Update on my daughter

[nikrix]

Hi as you might know from some other posts having a lot of problems with my daughter at the moment. I went to see her Doctor who diagnosed her yesterday, as she has had alot of stomach problems. As i thought the doctor put it down to IBS, just a nother thing to add to her long list of problems.

I also received a report in the post today from the speech and lanuage therapist, it was short but sweet. This is what it said:-

Vocabulary

Formal assesment of p***** naming vocabulary indiicates that she has word finding difficulties. This means that she may know the word that she wants to use, but finds it difficult to produce on demand. P***** was often able to name word when first sound was given suggesting that she needed a little extra help to eccess the word.

 

Receptive (understanding) Language

P***** was not able to answer questions about short paragraph. P***** said that she could not remember the information that was presented.

 

It then went on to say what help she would need, visual support, instructions broken down and so on.

She has many Lanuage problems, also slow gross and motor skills, dyspraxia and attention control difficulties the list goes on.

I just feel the problems are going to get worse as she gets older, i am forever up the school. She presents as a normal child, but has all of these under lined problems.

What do we do for the best?

Sorry i know alot of you have simalar problems its good to get your views.

Nikrix x

Edited November 19, 2005 by nikrix

[baddad]

Hi Nixrix -

 

A couple of very quick thoughts...

Re word finding difficulties. As your daughter's vocabulary grows she'll learn more alternative words she can use to compensate when she does 'lose' a word. It'll be frustrating, 'cos the new word will never be quite as good as the original word would have been, but at least she won't hit a brick wall. You may find that this problem actually becomes the foundation of a much wider vocabulary than average, because she wants to have more options available when a word does go walkabout...

Receptive language...

This is often one of the core features of an ASD (but not always), but again, as kids grow older they often get better at organising their thoughts and following more complex processes. Another thing that happens is that 'theory of mind' (seeing things from other POV) develops and then this akes it easier to respond intuitively to what people want than to actually process the information as a 'sequence'. (Hope that makes sense!) All of the strategies you've been told will help, but i'd try to get some sort of input from a child psychologist or local support groups on how to expand on that.

Stomach problems...

I'll put good money down on this not being 'IBS' but some sort of food intolerance. Chief suspects would be Dairy and Gluten. I'm not going to 'bang the drum' in this thread, 'cos there's LOADS of stuff on it elsewhere on the forum. i would say these two things, though:

1 - Certain sections of the GF/DF brigade can be a bit militant, overzealous, and (dare I say it) downright nasty (I did!) . You might also hear (IMO) rubbish about gf/df diets offering a 'cure'. Leave 'em to it......

2 - Carefully controlled GF/DF diets have helped my son and many other kids immensely, both in terms of direct responses (i.e my son stopped vomiting solids and screaming in pain from constipation), and indirect ones (attention & focus, behaviour etc). If you think about it, the first would probably lead to the second whether there's any thing else going on or not, 'cos lets face it anyone would have problems concentrating if it felt like they had a brick lodged up their bum, wouldn't they?

 

Hope that's helpful,

BD

 

PS: that 'word finding' thing, does it have a medical name? i find that very VERY interesting for all sorts of................................................ in all sorts of ways.

[nikrix]

Hi baddad

Thanks for your input , thats a great help. These problems have been going on for a long time, just does not seem to improve. She is having many diffuculties at school, i dont feel they give her the support she needs. She has statement for 27 hours but dont think they give it to her ( another battle i am trying to sort out)

The IBS problem always seems to happen when she is destressed or anxious alot to do with other children at school and the way they are with her.

Nikrix

[nikrix]

Looking every where for the Medical term for a word finding disorder Does any one know.

You started me off now baddad

Nikrix

[slt101]

There is no "medical" term for a word finding difficulty experienced as part of an ASD.

[slt101]

Re word finding difficulties. As your daughter's vocabulary grows she'll learn more alternative words she can use to compensate when she does 'lose' a word. It'll be frustrating, 'cos the new word will never be quite as good as the original word would have been, but at least she won't hit a brick wall.

Interesting suggestion, where did you get it from?

[Noetic]

Looking every where for the Medical term for a word finding disorder Does any one know.

Aphasia I believe. Yep, Anomic Aphasia in fact (just looked it up - Google is an aphasic's best friend ).

 

But it's usually just called word finding problem/disorder. Makes sense since it means people who have it (I do, runs strongly in my Mum's side of the family) are less likely to forget what it's called

Edited November 19, 2005 by Noetic

[slt101]

Yep, Anomic Aphasia in fact (just looked it up - Google is an aphasic's best friend ).

Aphasia is any language impairment caused by brain damage. "Aphasia is characterized by complete or partial impairment of language comprehension, formulation, and use; excludes disorders associated with primary sensory deficits, general mental deterioration, or psychiatric disorders."- Terminology of Communication Disorders, Speech-Language-Hearing.

 

Therefore a WFD experienced by someone who has an ASD cannot be described as being aphasic.

[smiley]

Aphasia - Spot on Noetic.

 

Niktric - My little ray of sunshine has huge problems with language - and that's one of them. It's increadably frustrating for him - but he is beginning to figure a way through it.

 

It's all part of Semantic/Pragmatic disorder and specific langauge impairement .......... Another load of confusing words M's speech therapist gives us

 

Definately worth asking the ST for some 'games' and therapies you can work through at home.

 

Some other things that M's speech therapist has helped with - Idioms (literal interpritation). ~We have stacks of little cards, with a funny picture. For instance "Don't let the cat out of the bag" With a picture of a boy squashing a cat into a bag! - M has to find the correct meaning, (ie; Don't tell anyone, it's secret) out of about four possible answers - he loves this game - we both have a giggle!

 

There are more, to do with Homophones, feelings and discussion / verbal reasoning.

 

The visual support is something we do here as well. M has huge problems with attention and sequencing. If i ask him to go upstairs to get changed - he'll get to the top of the stairs and forget why he's up there. Getting dressed, he has problems remembering which sequence to put his clothes on (Lots of Superman type of pants over trousers ). The visual reminder is just some photos of him putting on each piece of clothing. I hand this to him, then at the top of the stairs he is reminded - and whilst getting dressed.

 

Hope this helps <'>

[Noetic]

Aphasia is any language impairment caused by brain damage.

I thought there were also such things as developmental aphasia...

 

In any case Anomia is a more suitable term: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=21580

[slt101]

Aphasia is an impairment of language, affecting the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write. Aphasia is always due to injury to the brain-most commonly from a stroke. But brain injuries resulting in aphasia may also arise from head trauma, from brain tumors, or from infections.

Word Finding Difficulties in children with ASD is NOT aphasia.

[slt101]

Aphasia is any language impairment caused by brain damage.

I thought there were also such things as developmental aphasia...

 

In any case Anomia is a more suitable term: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=21580

That is an old term used to describe Specific Language Impairment SLI.

[slt101]

In any case Anomia is a more suitable term: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=21580

Anomia is used for patients who have had neurological trauma, hence the phrase anomic aphasia

[Noetic]

That is an old term used to describe Specific Language Impairment SLI.

Do you mean Developmental Aphasia?

 

(I just remember reading it in some people's signatures on health-related forums)

[phasmid]

I know very little about this but some of what you say seems to fit. Look Up Auditory Processing Disorder. There is at least 1 good UK site I know of (don't have the addy for certain but try APD.org.uk).

 

HTH

[nellie]

Information on Aphasia/dysphasia.

 

This is a link the Afasic publication page you will find individual sheets explaining terms used to describe children with speech and language impairments.

 

http://www.afasic.org.uk/f_pub.htm

[slt101]

That is an old term used to describe Specific Language Impairment SLI.

Do you mean Developmental Aphasia?

 

(I just remember reading it in some people's signatures on health-related forums)

Developmental Dysphasia or developmental aphasia or childhood dyphasia are old terms used to described what is now known as SLI.

 

Auditory Processing Disorder (or Central Auditory Processing Disorder) is different to WFD. One is the breakdown of the phonologiocal processing required to interpret what has been said, the other is a breakdown in semantic recall.

[Noetic]

Information on Aphasia/dysphasia.

 

This is a link the Afasic publication page you will find individual sheets explaining terms used to describe children with speech and language impairments.

 

http://www.afasic.org.uk/f_pub.htm

Thanks. I am glad I remembered correctly that these terms are used for certain language impairments in developmental disorders.

[Noetic]

Developmental Dysphasia or developmental aphasia or childhood dyphasia are old terms used to described what is now known as SLI.

That may well be the case in some areas/countries but it seems many diagnosticians still use them, and the terms are used at least in the UK. (As can be seen in the link above)

 

Auditory Processing Disorder (or Central Auditory Processing Disorder) is different to WFD. One is the breakdown of the phonologiocal processing required to interpret what has been said, the other is a breakdown in semantic recall.

There seems to be almost a trend nowadays to call many things 'part of CAPD' just because they have to do with spoken language. Donna Williams used the term (IMHO wrongly) in a consultancy by Email but because you pay for every hour she spends replying, I didn't bother pointing this out to her.

[slt101]

That may well be the case in some areas/countries but it seems many diagnosticians still use them

Who are these diagnosticians? Who would diagnose Developmental Aphasia/ SLI?

Edited November 19, 2005 by slt101

[shintyboy]

nikrix,your first posting interests me because i had been getting "treatment" for IBS for the last 23 years.After speaking to someone from the SSA after only 20 minutes,she suggested an intolerance to Gluten.I paid for a test to be done at the Autism Research Unit of Sunderland University and was duly diagnosed with a gluten intolerance.I've been on a Gluten-Free Diet for about 3 months and have gone from having extreme stomach pains every week,to having none! My 11yr old son is going through assessment and he has just been diagnosed with a gluten intolerance,just yesterday.He has had a history of stomach problems since just after birth and now we can at last help him. Saying that,it is quite expensive to maintain the diet but it is worth it. It is maybe worth a test for your daughter ? All the best

[Noetic]

That may well be the case in some areas/countries but it seems many diagnosticians still use them

Who are these diagnosticians? Who would diagnose Developmental Aphasia/ SLI?

I don't know them personally, but there are several parents on health forums who have children diagnosed with (Developmental) Aphasia. So regardless of what you feel to be the 'latest knowledge' (i.e. currently used term), it is obviously still used in practice.

 

These things are constantly being revised and unfortunately, there seems to be very little agreement about terminology when it comes to language disorders. Then again the same could be said for autism, too, especially with the whole 'AS vs. NVLD vs. Semantic-Pragmatic Language Disorder' thing. You'll always find some diagnosticians who insist they are the same, and others who refuse to even acknowledge similarities. It simply isn't all that easy to get diagnosticians to agree on something!

 

Also, I am sure if you enquire here: http://www.afasic.org.uk/f_speechlang.htm they may be able to tell you more about the statistics (i.e. how many local authorities use these terms). I'm sure even within the UK there will be many different varieties.

Edited November 19, 2005 by Noetic

[slt101]

As a diagnostician I can say that I cannot remember the last time I used the term "Developmental Aphasia"- it is very old and out dated.

 

I agree that diagnostic terms continue to evolve as our understanding of these complicated disorders develops but to stop any further misunderstanding I think it would be appropriate to reinforce the use of SLI. This is the term not only used in my dept but also used in regional special interest groups and by national advisors.

 

If you would like to know more about the use of this diagnostic term you could enquire here. as AFASIC wouldn't hold that kind of information.

Edited November 19, 2005 by slt101

[Noetic]

As a diagnostician I can say that I cannot remember the last time I used the term "Developmental Aphasia"- it is very old and out dated.

 

I agree that diagnostic terms continue to evolve as our understanding of these complicated disorders develops but to stop any further misunderstanding I think it would be appropriate to reinforce the use of SLI. This is the term not only used in my dept but also used in regional special interest groups and by national advisors.

As far as I'm aware, diagnosticians who use the terms use it more to describe a child's problems/symptoms, rather than as a main diagnosis. It makes sense to abbreviate something like "Word Finding Problems" to the much shorter term anomia (since they sort of mean the same thing), although of course WFP is easier to understand and remember

 

SLI seems a very generalised, broad description that seems likely to have great variety, so it makes sense to use that as the diagnostic label because AFAIK a child is unlikely to *just* have anomia (or aphasia), so it is of little use as a diagnostic label.

 

This document seems to suggest that it is still used - albeit less frequently: http://www.afasic.org.uk/pdf/glossary%2017.pdf

 

IMHO it would be better overall if fewer diagnostic labels were used, but I do feel it is very helpful to use more specific terms when it comes to elaborating the individual strengths and difficulties an individual has. It seems to be the closest fit for conveying the nature of a person's difficulties.

 

For example with autism, a more general 'ASD' label, but with a more detailed listing of the actual difficulties and strengths a child has, seems more sensible in terms of providing appropriate support. Children with Autism can be so different that just knowing they are autistic can not give teachers etc. too much of an idea of what they will need in terms of support.

 

Thanks for the link by the way.

Edited November 19, 2005 by Noetic

[nikrix]

Well, what can i say. Baddad started it saying there was a medical name for it, think i will just put it down to a lanuage problem.

 

Must say that she was diagnosed epileptic when she was younger and had many fits, it was thought in her early years that it may have caused slight damage to that part of the brain. Maybe this or the ASD is the cause of the problem.

 

She has many lanuage problems that keep presenting themselves expressive is the biggest problem. Just wanted to know what is the best thing to do and do you think mainstream is the best place for her?

 

Thanks for your replies

Nikrix