I started out like most of us — doing everything I was told, trusting, and never questioning the system. Although I ate pretty healthy, I didn’t hold my children to the same standards. They had all the usual kid junk food we are conditioned to believe is acceptable. At the time, my belief pattern was: They are children — young, strong, and healthy. What could possibly go wrong? When my oldest son, Luke, was two, he developed severe asthma, and had to take breathing treatments along with oral steroids. I was working full time and life was a series of holding my breath until the next episode came. The next trip to the ER. The next sleepless night, strapping my body around his while he screamed, forcing him to suck in the Albuterol mist. He was one of the first kids to take Singulair before it had a black-box warning. Although this medication stopped the wheezing, it also turned him into an overly rambunctious four-year-old. A year later, I took him off all meds and although he had gut issues for a while, he never had asthma again. When Luke started kindergarten, I got pregnant again. By this point, I had quit work and was a stay-at-home mom. I didn’t eat quite as healthy when I was pregnant this time, and although I gained 60+ pounds, I had a smooth pregnancy and delivery. Again, I was trusting of the system and had “the works” at the hospital: the doctor manually broke my water, I took Pitocin to induce labor, an epidural, and gladly accepted narcotics to take the edge off. Twenty-four hours later, I was wheeled out with a fresh, new, squeaky-clean baby we named Jake. Around three months old, Jake's skin became inflamed and itchy. I remember thinking maybe he was allergic to the sun because he would break out in hives every time he went outside. After taking him to the doctor, he was diagnosed with atopic dermatitis (eczema). He was prescribed a steroid cream, which he would continue for the next couple of years. Although it would clear up for a bit, it would always come back, progressively getting worse. His feet were always the worst and the severity broke my heart. When Jake was nine months old, I gave him a bite of eggs and he broke out in hives. Then came the ear infections and mild asthma. During this time, antibiotics, breathing treatments, and Benzocaine ear drops were our norm. At age two, he was diagnosed with allergies to eggs and peanuts. Life was really hard. Recommended eczema treatment had progressed to bleach baths followed by steroid cream on his legs, feet, and ankles that were wrapped in saran plastic wrap at bedtime. For added benefit, I was told to put hot, wet pajamas on him for maximum medication absorption. “How will he be able to sleep?” I asked. “That sounds miserable.” The doctor reassured me that it was no big deal. I did it one night, but felt too bad to do it again. At this time, a few things pushed me over the edge and stirred me into researching alternate healing paths: The standard, suggested route of medical care was making him worse, not better.
 Since he had been on steroid cream since he was three months old, it had stopped working. He was prescribed a stronger cream with a black-box cancer warning. 
 A dermatologist told me, “This kid is allergic to the world. He will be on medication for the rest of his life.”
 My pediatrician was insistent that Jake get the flu shot, but didn’t want to do it in his office because of his allergies. He said, “If the flu shot causes him to go into anaphylactic shock because of his egg allergy, he needs to be at the allergist’s office.” I thought it made more sense to risk getting the flu vs. risk going into anaphylactic shock. 
 A couple of months after Jake's second birthday, I made an appointment with a naturopathic doctor. He went on a food elimination diet for three months, and ate fruits, veggies, and protein. He also took a probiotic and quercetin. The food elimination diet was like pressing a reset button on his system. The eczema and asthma didn’t go away completely, but improved dramatically. His ear infections tapered off. He continued eating clean, only eliminating his allergies to peanuts and eggs. I thought things were getting better, but then he started having more allergic reactions. By the time Jake was three, he was diagnosed with eight food allergies: eggs, peanuts, some tree nuts, gluten, dairy, fin fish, some shellfish, and pineapple. Life got harder and more stressful. Having a child with this many allergies felt like I was walking through a mine field every day. Also at age three, he was diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) . He was already in speech therapy, but at this point, his apraxia treatment increased to therapy two times a week plus targeted work at home every day. Once I got this diagnosis, I started researching like crazy and stumbled upon the research study on apraxia, led by Dr. Claudia Morris and Dr. Marilyn Agin. The results of the study suggested that the root cause of apraxia of speech in children could be gluten sensitivity + nutritional deficiencies + omega 3 and/or vitamin E deficiency. The stats impressed me – 97% of 187 children showed some level of improvement with supplementation.
 A month before Jake's fourth birthday in August of 2012, he had an appointment with Dr. Taz, a reputable, integrative MD in Atlanta. After a thorough check up and seven vials of blood, I found out he was severely deficient in all vitamins and minerals. His omega 3,6, and 9 levels were a little off, but nothing extreme. His amino acid levels were all over the place. He tested negative for celiac disease. At this time, Jake began eating a gluten and dairy free diet, and supplementing with probiotics, glutamine (an amino acid that aids digestion), quercetin, CoQ10, and B vitamins. He also responded amazingly well to acupuncture. He continued on with his speech therapy regime of two times a week. Each day his health and speech improved. Three months after beginning his treatment plan, he was speaking in basic sentences, able to correct his errors, engage in spontaneous conversation, and look at a picture and tell you what it was. This was huge! Nine months later, his errors were consistent and age appropriate. At this time, he also went to Foundations Developmental House in Arizona for four days of intensive speech therapy. A few months later at 5 years, 2 months old, he dropped his apraxia diagnosis. Jake continued on with a clean, gluten and dairy free diet for the next couple of years, and had no additional speech or learning problems. When he was 12, he began treatment with a nutrition response testing practitioner who assisted me with his food allergies. I gradually added back his allergens, with the help of homeopathic remedies, digestive enzymes, Betaine HCl, and Reiki to calm his stress/fear response. He is now free from all of his allergies with the exception of fish. This allergy will require a more robust desensitization process. My plan is to do either specialized chiropractic care or BioSet. My goal is to have this allergy eliminated by the time he graduates high school ... especially since fishing is one of his favorite hobbies! Not only did I get real-life education and experience during these thirteen years, but I also got to witness the miraculous healing power of the body. At first I thought I'd just go on about my life ... maybe get back into IT or put my journalism degree to use and write full time. But then I realized I had changed and could never go back to the person I was before. I started taking classes on the things that interested me the most in Jake's healing journey. Four years later, Simply Holistic Solutions was created. I'm excited to step into this next chapter in my life and look forward to connecting with moms who are going through similar struggles with their children. I'd love to hear more about your child's story. Where are you at in your own journey with apraxia? Does your child have additional symptoms or diagnoses other than apraxia of speech?

When your toddler isn't talking, the instinct that something deeper is going on can hit hard. As a mom to a child with apraxia of speech, I know firsthand how frustrating it is when you suspect apraxia as early as 18 to 24 months, yet are told to wait until age three for a diagnosis. My Early Intervention Experience with Apraxia of Speech My journey through that in-between period began at age 27 months. Up until that point, I had been buried with my son’s other health issues: horrific eczema, asthma, six ear infections, multiple rounds of antibiotics, steroid creams, breathing treatments, gut issues, and food allergies. After I cleaned up his diet and added a few basic supplements, his health started improving. But then I noticed that he wasn’t talking like the other kids his age. My time as a mother during the wait-and-see phase was filled with worry, frustration, confusion, and overwhelm. My son started speech therapy at 27 months old with our state-funded early intervention program. Her job was to teach me how to help him to speak. She introduced me to the basics of speech therapy. She taught us a little sign language, gave me literature to read, and encouraged simple communication like “more” and “eat.” Two months later, a second SLP entered the scene. She was the first person to tell me that she suspected Childhood Apraxia of Speech. During speech therapy, she read him books, sang songs, and did cutting and pasting exercises. One of the first nursery rhymes she started with was, “Five little speckled frogs, Sat on a great big log. Eating the most delicious bugs.” My son just stared silently at her, big smile planted on his face, while she belted out this tune each week. Once she started drilling words, she didn’t work on the same letter or words each week, and some of the first words she introduced to him were two-syllable and not simple. I pressed her to make an “official” apraxia diagnosis prior to age three, but she would not. Her response was, “It doesn’t matter if he has x, y, or z. I’m still going to treat him the same way.” When she said this, I remember thinking, If we don’t know what it is, how in the world are we going to fix it? Fear and frustration quickly set in as the weeks dragged on. A few days before my son’s third birthday, she officially diagnosed him with Childhood Apraxia of Speech. At that point, I had some education under my belt and knew I must find a better solution as soon as possible. At this time, I had the following frustrations: The early intervention time before his official diagnosis felt wasted and I had seen no progress with his speech. Why did he do basic speech therapy if apraxia was suspected? What would it have hurt to go ahead and start apraxia-specific therapy like Kaufman cards, Prompt, DTTC, and/or hand cues? Why can’t apraxia be diagnosed before age three? I hear these same concerns from other parents and and asked two SLPs to provide insight on how to make the best use of the time prior to an official speech diagnosis. Speech-Language Pathologists Provide Answers to Apraxia of Speech Early Intervention Concerns Katie Grecco, our fifth SLP, who did an amazing job in helping my son to overcome apraxia, answered this question: What can a parent do while waiting for an apraxia diagnosis so they don't feel like they are wasting valuable early intervention time? “From the perspective of a speech-language pathologist who has worked with children in early intervention as well as in Pre-K who present with characteristics of Childhood Apraxia of Speech, I recommend focusing on the following three areas: Imitation: Make motor and vocal imitation fun and within the context of play.  Include large motor movements, mouth movements, animal sounds, non-speech sounds (example: gasps of excitement), isolated vowel and consonant sounds, simple syllable shapes (consonant + vowel, duplicated syllables), simple two-word combinations. Praise and celebrate all communicative efforts and imitation attempts. Even when your child tries and isn't successful, let them know what a great job they are doing by trying their best.  Continue to simplify your target so they are able to be successful even if you need to reduce your expectation. Supplemental communication aids: Use of simple core vocabulary boards can be a wonderful tool for learning and using language while also reducing frustration.  Here's one of my favorites:  Core Board - WordPower - Tell Me Board , along with a video about how to use these tools at home: " How to Use a Communication Board to Get Your Child Talking. ".  Always verbalize along with using the pictures/symbols to teach and encourage language use.” Shandy Laskey -- Speaking of Health & Wellness, LLC -- speakingofhealthandwellness.com Shandy Laskey , SLP and Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, elaborated further and answered each of these pre-apraxia diagnosis questions: Why do basic speech therapy before the age of three if apraxia is suspected? I can't speak specifically to Jake's experience because I wasn't his SLP, but I will say that most SLPs are not diagnosing Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) before age three because it's difficult at that age to differentiate between CAS and other speech-language disorders, especially other motor speech disorders. It is especially difficult to differentiate and identify if it's CAS when a child younger than three years old has less than 50 words.  In many cases, a skilled SLP can identify whether the child is experiencing a motor speech issue in the 18-24 month range as long as the child is using enough verbal speech to assess their motor movements and speech patterns. It's important to see CAS as one of the diagnoses under an umbrella of motor speech disorders, understanding there are more motor speech disorders than just CAS. For example, dysarthria can look similar to CAS under age three, especially when a child is using very few words. The specific diagnosis becomes more important as the child grows older because the therapeutic approach should shift as they mature and have more capacity for more intensive speech-language therapies and approaches. It's also important to note that some children with CAS also have Whole-body Apraxia or a Developmental Coordination Disorder, informally known as dyspraxia. When this is the case and you can clearly see that the child has difficulty with motor planning throughout their body, for gross and fine motor movements overall, not just for speech. In these cases when the child is younger than three, we need to zoom out and focus on supporting coordination of the whole-body and gross motor movements before focusing intensely on motor planning for speech. What would it hurt to go ahead and start with apraxia therapy like DTTC, Kaufman, or Prompt? It's very nuanced! These approaches are excellent for children with diagnosed CAS, especially school-aged children, in conjunction with other diet, nutrition, lifestyle supports. While these therapies are often recommended for children with CAS, they are applicable and supportive for children who have motor speech disorders, which CAS falls under the umbrella of. In my clinical opinion and experience, whenever a child is struggling with what appears to be a motor speech disorder, multi-modal / multi-sensory cueing techniques and hierarchies (auditory, visual, tactile) should be utilized for support, regardless of age, and if there's a diagnosis of CAS. That being said, some of these approaches in their pure forms can sometimes be too intensive for some children. Especially for very young children, which is why they aren't the default for most Early Intervention SLPs. When I was an Early Intervention SLP working with children younger than three, I incorporated techniques from these motor speech-based approaches and blended multi-modal cueing hierarchies into my child-led, play-based therapy sessions. Before age three, therapy really should be child-led and family-centered vs. drill based therapies or other intensive types of motor speech-based therapies. You don't want to lose a kid in the therapy session. It’s all about maintaining rapport and you have to "meet them where they are.” But that doesn't mean that a skilled SLP can't or shouldn't be utilizing all of the tools in their toolkit when they see that the kiddo is struggling with motor planning for speech. What can a parent do while waiting for an apraxia diagnosis so they don't feel like they are wasting valuable early intervention time? I love this question because there's so much that parents can do to support their children at home. Rather than focusing so much on the diagnosis during those early years, focus on the tailoring the approach to meet your child's needs. During this time, kids need the foundational supports in place before starting more intensive speech-language therapies for CAS. If I personally had a child who was suspected to have CAS and was in the 18-24 month range waiting for formal CAS diagnosis, here are a few things I would consider: 1. Speech therapy: While SLPs are a wonderful resource, it's important note that not all SLPs are created equal and on the same page. Find someone who you can see building a great rapport with you and your child, and ask if / how they're using motor speech-based strategies and/or multi-modal cueing hierarchies in their sessions (even when they're play-based, child-led, and family-centered). 2. Anything that can be done to support the child's central nervous system, especially younger than age three, can be really transformative in addition to speech therapy. Examples include: Movement-based therapies like reflex integration and neurodevelopment movement Craniosacral therapy or craniosacral fascial therapy Pediatric neurological focused chiropractic care (ex: PxDocs) 3. Consider occupational therapy (OT) or physical therapy (PT) if the child is struggling with coordinating motor planning of their whole body. Keep in mind that the movements of speech production are our finest fine motor movements that we use, and development builds upon development. We develop gross motor skills before we develop and master fine motor skills. 4. Lower “total load” with diet changes, targeted nutrition, and lifestyle changes. 5. Diet and bio-individualized nutrition supports the child's overall health, wellness, development, and central nervous system regulation. While there isn't a large body of research looking at diet, nutrition, and CAS, there is some research that exists, in addition to growing body of anecdotal evidence from families, like Tori and Jake's story. There are more and more case reports coming out all the time about individuals (both children and adults) whose motor planning disorders improved when they changed their diet, especially the removal of gluten containing foods, and improving the gut-brain connection. 6. “Clean up" the diet by removing artificial colors/dyes, artificial ingredients, GMOs, gluten, dairy, corn, and soy and focus on the gut-brain connection. 7. Assess if there are any nutritional deficiencies that could be playing a role (Vitamin E and Omega-3, for example) and address deficiencies with targeted supplementation as needed. 8. Spend plenty of time outside daily, getting lots of movement and "heavy work" for regulation (bonus if they're barefoot). 9. Drop down to the child's level whenever possible, so that they feel seen and heard while struggling to get their words out. This also helps them to see mouth movements clearly. 10. Try your best not to talk for your child or complete their sentences while they're attempting them with you. Stay patient and model the correct form back to them once they've said it. 11. Incorporate daily, at-home speech-language development practice for at least 10-20 minutes. For example: Get down on the floor with your child and let them lead the play. Follow their lead, meet them where they are, and use minimal language. Also, repeat the words or phrases they've said back to them with clear and exaggerated speech modeling. Place toys near your face to get them to look at your mouth while you speak. Don't withhold anything from your child making them "work" for it with their speech. This is a quick road to shut down and self-esteem issues. I hope this has been supportive and gives you, the reader and presumably the parent, a sense of direction. I'm wishing your child and family all the best! I'm so grateful to Katie and Shandy for sharing their knowledge and expertise on this topic. They are the best-of-the-best! I hope you were able to find a few pieces of gold to help you in your own early journey with apraxia or other speech-language disorder. Although this was an abundance of information, it was created on hypotheticals for general educational purposes. There are still more interventions that can be done, but I hope this gets you trending in the right direction. It is key to understand that each child is unique and what works for one child, may or may not work for another. A skilled SLP or other holistic, integrative, etc. professional, will always be able to provide outside-the-box solutions to best meet your child's goals and needs. Question: What has your own experience been like with early intervention prior to age three? Has it been positive or negative? Would love to hear your story in the comments . All the best, Tori Guest writer: Shandy Laskey, M.A., CCC-SLP, FNTP Speaking of Health & Wellness, LLC  speakingofhealthandwellness.com   Shandy also serves as the Director of Community Development for  Documenting Hope .

This past week I’ve been reminded of the miraculous power of the Triple Warmer meridian and what an integral role it plays in the healing of this generation. Every single time when things go awry in my world, calming triple warmer is always my first line of defense. Why? Because it works. What is Triple Warmer? Triple Warmer is a meridian in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that is governed by the hypothalamus gland. It “networks information to all the meridians and the organs they serve.” (1) It’s purpose is to protect the body from harm. For example, if the body has a fever due to infection, Triple Warmer is on full alert, fighting to keep you alive. But sometimes, the body gets confused and attacks things that aren’t “really” the enemy. Triple Warmer is said to be in overdrive for conditions such as ADHD, autoimmune disorders, anxiety, allergies, and more. I love how Donna Eden explains Triple Warmer: “ It is the energy system that governs the immune response, the fight-or-flight response, and the establishment of survival habits. As civilization, and technology in particular, have advanced, the ability of triple warmer to sort out what is friend and what is foe has been overwhelmed, so that for many people, triple warmer is on continual alert .” (1) When to Use Triple Warmer Calming Exercises Here are the times over the past week that I have calmed Triple Warmer and witnessed the body miraculously shift out of an overactive response and into a state of calm: 1.) Myself: If I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall right back asleep, triple warmer neurovascular holds always come to my rescue. 2.) Ironically enough, shortly after I published my book "Voice of Truth" where I declared to the universe that my son was no longer allergic to the ocean, he had a reaction while fishing. The past two times, he got a rash under his arms, but this trip his eyes also swelled and became itchy. I gave him a minimal dose of Benadryl and did about 45 minutes of Triple Warmer and other energy medicine exercises. 3.) I consoled a teething baby by placing my hand on the meridians along his torso (root, sacral, solar plexus, heart) and repeating to Triple Warmer, “You are safe.” It was so interesting how I could feel his body slowly sink into relaxation mode. 4.) I am working with a teenage girl right now using Reiki, Eden Energy neurovascular holds, and NES infoceuticals. This week, I did additional research and found this article to be exceptionally useful and incorporated some of these techniques into our session as well. (2) Closing Triple Warmer calming exercises are exceptional in helping the body to get out of fight or flight and relax. There are many ways to achieve this and there's always something for everyone. In my next blog post, I will be sharing a few of my basic, go-to techniques for calming Triple Warmer. Have you ever incorporated energy medicine and/or Triple Warmer exercises into your child's wellness regime? If so, what were your results? Sources (1) Eden, Donna. "Triple Warmer: It's Hotter Than You Think." Touch for Health Archives. https://www.touchforhealtharchive.com/Journals/2007/2007Eden.pdf (2) Yordy, Jan. "Energy Techniques to Assist Highly Anxious Children." Energy Connection Therapies. https://www.cmcgc.com/media/handouts/310602/a8_jan_yordy.pdf

According to the current statistics, about one in 36 children have autism spectrum disorder and it is four times more common in boys than girls. There are no official stats on childhood apraxia of speech, although it is believed to be one to ten per 1,000. At one point in my life, these numbers were just a stat I read about … something that happened to other people, but certainly not to me. I had no idea what these moms and children were going through until I was dropped into this world myself. My son was diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech the day before his third birthday. This is a disorder where the brain knows what to say, but the mouth, tongue, and jaw do not cooperate. After speech therapy, a clean diet, supplements for things he was deficient in, and acupuncture, he entered kindergarten apraxia free. He is now 15 and went on to have no other learning problems. Around Thanksgiving of last year, I was cleaning out my computer and I stumbled upon a document I created a decade ago with all my favorite blog posts I had written about my son’s journey with apraxia. I was fresh back from the Documenting Hope Conference and feeling extra inspired, so I made a split-second decision to touch up those blog posts, and I called my publishing partner to make the book magic happen. I titled the book “Voice of Truth: A Mother’s Journey to Help Her Son Heal from Apraxia of Speech.” It is named after the Casting Crowns song, “Voice of Truth,” which was one of my favorite anthems during that trial in my life. I still get teary when I hear it on the radio! Voice of Truth released in May of 2024 during Apraxia Awareness Month. It is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. This book is for parents of children diagnosed with apraxia or SLPs who want to learn more about holistic add-ons to therapy, or to simply dive deeper into a mom’s perspective. Reviews are always welcome as they help the Amazon algorithm know that my book is alive!