. He would eventually add back gluten, dairy, and his other allergens (with the exception of fish) a few years later with the help of a nutrition response practitioner.

Jake is now 18 and a senior in high school. After the apraxia, he went on to have no other learning, speech, behavior, or attention issues. He makes good grades, has great friendships, and plays sports.

If you have a holistic apraxia story you would like to share, please email your request to tori.starling88@gmail.com

About Tori Starling

Tori Starling is a certified holistic health practitioner, a Documenting Hope health coach, and the author of Voice of Truth and the blog, Jake's Journey with Apraxia. She provides holistic health support to moms navigating Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Her approach addresses root causes, nutritional deficiencies, gut health, supporting the foundations of health, and lowering total load with the intent of making speech therapy more effective.