One Noblesville family raises awareness on rare childhood speech disorder
By Navar Watson
Luke and Isabelle Hickman are your average 6- and 5-year-old kids. The elder, Luke, dreams of being a “John Deere man.” Isabelle wants to be a ballerina, or possibly, a princess.
But there’s one condition that tends to separate Noblesville resident Krista Hickman’s children from others their age – their severe case of Childhood Apraxia of Speech.
“It’s something that’s always going to be troublesome,” Hickman said, “but they’re smart … Their speech doesn’t deter them from anything.”
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association defines CAS as a motor speech disorder, meaning the brain has trouble controlling the body parts used in speech, such as the lips, jaw or tongue.
Outside speech training at Noblesville Schools, Luke and Isabelle attend speech therapy twice per week at the Riverview Health Rehab & Fitness Center in Noblesville.
Though there is no “cure” for CAS, it can be improved through certain exercises, Hickman said.
Mari Ann Jackson, who works for the center, has been a speech pathologist since 1982. Though there is no proof that speech disorders are genetic, Jackson said she has noticed trends in families before.
She said genetics is a “hot field” among researchers now and that some day they might be able to “isolate a gene” related to speech problems.
Though Luke and Isabelle struggle with the same disorder, their cases are unique.
Isabelle currently struggles with what Jackson calls pronoun confusion, which is more of a language issue than an articulation issue. Instead of using the pronoun “I,” Isabelle uses “me.”
Jackson said speech therapy sessions differ between patients. After an initial evaluation of the child’s speech conditions, a therapist identifies where the problems are and creates a specific program for the child.
Initially, Hickman and her husband, Brandon, had concerns about sending their children to public schools because of their condition. Once the other children adapted to how Luke and Isabelle spoke, however, “things got much better.” The teachers were very cooperative, Hickman said.
Carol Land, who worked as a speech teacher for 40 years at Noblesville schools and retired in June, said the teachers are “wonderful about accepting all children.” Speech therapists at the school are in constant communication with the teachers, informing them which students have specific needs, she said. If a student with a disability has trouble socializing, the teacher might prompt other students to befriend him or her.
About 10 percent of the school population has speech or language issues, Land said.
Many children in first grade, she said, have troubles with the “r” sound, since it’s one of the last sounds a child develops. She said at this age, she doesn’t think students view their struggling classmates as different or challenged.
“I think that the (classroom) environment is such that all children are accepted for whatever they are,” Land said.
Though CAS Awareness Day was May 14, Hickman continues to spread awareness throughout the year. She hopes awareness will diminish people’s misconceptions about speech problems – the main one being “that our kids are stupid.”
“A lot of times in society we tend to equate how a person expresses himself with intelligence,” Jackson said. “A lot of times these children are very bright.”
In everyday interactions, some people talk down to Hickman’s children or avoid talking to them at all once they notice the speech problems.
Land suggested that those who struggle when talking to a child with speech problems be up front and admit when they don’t understand a word or phrase. Staying engaged with the child and asking him or her to repeat is better than ignoring them.
“Let them know that you’re trying to understand them,” she said.
If a parent suspects his or her child has speech or language problems, Jackson suggested talking to the family physician or pediatrician. Jackson said the earlier intervention, the better.
“Even if it turns out that your child doesn’t have a speech problem that needs attention, a lot of the time you get a lot of information from the evaluation,” Jackson said.
She suggested First Steps, a state early intervention program with free speech evaluations for children up to 3 years of age. Jackson is a First Steps provider.
Hickman’s biggest message to parents was not to blame themselves for their child’s disability. Her call to others was to be supportive and to interact with the children.
“They don’t look any different. My kid looks like your kid,” Hickman said. “Get down and talk to them because guaranteed, they’re going to have something really important to say that you’ll really want to hear.”
Know More
What is childhood apraxia of speech?
Childhood apraxia of speech is a motor speech disorder. Children with CAS have problems saying sounds, syllables, and words. This is not because of muscle weakness or paralysis. The brain has problems planning to move the body parts needed for speech. The child knows what he or she wants to say, but his/her brain has difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words.
What are some signs or symptoms of CAS?
Not all children with CAS are the same. It is important to have your child evaluated by a speech-language pathologist who has knowledge of CAS to rule out other causes of speech problems.
How is CAS diagnosed?
An audiologist should perform a hearing evaluation to rule out hearing loss as a possible cause of the child’s speech difficulties. A certified-SLP with knowledge and experience with CAS conducts an evaluation. This will assess the child’s oral-motor abilities, melody of speech and speech sound development. The SLP can diagnose CAS and rule out other speech disorders, unless only a limited speech sample can be obtained making a firm diagnosis challenging.
How common is childhood apraxia of speech?
There is little data available about how many children have CAS. The number of children diagnosed with CAS appears to be on the rise, but it is hard to know how the incidence has changed over time. Some factors influencing this rise include: increased awareness of CAS, increased availability of research and earlier-age evaluation and identification.
Source: www.asha.org
