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| Date: From: Subject: | 7/14/2011 9:38:49 AM Home School Legal Defense Association HSLDA's Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner Newsletter--July 2011 |
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---------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner Newsletter July 2011 -- Kids with Auditory Processing Problems, Part 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- By Dianne Craft, MA, CNHP HSLDA Special Needs Consultant "My child has an auditory processing problem along with a speech problem. How can I get the speech therapy she needs, since I am homeschooling?" --homeschooling mom "I have a child who is a 'late talker.' Should I seek intervention for this, or will he just outgrow it?" --concerned mom Thousands of parents across the country are discovering that home is the best place to educate a struggling learner--especially students with auditory processing problems. In the homeschool setting, the curriculum and teaching strategies can be tailored for the child by using methods that bypass their blocked auditory learning gate. Specialized therapies, if needed, can be found in the community, or in home-based programs that the parent can administer. When working at home with a child who is experiencing an auditory processing problem, there are three areas of focus: 1. Academics: Teaching strategies that help the child visualize material rather than being required to memorize information through oral or written repetition. We talked about these strategies in depth in last month's newsletter. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11736 2. Therapies: Speech and other therapies. 3. Biological issues: Addressing the biological issues that are commonly associated with auditory processing and speech problems. THERAPIES Speech Therapy Speech and language disorders are the leading developmental concern of younger children. It is reported that 15-25% of young children have some kind of communication disorder. These are children who, for unknown reasons, have difficulty developing speech and language. In fact, there has been a 30-fold increase in the number of children with speech and language impairments since 1989, according to a 2001 U.S. Department of Education report. It can be disconcerting for parents when they have a bright, inquisitive child who can seemingly understand everything they say, but who has very limited verbal skills. The question that continues to plague the parent is, "Will he or she grow out of this, or should I do something about it?" To answer this question, one very helpful book is "The Late Talker; What To Do If Your Child Isn't Talking Yet" by Marilyn Agin, MD. In this book Dr. Agin offers a detailed guide for parents to determine if their child is just a "late talker" or if some intervention or evaluation is warranted. Since homeschoolers look for ways to work with their child at home, a helpful part of this book is the many "at home" activities that parents can do with their child to promote development of speech. An additional resource is the book "Does My Child Have a Speech Problem?" by Katherine Martin. It's important to remember that not every child who is a late talker needs to be evaluated, or needs interventions, since most late talkers develop normally with excellent speech/language skills when they are older. A common question from parents of a child who struggles with speech issues such as speech delay or articulation is, "What is the best way for me to obtain the speech services that my child needs?" HSLDA recommends that parents seek private services wherever possible, to avoid the possible entanglements that could occur by working with the public school system. There are many very good alternatives for parents: 1. Pediatrician referral: With this referral, the parent can employ a private speech therapist. Quite often insurance companies will pay for part or all of the speech sessions required. 2. Shriner's Hopsitals speech services: They use a sliding fee scale and are very good. 3. Scottish Rite facilities: They also use a sliding fee scale and are very good. 4. Easter Seals speech services: Very good for the younger child. 5. Homes Speech Therapy DVDs: Marisa Lapish, speech therapist, has a very helpful home DVD titled, "Straight Talk." In this DVD, she shows how to work with your child at home. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11737 6. Private speech services: HSLDA maintains a nationwide database of consultants and speech therapists for parents to use. As a member, you are able to access these names freely. The expenses of seeing a private speech therapist are borne by the parent. If the parents find themselves in a financial bind, they can apply for a grant from the Special Needs Fund of the Home School Foundation to help defray some of the therapy expenses. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11739 Other Therapies for Auditory Processing Problems 1. Neurodevelopmental Therapies > NACD or CAN DO programs http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11740 , http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11741 > NILD programs http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11742 > Brain Integration Therapy home program http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11743 2. Computer Programs for Auditory Processing enhancement > The Listening Program http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11744 > AIT http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11745 > Fast Forward http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11746 > Earobics http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11747 3. Auditory Processing Activities > Super Duper publications http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11748 > Woodbine House catalog http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11749 BIOLOGICAL ISSUES Let's explore some common biological conditions that are associated with auditory processing issues. Role of Essential Fatty Acids There have been remarkable reports from parents who give essential fatty acid supplements to their child with auditory processing and speech issues. In fact, some neurodevelopmentalists and physicians have reported "big speech jumps" in children's expressive language with essential fatty acid supplements. This confirms what many parents have discovered on their own, that significant progress can be achieved just by doing something as simple as giving a flavored cod liver oil to their child with speech delay or disorder. In fact, in a recent study of the role of essential fatty acids and speech acquisition, there have come some startling conclusions: "A simple fish oil supplement may be the key to dramatically unlock the voices of children with speech and language disorders." That's the conclusion of a group of scientists in the consortium held in New Jersey in July, 2001, "Verbal Apraxia/Dypraxia and Essential Fatty Acid Supplements: A New Potential Therapeutic Intervention." They reviewed a study of children suffering from various speech problems. The children in this study ranged in age from 2 years old to 8 years old. They were given fish oil supplements containing a mixture of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Speech-language pathologists who monitored the children's progress reported significant improvements within just a few weeks. The improvements they noted were not only in the children's ability to talk, but also in their behavior, and their ability to focus. These children had speech issues ranging from mild speech delay and articulation issues, to apraxia of speech with accompanying hypotonia, sensory integration issues, and motor planning. All these issues improved with this supplement. As a result of these reports from this small study, the Cherab Foundation (http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11750 ), a major nonprofit group for children with speech disorders, is now involved in a larger scale clinical trial to validate these initial findings. "The results were dramatic," says developmental pediatrician Marilyn Agin, M.D., medical director of the New Jersey-based foundation, who also reported similar results in 10 anecdotal cases. "They strongly suggest that EFA supplementation combined with speech and occupational therapy could become the treatment of choice in multifaceted communication disorders." After you have a discussion with your child's pediatrician or health care provider, you may want to consider this supplementation. "The LCP Solution" by Jacqueline Stordy, Ph.D. is one good source of information. A quick article you can read, with all the protocol amounts of these supplements can also be found in "Essential Fatty Acids and the Brain", http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11743 For more articles on essential fatty acids and speech development, please visit http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11751 . God is so eager to bring answers to us for our children. He says that it is His good pleasure to make our children His. Thus, we know we are in good hands as we seek answers to work with our learners at home. We special learning consultants at HSLDA are also eager to come along side you and help you in any way we can. Please contact us if we can help in any way. specialneeds@hslda.org Making learning easier for children is our specialty! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Will your children's inheritance retain its value? If you pass on a legacy of freedom, your children and their children's children will thank you. 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