garosa2000
06-25-2005, 05:56 PM
Hello all,
I am the mommy of a 5-year old former preemie. She was born 3 1/2 months early and stayed in the hospital for 15 weeks. She has cp. She sat at 21 months, walked at 3.5 years, and says a few words now and also runs!
I am interested in your stories of how your speech developed having cp. Her cp is low tone. Can I have hope that she will talk?
Please share with me your stories :)
I am the mommy of a 5-year old former preemie. She was born 3 1/2 months early and stayed in the hospital for 15 weeks. She has cp. She sat at 21 months, walked at 3.5 years, and says a few words now and also runs!
I am interested in your stories of how your speech developed having cp. Her cp is low tone. Can I have hope that she will talk?
Please share with me your stories :)
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jlbalcer
06-26-2005, 11:28 PM
My son was born 3 months premature and was in the NICU for three months, home for three days, and readmitted to PICU for another month. He began walking at 4 1/2. He started talking around the same time. He is now almost 8 years old and while he still requires speech therapy, he speaks quite well. I can understand just about everything he says, other than when he tries to talk too fast. Because of his CP, he often has to really concentrate on what he is trying to say or it just doesn't come out right. I am certain this will improve with time and therapy. Don't give up!!
TwstdWhsprs60
06-28-2005, 12:23 AM
Hello,
I'm a former premie, plus had a stroke at eighteen months of age. I stopped walking, as well as talking. I started speaking around the age of two. Started walking again around two and a half. I was diagnosed with CP at the age of five. I entered speech therapy when I was eleven, since speech therapy was not offered through my school except for those with behavorial problems. I still have some trouble with my S's, and can't be understood if my mind is running faster than my mouth. To a child, they think the way they speak is just like everyone else. So just keep working with her and have faith. She beat the odds. She's one great little girl.
I'm a former premie, plus had a stroke at eighteen months of age. I stopped walking, as well as talking. I started speaking around the age of two. Started walking again around two and a half. I was diagnosed with CP at the age of five. I entered speech therapy when I was eleven, since speech therapy was not offered through my school except for those with behavorial problems. I still have some trouble with my S's, and can't be understood if my mind is running faster than my mouth. To a child, they think the way they speak is just like everyone else. So just keep working with her and have faith. She beat the odds. She's one great little girl.
Albertarose
06-28-2005, 11:05 AM
Hello all,
I am the mommy of a 5-year old former preemie. She was born 3 1/2 months early and stayed in the hospital for 15 weeks. She has cp. She sat at 21 months, walked at 3.5 years, and says a few words now and also runs!
I am interested in your stories of how your speech developed having cp. Her cp is low tone. Can I have hope that she will talk?
Please share with me your stories :)
Hi,
I have had cp since borth. Iam now 38 years. My speech has never affected me. I was in speech therapy in my early years from about age 2 to age 6 or 7. From what Ican remember, I have always spoken fine. I don't have speech problems today or any delays. Most people think that I have MS b/c they tell me that my speech is not delayed like a lot of people with cp.
I am the mommy of a 5-year old former preemie. She was born 3 1/2 months early and stayed in the hospital for 15 weeks. She has cp. She sat at 21 months, walked at 3.5 years, and says a few words now and also runs!
I am interested in your stories of how your speech developed having cp. Her cp is low tone. Can I have hope that she will talk?
Please share with me your stories :)
Hi,
I have had cp since borth. Iam now 38 years. My speech has never affected me. I was in speech therapy in my early years from about age 2 to age 6 or 7. From what Ican remember, I have always spoken fine. I don't have speech problems today or any delays. Most people think that I have MS b/c they tell me that my speech is not delayed like a lot of people with cp.
firehorse
06-28-2005, 05:56 PM
My 5 year old nephew didn't talk until 2, and his speech is quite effected today. He began receiving speech therapy at around 1 yr old - yes before he began to speak. His therapist taught him sign language, had him point to objects she named to develop his speech comprehension and worked on feeding. My nephew still has the tongue thrust reflex - his tongue pushes the food out when he chews, and he has a hard time sipping from a straw. The sign language was great because he was able to signal us when he wanted 'more', and other things long before he was able to make the sounds. His language skills were developing well before he could speak.
Making the sounds of speech is not the same as understanding and expressing yourself with language. In addition to the early sign language use, my nephew is already reading, and even though he speaks slowly and can be hard to understand, he makes very complex sentences and he understands EVERYTHING he hears (which means we have to watch our mouths - he lets us know when we've said a 'bad' word). From talking to him it seems like the voice in his head speaks clearly, but he has a hard time making the sounds. In his case, its the lack of motor control of his mouth and tongue that are the problem, not a delay in acquiring language.
You're lucky your child is walking and running. Nicky may never do those things unassisted (he has low tone with spastic quadrants). Still, I think the trouble he has speaking will be the biggest challenge for him - it will affect him with his peers more than being in a wheelchair will IMO.
Keep talking and reading to your daughter, she will find ways to 'speak' even if she has a hard time vocalizing.
Making the sounds of speech is not the same as understanding and expressing yourself with language. In addition to the early sign language use, my nephew is already reading, and even though he speaks slowly and can be hard to understand, he makes very complex sentences and he understands EVERYTHING he hears (which means we have to watch our mouths - he lets us know when we've said a 'bad' word). From talking to him it seems like the voice in his head speaks clearly, but he has a hard time making the sounds. In his case, its the lack of motor control of his mouth and tongue that are the problem, not a delay in acquiring language.
You're lucky your child is walking and running. Nicky may never do those things unassisted (he has low tone with spastic quadrants). Still, I think the trouble he has speaking will be the biggest challenge for him - it will affect him with his peers more than being in a wheelchair will IMO.
Keep talking and reading to your daughter, she will find ways to 'speak' even if she has a hard time vocalizing.
garosa2000
07-07-2005, 11:56 PM
Thanks a lot to the people that replied to me. I really appreaciate it! It has given me hope. :)
goulais
09-12-2005, 11:22 PM
Dear Garosa2000:
I have a question regarding your daughter's CP, if you don't mind of course. My son is 16 months old & he was diagnosed with CP at 5 months of age. His neurologist team of doctors checked him out with 2 examines & he was schedule for a CT scan that night. After their examination, they made very strong comments on what good head control he had, how he would pull himself up when they let him grab their fingers, etc.. After the CT scan, which showed a spot of calcification on his brain, the neurologist team were totally shocked at the results. At this point they couldn't tell me what type of CP he was going to have, how severe it was going to be, etc..., all they told me & my husband was he had hit all of his milestones so far which is a very positive thing & he is thriving & growing perfectly, etc.. Anyway, when he was 15 months old, they finally did a MRI Scan. The doctor's response to the MRI results were he didn't have huge hemorraging that went deep into the cortex of the brain stem & he was spastic diplegia. The only symptoms my son has is high tone in his legs & he's retained 1 primitive reflex.
I was wondering what they told you when they diagnosed your daughter & what her MRI scan results were. What did your daughter do physically, could she roll over? Before she walked, could she take steps while you held her arms up? Did she have sleeping problems? Did she cry an awful lot & was really irritable? Did she have stomach & Reflux at all? Could she get around in a walker in her early years? When she sat up at 21 months, could she sit up unassisted & get to the sitting position by herself or needed support to sit up? I'm sorry for all the questions. I have so many, but I just don't know anyone to ask. I don't know anyone with children with CP & doctors will only answer my questions with "it's a wait & see thing".
Well, I'm sorry to bother you & I HOPE to hear from you soon. Thank you
Sherry
I have a question regarding your daughter's CP, if you don't mind of course. My son is 16 months old & he was diagnosed with CP at 5 months of age. His neurologist team of doctors checked him out with 2 examines & he was schedule for a CT scan that night. After their examination, they made very strong comments on what good head control he had, how he would pull himself up when they let him grab their fingers, etc.. After the CT scan, which showed a spot of calcification on his brain, the neurologist team were totally shocked at the results. At this point they couldn't tell me what type of CP he was going to have, how severe it was going to be, etc..., all they told me & my husband was he had hit all of his milestones so far which is a very positive thing & he is thriving & growing perfectly, etc.. Anyway, when he was 15 months old, they finally did a MRI Scan. The doctor's response to the MRI results were he didn't have huge hemorraging that went deep into the cortex of the brain stem & he was spastic diplegia. The only symptoms my son has is high tone in his legs & he's retained 1 primitive reflex.
I was wondering what they told you when they diagnosed your daughter & what her MRI scan results were. What did your daughter do physically, could she roll over? Before she walked, could she take steps while you held her arms up? Did she have sleeping problems? Did she cry an awful lot & was really irritable? Did she have stomach & Reflux at all? Could she get around in a walker in her early years? When she sat up at 21 months, could she sit up unassisted & get to the sitting position by herself or needed support to sit up? I'm sorry for all the questions. I have so many, but I just don't know anyone to ask. I don't know anyone with children with CP & doctors will only answer my questions with "it's a wait & see thing".
Well, I'm sorry to bother you & I HOPE to hear from you soon. Thank you
Sherry