All posts filed under: kids

Apraxia Monday: How sibs can help with apraxia

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By Leslie Lindsay I have two kids.  Both of them have red hair.  Both of them have blue eyes.  Both of them of girls.  But that is where the similarites come to an end.  You see, one of them is very, very precocious (read: talkative) and the other, well…not so much.  You know my comparison has nothing to do with love.  It has to do with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). My oldest daughter has CAS.  Her younger sister does not.  When we first learned of the apraxia diagnosis, I was very focused on helping my older daughter get the help she needed.  I shuffled her to and from therapy, I got her into a great language-based preschool program.  I worried about and read about apraxia.  I cried.  I laughed.  I saw glimmers of hope. Now, at six years old, my daughter with CAS is doing a world better.  But, being the oldest, she’s a little sensitive about her speech skills not being quite “up to par” as her chatty little sister.  What’s a parent to …

Cute & Simple: Movie and Pizza Night

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By Leslie Lindsay I wish I had something truly “cute & simple” for today, but I don’t.  In fact, you will have to forgive me if my blog entries of late (and later) are not all that exciting.  I am in the midst of editing my book, “Speaking of Apraxia.”  So  far, so good.  But alas it is still a lot of work. Today, though is Friday and Friday at our house means “pizza and movie night.”  It’s a tradition we started–oh several months ago after it was too cold for “Firepit Friday” on the back patio.  It’s our goofy parent attempt to introduce the girls to some movies they may not be familiar with, but were classics when we were kids (or before, even).  In fact, on my list to show them is “Son of Flubber.”  I find a good selection of these “oldies but goodies” at the library, in case you are wondering. Anyway, this past week at Target I found “The Neverending Story” on an end-cap for a whopping $5.00!  I narrowed …

A Little Literacy, Please: Everything I need to know I learned from Children’s Book

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By Leslie Lindsay I was at the library one day last week when I spied this book propped up on one of the end-caps near the children’s section:  “Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children’s Book: Life Lessons from Notable People from all Walks of Life” and smiled.  It’s catchy title (a spin-off from Robert Fulghum’s, “Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”) and a fun premise, lead me to snatch if off the shelf and stuff it into my library bag. I flippped through the book once we got home as the girls will happily lolling about with their library books.  Katherine Paterson, Anne Tyler, Robert Ebert, Steve Forbes, Andrew Wyeth, (and a handful of folks I admittedly don’t know a thing about) all contributed their favorite childhood books–many classics–and why those titles shaped their world vision. So…I think this will book will become the basis of Tuesday’s “A Little Literacy, Please”—at least for a few weeks.  In the meantime, let me know of your favorite childhood books and perhaps they can be …

Write on, Wednesday:

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By Leslie Lindsay I love books.  Reading them, thinking about them, sniffing them (yes, really), and writing them.  (Or thinking about writing them).  Not that I am a bestseller, or anything.  I am not.  I am just working on my first non-fiction book and I do have a novel-in-progress, but I still don’t really identify with being an author just yet. So, just moments ago my very precocious 4-year old just yelled down to my office, “Hey mom!  I got your books for you from the mail!”  A smirk grew across my face.  I had just ordered a couple of titles last week from Amazon.  Had they arrived already?  I hopped out of my seat and ran to greet my little cherub, proud as could be at the bottom of the stairs. “Mom the mail lady came to our door and gave me a box.  I opened it up with kid scissors.  Here are your books,” as she proudly presented me with the brand-spanking-new books, their spines not even creased. I hugged her and asked a …

A Little Literacy, Please: Reading with Rover

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By Leslie Lindsay Books.  Dogs.  Libraries.  These are a few of my favorite things!  So, no surprise when I hauled my kiddos to the local library for “Reading with Rover” last week.  Two trained therapy dogs were on site to be read to by little people.    Perfect. We had seen a similar experience on PBSKids in which a little girl was reading to a dog in a sort of infomercial style blurb.  My daughter’s were familiar with the idea and with budding readers on my hands, it all made sense to get them there.   We were first in line. Sparky the Sheltie and the long-haired German Shepard (whose name was too German for me to remember, let alone spell), were the best audience, though they had to have several cold hotdog snacks to get into reading mode. Why is this good for kids? Dogs don’t care if kids read badly Dogs just want to be cared for and they love the attention (so do kids) Kids can practice their animal care skills–along with reading Kids can have …

Apraxia Monday: Conference Decompression

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By Leslie Lindsay I didn’t go.  At least not this year.  But I have been to a National CASANA conference.  And it was quite an experience. My daughter had been diagnosed with CAS for a little over a year when I made the committment to, “throw my hat” into the CAS world.  I was a bit reluctant at first to attend a conference.  After all, I wasn’t working (what would I wear? can we afford this?), and I wasn’t really sure if it would benefit me or my daughter.  Didn’t she need me at home, anyway?! But I went.  And I loved it.  Prior to the conference, I had gone on-line and printed out all of the course syllabi’s, popped into a delicious-smelling binder and flagged them.  I am a nerd student at heart. But I will admit, it was overwhelming.  Each day was a learning experience–faces, names, presentations–well they all began to blur.  Things I heard got me excited, others made me want to cry and hide under the table.  But I pressed forward, asking …

A Little Literacy, Please: Carlo Reads

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By Leslie Lindsay It’s summer and that means that my daughters are part of the local library’s summer reading program.  Yep, I know…it’s totally and completely nerdy, but if you can read for prizes, why the heck not?! So, milling about the kiddie shelves we found this book by Jessica Spanyol, “Carlo Likes Reading.”  Not only is Carlo a cute, lovable giraffe, but he shows how cool it is to read.  While this book isn’t really a sit-down-and-read book complete with a full cover-to-cover story, it does a great job of combining two concepts together: storytime and word recognition.  Carlo labels everything in his bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, backyard, park…you name it.  As I read this to my 4-year old (who really is learning to read), I would point out words, albeit the ones attached to an object she recognizes, and I would say, “Hey, what does this word say?”  She felt empowered when she “read” the word.  And that is the basis for forming the foundation for reading.  Cool, huh? Take it futher:  Ask your …

Apraxia Monday on Tuesday: Lucky Winner of book give-away!

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Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July celebration…perhaps you are still enjoying a “bonus” day off! I had a couple of emails come my way about who the winner of the book give-a-way was.  A brand-new copy of Angela Baublitz’s book, “I Want to be Your Friend,” was awared to Jill M. of Chicagoland.  Her daughter, Finley has struggled with a rare genetic disorder called Cru de Chat since birth.  Underlying her primary diagnosis are some others, including Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Here’s what Jill shares in how she hopes to use the book,  “I hope to not only educate my husband and me, but to reach out to our extended family and our friends to help them better understand my sweet daughter.  I also think that our son would benefit from reading this as well as Finley!  Thanks for helping us find these things Leslie!” I had several others contact me as well.  Most responses were from parents who wanted to better understanding of CAS for themselves, their other children, and even using …

A Little Literacy, Please: Get Out!

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By Leslie Lindsay While it may be the middle of summer and you have hopes for halcyonic days with your kids, there is not doubt you may be going a little bonkers.  Well, I have the remedy for: get out! It’s actaully a book I’m talking about here.  Sure you can read it inside, but it’s intended to get you, well–out!  “Get Out!  (better yet, read it on your patio). 150 Easy Ways for Kids and Grown-Ups to Get Into Nature and Build a Greener Future,” by Judy Molland is a great resource for any parent, grandparent, camp counselor–just about anyone to flip through for some ideas to beat summer boredom. It’s not even a big book.  Topping off at just over 100+ pages (some of which are resources), you’ll find small snippets of ideas that may bring on big adventure.   For example, idea #52 on page 38 suggests you become an nature and wildlife photographer…small children all the way to adults can do this.  It increases the power of observation…details in the world that …

Apraxia Monday: “Talk the Talk”

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We parents like to talk.  A lot.  Even if our kids with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) can’t–at least not well–or yet.  That’s why I felt it so important to attend the Windy City Apraxia Network/CASANA-sponsored event at the DuPage Children’s Museum held last week, June 16th, “Talk the Talk.” Seated with us parents at the large table were Judy Jelm, SLP and Kris Yung, OT.  Both ladies have a vested interest in helping children with motor planning obstacles.  Ms. Jelm is especially skilled at working with kiddos with CAS, and has even developed the Verbal Dyspraxia Profile: A Clinical Picture Checklist.  She practices in Naperville. I am sure you are curious to hear what I learned: Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a neurological motor speech disorder in which kiddos have difficulty rapidly, accurately, and consistently producing and timing the movements sequences needed to produce speech; it is NOT due to having low muscular tone of the jaw.  It is NOT due to shyness or introversion.   Usually a child with CAS has difficulty moving the mouth, …