The Cherab Foundation is a world-wide nonprofit organization working to improve the communication skills and education of all children with speech and language delays and disorders. Our area of emphasis is verbal and oral apraxia, severe neurologically-based speech and language disorders that hinder children's ability to speak.

The Cherab Foundation is committed to assisting with the development of new therapeutic approaches, preventions and cures to neurologically-based speech disorders. We bring together parents and medical, research, and educational professionals. Please join us and help to give our children a smile and a voice.

Our private Yahoo group has close to 10 thousand members. There we have learned as a group about which fish oils are the best, what type of therapy is found to be most successful and where you can find local support.

I'm Lisa Geng, mother to two former "late talkers" and I run the CHERAB Foundation. As one of the co authors of The Late Talker my hope is to help bring all children a smile and a voice, and to help those of all ages with communication impairments or what I call the "verbal disabled" There is so much hope for all ages.

This facebook page is an open group in hopes that we will be able to reach more people and to be able to help more children.

CHERAB does not use the terms “childhood apraxia of speech/CAS” or “developmental apraxia of speech/DAS” due to the fact that we have members that were diagnosed with apraxia / dyspraxia as children and are now in their teens or twenties and still have apraxia / dyspraxia. Apraxia is a condition one overcomes but does not outgrow and as of yet there is no cure.
Melanie is one of our adult members who grew up with apraxia since childhood http://www.cherab.org/news/Melanie.html Melanie's mom Robin is an officer here if anyone has any questions for her.

Most diagnosed with apraxia today also have co existing sensory integration dysfunction or mild hypotonia; These would be considered the “soft signs” of apraxia / dyspraxia

Does your child have any neurological "soft signs" such as hypotonia or sensory integration dysfunction?
http://www.cherab.org/information/speechlanguage/parentfriendlysoftsigns.html

Does your child have signs of oral apraxia? (for example, can he on command smile, imitate funny faces, blow bubbles...if you put peanut butter anywhere around his mouth can he lick it off no matter where it is?)
http://www.cherab.org/information/speechlanguage/oralapraxia.html

Probably today the most famous apraxic / dyspraxic is “Harry Potter” ; Daniel Radcliffe. Apraxia or dyspraxia are terms used interchangeably in the US and this neurologically based motor planning impairment can affect motor planning of the body, speech, or both. Daniel’s dyspraxia is reported to be affecting his body. It is fairly common to have both apraxia or dyspraxia of speech and the body to some extent. In many cases one will be subtle, one more pronounced.

To me Daniel teaches the world two things; that apraxia / dyspraxia is a condition that does not prevent the individual from reaching the stars.

Even though there are many with autism that also have underlying and in some cases undiagnosed apraxia, there are many with apraxia that do not have autism. Some professionals today consider apraxia to be a "form" of autism. Unlike classic autism however apraxia is not in itself a social or behavioral disorder. Apraxia is also not a cognitive disorder, however far to many apraxic children are inappropriately assumed to be cognitively delayed . Any speech delay in a child is frustrating. Apraxia is one of the most severe speech disorders, so a frustrating condition where the child is aware of what he wants to say, he may desperately want to say it, but just can't move his mouth to make the words.

Apraxia / dyspraxia is still virtually unknown to the world and needs awareness and research to help bring all that are affected a smile and a voice.

Thanks!

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Lisa Geng
President CHERAB Foundation
Communication Help, Education, Research, Apraxia Base
http://www.cherab.org
http://www.cherabfoundation.org (new site coming soon)
http://www.pursuitofresearch.org (fund raising site)
http://www.apraxia.org
Twitter @thelatetalker (read less)

The Cherab Foundation is a world-wide nonprofit organization working to improve the communication skills and education of all children with speech and language delays and disorders. Our area of emphasis is verbal and oral apraxia, severe neurologically-based speech and language disorders that hinder children's ability to speak.

The Cherab Foundation is committed to assisting with the development of new therapeutic approaches, preventions and cures to neurologically-based speech disorders. We... (read more)