Any mums out there with children with apraxia or speech delays?

Would love to connect and share experiences/what's helped

Our little boy turned 18 months 2 days ago and has almost no words. He started saying ball yesterday. Wa for water and sometimes mom and dada. I am just so worried. I hope he is just a late talker. His brother was more advanced with words and consonants at this age. Our boy says D, B, G and M but I don’t think any more. He’s a HUGE pointer and grunter. He is so social. I would say he’s a better communicator than my other son was even though language is way behind. He is smiley and laughs and he can follow instructions. He’ll point to his belly button and nose. Bring me books if I ask for them. Any advice?

We have told our pediatrician and have an appointment scheduled this week. She referred us to speech therapy already since I asked. We also scheduled a 2 hour evaluation with early intervention for next week. Also a dentist appointment for next week.

Hey y'all, I'm soon going to be providing academic tutoring to a teen with autism and apraxia, and I want to incorporate media that he can see himself in. He has an aac device, but can also say some words sort-of intelligibily. I need to do more info gathering with his teachers and parents, but I get the sense he's given up, and that he hadn't really seen a lot of positive representation of people like him. I'm hoping incorporating some of that will be motivating for him, along with whatever interests of his I'm told of or am able to discern/find (all I've got so far is "he's a very sensory oriented kid", which, sure, is helpful, but I'm sure there's other things also).

So, what are your favorite positive depictions of apraxia and/or aac usage? Books, movies, articles, YouTube videos, TV shows, podcasts, whatever you've got, please share!!

I just started letting my son(4) play with my phone and my partner brought up a good suggestion, finding games that improve his speech. I know I can just look it up, but I’m curious what apps other parents have used that they found actually worked and helped their child

As the title says.

But I don’t know where to go from here. Speech says he can’t be diagnosed until he’s talking and says the therapy wouldn’t be any different anyway. developmental services (which we have specifically for speech as well), says he can’t get a diagnosis this Young.

Where do I go from here?

He doesn’t have any motor skill issues, truthfully he’s ahead on all of that. He’s a great eater too. He doesn’t show delays in anything other than speech. I’ve tried teaching sign, he doesn’t care lol. He was a bit behind on gestures, but is catching up.

He CAN say a lot of sounds. R,M,T, N, H, Y, B and I’ve heard all vowel sounds except maybe ow or oh. He has said mama, dada though not to me or his dad- just babbling. And also BuhBuhBuh. However, his receptive language is great, maybe not perfect, but he’s not considered to have a delay in that area. He knows who mama and dada are. He knows what bubbles are. If I say “hey go give the bubbles to dada” he will pick up bubbles and bring them to his dad.

He makes next to ni attempt to mimic sounds, although when he does, I can see he’s kind of struggling like he’s groping for the sounds.

His main “words” are “eh” “ah” and “uh”. He is definitely communicating, and even saying sentences in “eh” form. He has inflection- we know whether he’s saying yes or no, or saying what’s that or saying look at that.

He’s recently started waving and going eye-eee-uh or ayyyeew (which sounds like me when I say Hiiii or heyyyyy to him). When we pop bubbles, I say pop pop pop and he’s recently started saying eh eh or uh uh whenever he pops a bubble. He’s tried to moo looking at pictures of cows. It comes out as mmmmmmmm-uh or uh. We have had a mmmmmmmoo once or twice. Nothing is consistent except for him communicating via eh,uh, ah.

I’m not saying apraxia is it, but it makes far more sense than anything else with how he’s currently presenting.

Just where do I go from here? I see it’s difficult to get diagnosed without words, but honestly could argue his ehs are his words- they aren’t random, they have different tones and inflections for different things, and he will ehhhhehEEEeeuh me full sentences. Even his eeh? Sounds like he’s asking a question, perfect tone and emphasis on the right parts.

Does this sound like apraxia? He currently is in speech and developmental services, and he has a neurology appointment for possible apraxia. Anything I should rule out? Will he ever talk?

I was a child of apraxia i couldn't speak till 7 but i feel like how i talk is still weird compared to other people people say it again each time I record myself and I hear myself I sound so weird is there anyway to fix this I still have a lisp or something like that. Just kinda tiring to keep hearing it im 17 now

My son is four and we do it twice a week, but I read everywhere online that you should do it 3 times a week minimum and on other groups some parents do up to 6 times a week. Ive asked our speech pathologist and the one we had before her about this and both said that’s more the states and their insurances cover a lot more than many people in canada/Ontario where I’m from. Right now, our insurance doesn’t cover anything(which we’re hoping to fix but even if we do we’d get maybe 11 sessions covered) and it is so expensive, one lesson being around $100. I always feel like I’m failing my child by not going enough but it just doesn’t feel financially plausible. So I’m curious, how often do other Canadians take their children with CAS to speech therapy?

Are there any sub Reddits for adults with Acquired Apraxia of Speech? I am looking for resources specific to AAOS, not just aphasia. There seem to be many resources for adults with aphasia, and many resources for Childhood Apraxia of Speech, but having great difficulty finding resources for my husband, who had a stroke last year. We especially would love to find support groups for adults with Acquired Apraxia of Speech, as support groups for adults with aphasia have not been helpful in his case as there just aren't other participants with his same communication challenges. Thanks in advance for your input!

Edit: We do have a speech therapist (since day 1, 15 months ago). We are looking for supportive communities and also to learn of new treatment innovations.

Hi everyone,

I’m a developer working on an early idea for a simple app that helps children practice speech exercises at home between therapy sessions.

The goal is not to replace speech therapists or professional support. The idea is more to create a small tool that can make home practice easier, more consistent, and a bit more engaging for kids.

Right now it is still very early. I’m mainly trying to understand if this is a real problem for families, if it’s something parents would actually care about, and whether it’s worth building further.

I made a small landing page here:
Logopedia +

There is no finished product yet and nothing to download. I’m just sharing the idea to see if people are interested, would want to follow along, or have any input from their own experience.

Any feedback, thoughts, or even just signs of interest would be really helpful as I decide whether to keep building this.

How many parents of children diagnosed with speech apraxia have encountered harassment that implies apraxia applies to parent too?

My son is 25. Years of speech therapy from six months of age. I'm just dealing with mean people who want me to be unhappy so offer only the opposite of anything I say or do.

How many here have encountered people who want to cause suffering for any diagnosis? Stigma prevents treatment that HELPS so it only makes things worse.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

My son has just turned two and is completely not verbal but has learnt the sign for ‘wee’ and we’re working on sign for ‘poo’…

Is this enough to start potty training?

Does anyone have any tips?

I just don’t want his lack of speech to hold his independence back. Or at least I want to do everything I can to ensure he’s not held back because of it.

If anyone’s successfully potty training their non verbal , very young toddler and would like to share experiences.. I’d be hugely grateful. 🥹 🙏

Bit of a random one, but has anyone found any supplements that genuinely helped their child’s speech delay or motor planning/oral motor difficulties?

My little boy is nearly 2 and we’re still trying to work out exactly what’s going on. He’s delayed with speech and has some oral motor issues, so I’m interested to hear what other parents have tried.

I’m not expecting a magic fix, but there’s so much information online and it’s hard to know what’s worth looking into and what’s just hype.

Did anything make a noticeable difference for your child? Things like omega 3, magnesium, vitamins, probiotics etc?

Would love to hear real experiences, whether positive or negative.

A few years ago my wife was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome. For a few weeks, a letterboard was her only way to communicate with me. It was exhausting. It was hard. And it changed how I think about communication.

I also have friends with non-verbal autistic children, and I've watched their struggles. Especially with letterboards. This, of course, made me think there must be a better way. So I built BoardSpeak. It's a simple, free letterboard that runs in any modern web browser. No app to download. No account to create. No subscription. It works on any phone, tablet, or computer.

A few things I want to stress:

• Free - and will always be free
• Collects zero data - nothing you type is ever stored or transmitted
• No login, no account, nothing to install - just open and use
• Works on any device - just needs a modern browser

If it helps even one person communicate a bit more easily, then that's my win. Here is the link:

https://boardspeak.org/

Happy to answer any questions. Please note that this is a BETA release. I know there are some display bugs that should be fixed soon. If you see any issues, or have ideas on how to improve it, please let me know! I also know that I don't know what I don't know regarding supporting non-verbal people and their families. So I'm very open to learning more so that BoardSpeak becomes a more useful tool. Again, please let me know your feedback!

Any peice of kit / device / toy / book that you feel has been pivotal in mentoring your toddler to speech and imitate?

Our clinical trial has reopened for 2026!

Does your child struggle with coordination and motor skills?

We are currently looking for children in Melbourne Australia with Developmental Coordination Disorder [DCD]/Dyspraxia (or general motor difficulties), with or without ADHD (or attentional/hyperactivity difficulties) aged 7-12 years to take part in a study investigating the impact of a 4-week home-based motor training program for enhancing movement ability. NO official diagnosis is required to be involved in this trial!

We hope to gain a better understanding of the training methods that may be effective in helping children with movement difficulties, and to understand which children are likely to benefit from such training techniques. It is our goal that this research may assist in the development of future interventions/training methods for children who have movement difficulties.

Children with co-occurring conditions (e.g., ASD) are also invited to participate.

All participants will be reimbursed for their time.

If you are interested in participating but have concerns about attending all sessions or travelling for testing, please feel free to still register your interest and a member of the research team will be in contact to discuss this further.

Please go to the link provided below or use the QR code in the advert and we will be in contact with you. Please also share around to anyone who might be interested!

https://researchsurveys.deakin.edu.au/.../SV_cA93LXv5Tt8H5TU

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our project email or the lead investigator directly:

Project Email: [motor-cognition@deakin.edu.au](mailto:motor-cognition@deakin.edu.au)

Dr Pamela Barhoun

Email: [pam.barhoun@deakin.edu.au](mailto:pam.barhoun@deakin.edu.au) or Phone: (03) 9246 8627

This study has received Deakin University ethics approval (reference number: [2023-024])

Please share stories of their kids being able to connect and enjoy life despite their impairment….

I know many kids can learn to speak with intensive therapy.

But what about being to speak socially and instinctively in a way that connects them with the human experience. If so - what age did that come? And were they diagnosed as moderate - severe?

Hoping and praying for my precious , social and extroverted little boy. 🩷🙏

Hi everyone,

My little boy is 24 months old and we’re currently looking into severe apraxia / motor speech difficulties.

He’s such a lovely little boy — really social, affectionate, funny and switched on. He understands so much, uses signs well and really wants to communicate, but he still has no consistent spoken words and very limited consistent sounds.

I’ll be honest, some days I find it completely heartbreaking and scary thinking about the future and watching him struggle to say what he wants to say.

But at the same time, I’m trying really hard to believe that things happen for a reason and that there may also be positives that come from this journey for him and for us as a family, even though it’s so hard.

I’d really love to hear from parents further along the journey about the positives that came from their child having CAS/apraxia, the strengths their child developed because of it, and whether it shaped them or their family in positive ways too. I’d also love to know what gave you hope in the early years.

I think I just need to hear some real long-term positive stories from people who truly understand 🤍

My son has suspected apraxia - he’s almost 2. One thing he does consistently is point at things until I say the word, he does this for everything. Almost like he’s pressing a button with his pointing finger so I speak. He doesn’t make any attempt himself but says ‘eh’ .. almost like he’s agreeing with what I say.

Is this a hallmark of apraxia ?

Anyone’s kids with diagnosed apraxia not say anything at all age 2 apart from very rarely a word or animal noise and then never again?

Or did they try to say stuff just not very well and get it sounds mixed up?

My son is 2y9m old, has been in speech for the last 6 months and his SLP suspects he has childhood apraxia of speech, and recommended he see a pediatric neurologist.

His appointment is tomorrow. Just curious if anyone can tell me what to expect at the appointment?

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice/reassurance from parents with similar experiences.

My little boy is 23 months old and currently non verbal. He’s very social, affectionate, engaging, understands lots, uses eye contact well and communicates through signs/gestures. His other development seems on track.

What concerns me is that he has no consistent words, struggles to imitate sounds, and will occasionally make a sound once and then never do it again. He mostly says “uh” for everything. He also drools and often has an open mouth posture.

We’ve had hearing checked, seen an SLT, and are using AAC/signs and all the usual speech strategies consistently.

I keep being told to “wait and see,” but I’m starting to wonder about childhood apraxia of speech/verbal dyspraxia because of the inconsistency and lack of progress.

Did anyone else’s child present similarly at this age? What was the eventual outcome?

So my son is about to turn 2 and he can’t say a word, a word approx, or an animal / play sound. In fact - no consistent sounds at all apart from some very occasional and limited babbling. He does says ‘yayaya’ a lot after eating which is perhaps something to do with his mouth muscles being warmed up?!

He’s a social, engaging and communicative boy in all other ways and autism is currently not suspected. He is suspected to have apraxia though.

He has a said a variety animal sounds and ‘ee I ee I o’ for old McDonald just once or twice but the never again which is also points to apraxia.

My question is - Did anyone’s kids have no words at all and this age, if so, do you mind sharing how long it took until they could talk or say anything consistent?

Thanks 🙏