SLP (Speech Therapist) Recommendation for 2 YO w/ Apraxia

metacognizant

Wed, Dec 08 2021, 9:13 am

Hi, mothers. My toddler is a very bright 2 year old with no obvious developmental delays except for a major expressive speech delay. I am nearly certain he has Apraxia. His expressive verbal communication is at about the level of a 9-12 month old on a good day. The only consonant sounds he can make are M, B, and D… sometimes he makes an N sound but only when we ask him directly to say the word “No” which he says as “Noooo” (rhymes with Moo). The only “words” he says spontaneously are Ba, Bye, Ma, Da, and Hi. His hearing has been tested twice and he has no hearing loss. He is advanced in his gross and fine motor skills - he climbs a ladder, dresses himself, eats with utensils, runs, rides a balance bike etc. And he is advanced in terms of his social skills as well - he takes turns, participates in group activities, and is highly aware of his surroundings at all times. He also eats and nurses well.

My son communicates as well as can be expected with non-verbal sounds, gestures, and a contextual give and take with the people who know him well. But he does get frustrated, he has meltdowns, and he bites. We have a strong family history of autism - my other son, who is 5, and my husband are Aspergers-type autistic. However I am certain my toddler is NOT autistic. He has a motor speech issue. Like last night he pointed to a car and tried to start a conversation with me about it… I asked him to say “Car” and he paused for a minute, tried really hard, and said “Da.” He does not have challenges in the areas of social skills, motivation to communicate, eye contact, reciprocity, etc. and I wouldn’t want an SLP to waste time evaluating or treating his social emotional development when he really needs help with motor speech production.

I live in Flatbush and my son goes to daycare/I work in Crown Heights. Can anyone recommend a good SLP, trained in PROMPT or other effective therapies for apraxia, who works in those areas? Please include phone # or email so I can actually contact them? Thank you all so much!