This advice-column-style blog for SLPs was authored by Pam Marshalla from 2006 to 2015, the archives of which can be explored here. Use the extensive keywords list found in the right-hand column (on mobile: at the bottom of the page) to browse specific topics, or use the search feature to locate specific words or phrases throughout the entire blog.
Apraxia and Attention
By Pam Marshalla
Q: My six-year-old daughter has oral and verbal apraxia and developmental coordination disorder. She has a difficult time keeping up her levels of concentration throughout the school day. One teacher tells me that Hannah needs to “attend” and that she is concerned about Hannah’s “attention deficit.” Do you know of any resources that would help explain how her diagnosis affects her ability to focus?
Probably the best place to begin is The Out-of-Sync Child and succeeding books (The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun and The Out-of-Sync Child Grows Up) by Carol Kranowitz. These were written for parents.
Please keep in mind that your daughter also may have an attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). Sometimes these struggles go unrecognized because of the other problems that are more obvious but that is becoming less common today.
Other recommendations (affiliate links):
- Speaking of Apraxia: A Parent’s Guide to Childhood Apraxia of Speech by Leslie Lindsey
- Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for Helping Your Child with Sensory Processing Issues by Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske
- Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) by Lucy Jane Miller
- Raising Kids With Sensory Processing Disorders: A Week-by-Week Guide to Helping Your Out-of-Sync Child With Sensory and Self-Regulation by Rondalyn Whitney and Verleisha Gibbs
- Overcoming Apraxia by Lauren Baskall Smith
- A Beginner’s Guide on Parenting Children with ADHD: A Modern Approach to Understand and Lead your Hyperactive Child to Success by Richard Bass