Jumping & Dancing for Joy

So Smarty shows the classic symptoms for Childhood Apraxia of Speech which is what he was diagnosed with at age 2. But I believe his apraxia goes a little further than that.

Most children naturally learn to walk, climb stairs, dance, and jump. It doesn't seem to intense. It almost seams that kids just spontaneously burst into dancing or jumping, no formal training required. This wasn't the case with Smarty.

We started trying to teach him to jump in Fall '06, just after he turned 2. Ben's sister handed down to us a rocking-horse on springs that proved very helpful. After much time on the horse with Ben and I bending and straitening his legs, Smarty began to do it himself and understand the motion. When the weather got nice, we started spending lots of time on my mother's trampoline. We would hold his arms or waist and physically jump him up and down. Sometime durring March '07 Smarty jumped on the tramp, by himself, for the first time. By May '07 he figured out the rhythm required to continuously jump on the tramp, and has never wanted to quit since.

Dancing was a similar story. At first we just held his hands and wiggled his arms, and after some time we were able to help him wiggle his hips and then eventually move his feet. Ben and I really credit our sister-in-law, Millie, with that victory. She spent hours with the music blaring, her children acting like hoodlums, working with our little boy until he finally figured it out.

Just today we were at Target and Smarty pushed a button on a toy and it began to make music. Smarty immediately began to move his hands up and down and sway side to side. His robotic version of the "mashed potato." I loved it! It almost makes me cry to think of all that was involved to bring that moment about. I'm so indebted to everyone who has spent extra time with my kids, especially to Smarty himself. He never gives up rarely gets discouraged.

What term would I give to Smarty's Apraxia? I've Googled it all, and there are so many terms with minor variations here and there. It's all quite confusing to me. I don't know which particular version fits best, but for my intents and purposes, Apraxia is a disorder where kids have no trouble with input. They understand all that is being said to them or asked of them. They can draw logical conclusions when a number of factors are presented. They comprehend, they compute, they "get it."

It's the output where they have trouble. Their brain understands what is needed, but actually communicating that to their muscles is where the problem lies. The communication between brain and muscles (or motor functions) for whatever reason is weak, so tasks have to be repeated to an insane degree, and explained on a most basic level. (for example: in order to make the sound for letter "m" drop your bottom jaw, now close your lips but not teeth, now breathe out of your nose, and make your throat vibrate)

Only in the last 6 months has Smarty begun to imitate the actions of those around him without a detailed explanation. Even then, his imitation is often inaccurate or skewed.

We are so dang proud of him though! He works really hard and has come a long way. He always does his best to do what we ask him to do. Yes I know that's rare in a 3 year old. Yes I'm very grateful! We expect that he will be up to speed, if not, ahead by the time he starts Kindergarten. Thanks again to everyone who has helped Smarty to be the capable kid he is.