I wanted to share with you a powerful appointment that we had for Gabby on Thursday.
For a little bit of history… Gabby was diagnosed with Apraxia when she was much younger. She also has Celiac Disease – an allergy to gluten.
Gabby’s speech seems to be coming more and more less clear. I have a hard time understating what she says sometimes, when I used to be the one person that understood everything she said. Once we got her hearing issues sorted out (she gets yeast infections in her ears that causes blockage and a conductive hearing loss) I knew there was something more to her unclear speech.
Renee Roy Hill is a speech and language pathologist with 11 years of professional experience and is the owner of Crossroads Therapy Clinic in Texas. She provides therapeutic assessments and program planning for adults and children with oral-motor/oral-placement, feeding and motor speech deficits. Renee is a lecturer for professional enhancement courses as part of TalkTools Therapy® / ITI’s speakers bureau, is the author of the TalkTools Therapy® Apraxia Kit and is co-author of the Ice Sticks Program. She presents one and two-day courses on Oral-Placement Therapy techniques, Apraxia and Assessment and Program Plan Development. She also conducts off-site evaluations and provides parent/home interventionist training seminars to implement home-based therapy programs.
She was in town this week to lecture for SASHA on Friday. DSIA paid her hotel to come early two extra days, allowing families to make appointments with her for evaluations or program follow up appointments (If they had previous evaluations by her or Sarah Rosenfeld Johnson). Our family decided to make an appointment with her.
Renee evaluated her and found out so many things about Gabby that we never could “pinpoint” or figure out and I would like to share.
Gabby is super hypo sensitive. Renee was able to put a toothette very far down the back of her throat without Gabby gagging. Gabby has a left weak cheek and strong right cheek. And a strong left jaw and weak right jaw.
Renee observed Gabby eating. She chews with her mouth closed, but only because we have told her to. She actually does not have enough strength to chew properly with her mouth closed. When eating, Gabby moves her mouth up and down, but her food stays in the center of her mouth and never gets chewed. Then Gabby requires a big gulp to get the food down – because she has such weak muscles. So, Gabby is swallowing big gulps of air and whole pieces of food. No wonder her tummy hurts all the time!
Gabby has big mouth movements and small mouth movements… but nothing in between. And these are the movements you need for good, refined speech.
I always assumed Gabby’s aversion to certain foods is because it is typically gluten based food she avoids – crackers, cereals, cookies, chips, cakes, etc.… Renee assured me that Gabby avoids those foods because she knows she can’t chew them and she can’t swallow them. She knows she would choke. Because she has such weak muscles and is so hypo sensitive, not only would she choke, but also she doesn’t have the gag reflux to get food back up.
Gabby then read a book to Renee. Renee closed the book, looked at me and said Gabby does NOT have apraxia. Most of you know I could care less about diagnoses/labels, just tell me what I need to do to help her.
Renee did an amazing job of explaining how severe Gabby’s muscle weakness is, yet, reassuring us that there is no reason that Gabby cannot have clear speech. Gabby is super smart and has found many ways to overcompensate for her weakness.
Gabby’s ST from school was there for the appointment as well. While observing the assessment she stated, “Well, at some point, Gabby will only reach a certain level, right?”
Renee reassured us that NO ONE levels out…. Keep strengthening your muscles… You don’t stop going to the gym once you’ve reached your ideal weight.
I am really pleased with her treatment plan. 15 minutes a day, seven days a week of exercises for her mouth, jaw, etc.…. and one feeding exercise… 6 bites reminding Gabby to chew with back teeth. After that, Gabby is done with “therapy” Let her eat at mealtimes the way she wants to – eating needs to be enjoyable and in time, the correct eating with transfer over to mealtimes.
When I got home, I thanked Andy for the sacrifice (financially) our family made for this appointment and he said something to me I will never forget. He said “We did not do this just for Gabby. We did this for our whole family. Gabby deserves to be heard and we deserve to hear her” Many of the reasons I love him so.
I am excited about these changes. I am excited to hear all Gabby has to say. I am excited to have a conversation with her on the phone and not have to ask what she said. I am excited to see her blossom into the next stage of her life, as she is able to more openly communicate with her family and friends.
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