A Couple Weeks In...

It has been a couple weeks since I started using the fish oil.  We went with the liquid Nordic Naturals brand.  I have definitely seen some improvement!  He seems to be making more sounds and at a higher volume level than I have ever heard him use before.  We have been continuing the weekly therapy sessions with our Early Childhood educator and our Speech Language Pathologist.  They have both been very helpful in this journey.  We are very thankful for our Early Childhood program.  Kamdyn has been a part of Infant Toddler Services since he was 18 months old.  That allowed us to get a head start on the speech services he needed.  This all came into play because of our Parents as Teachers educator.  We visited with her once a month.  She referred us to ITS when she realized Kamdyn's speech really wasn't where it should be.

I did want to take a minute and update you on Kam's behavior issues we were having a couple weeks ago.  For the most part, this has completely ended.  He seems way more patient with me when I don't understand what he wants.  That is such a blessing.  I was having a very hard time dealing with the behavior issues!

I just started using a probiotic with Kam and I will update in a couple of weeks. I wanted to give him some time to adjust to the fish oil and be able to differentiate the results from the two.  I also started dabbling into the world of essential oils.  After much research and advice of others, I ordered the Young Living Kid's Geneyus oil.  I diffused it last night before and during our therapy session.  He did have the best therapy session that he has had in a very long time, but I don't want to give all the credit to essential oils!  This is an ongoing adventure.  I am planning on a lengthy one.  I have decided to make it through this, I must remain positive!

Things I Can Control

The first thing I wanted to do once I found out about Apraxia was to gather as much information that I could.  I also wanted to find out ways I could help Kamdyn,  I wasn't exactly sure how that would be.  We already do weekly speech therapy.  I have been pretty good at making sure if he qualifies for something, we are involved in it.

Then, I stumbled upon information about Supplements and how they can benefit a child with Childhood Apraxia of Speech.  Who knew?  I am very lucky to have so many friends and family that have helped me in this research.  I have a wonderful cousin that has been using different things with her daughter and was very kind to share what she suggested we use.  This was awesome! At first, I was worried about telling those I loved about Kam's CAS.  Honestly, that was the best thing I did.  There are so many people that love Kamdyn and will do anything to help him succeed. 

So, the first of the supplements I am going to try is DHA.  After a little research and advice from my cousin, I decided on the Nordic Naturals Children's DHA in liquid form.  I wasn't exactly sure how Kam would do with the strawberry flavor.  I mixed it with his milk last night and he didn't seem to notice!  For all of you wondering, there is some science behind the DHA.  Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to brain function and play an important role in growth and development. There are several types of Omega-3 fatty acids, but most research indicates that EPA and DHA have better established health benefits and these types are found in fish oil rather than in nut oils.

The other thing I did was purchase this book Speaking of Apraxia by Leslie A. Lindsay .  I stumbled upon the book while listening to a Podcast.  Seriously guys, there is information everywhere!  Knowledge is Power and I am going to do whatever I can do to make sure my child gets whatever he needs to help him succeed.

Where do I begin?

    

     I would like to start off by saying, I have no idea how this blog world works, so keep that in mind!  My son, Kamdyn, is 2 years and 5 months old.  We have been doing weekly speech appointments with an Early Childhood program in our area for a little over a year now.  Recently, the term "Apraxia" has come up.  In Kamdyn's case, Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), fits a little better.  Like most mothers would do, I went straight to the internet to get as much information as I could and I told the few of my friends and family that I was comfortable sharing it with.
    
So, What is CAS?

"CAS is a motor-speech programming disorder resulting in difficulty executing and/or coordinating the oral-motor movements necessary to produce and combine speech sounds to form words." ~Kaufman Children's Center

     Let me break that down for you...Children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech know exactly what they want to say, but have a hard time making their brain tell their mouth what to do.  They struggle making the sounds to form the words.   For some odd reason, this was somewhat comforting to me.  Kamdyn has REALLY been struggling with fits and behavior lately and this makes total sense.  How scary, to know what you want to say, but not being able to actually say it?
     This blog may be more for my purposes than for yours.  I think this will be an easy way for me to document things we have tried, things that worked, and things that didn't work.  Welcome to our journey!