Fats for Whole-Body Apraxia and Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Whole-Body Apraxia and Speech-Related Apraxia

As parents, we anticipate that our children will meet all their developmental milestones without any significant challenges. For instance, simple daily tasks and normal everyday intentional motor planning movements we may take for granted as normal ability that with time the children will develop the skill to do. What if your child is unable to perform these purposeful movements even though he understands what to do? How and why does this happen and what can be done? And what exactly is whole-body apraxia and how does this differ from speech-related apraxia?

Developmental Delays

Many children with developmental delays may present with varying degrees of motor-planning issues that can affect gross, fine and oral motor skills. This disorder is called dyspraxia, a technical term derived from the Greek roots “dys” meaning “poor” and “praxis” meaning “coordination.” In some cases, the ability to coordinate sounds has been affected, and this results in impaired speech and language in some children. Dyspraxia affects the ability to coordinate sounds, which is why it affects speech and language.

Apraxia is a more serious version of this disability with far more severely limited motor planning. It is a neurological condition that affects the brain and the nervous system, causing the ability to motor plan to be impaired. In these cases, the child usually has the capacity to understand the request or command, the desire to do it and the muscle tone to perform the movement. However, the child is unable to execute simple movements because the brain is not able to give instructions to the body. Consequently, children with apraxia have difficulty coordinating movements freely and on command.

The Parietal Lobe

As with most neurological conditions, there is usually a specific area of the brain that is affected the most. In the case of apraxia, it is the parietal lobe, which is the area of the brain for sensory processing and includes the management of all the senses. This means there is a wide range of body movements that may be affected in all areas of our senses such as coughing, winking, using your fingers, arms or legs, moving your eyes, taking small steps, copying simple drawings, mimicking movements with your limbs, and using specific tools for certain tasks.

The most debilitating affect of apraxia in children and the most obvious is when it affects the child’s speech. A speech language pathologist (SLP) will check for signs of mouth-muscle weakness, how well the child makes consonant and vowel sounds, how proficient your child’s oral motor skills are such as smiling, blowing, and rounding lips, and how quickly they can move their mouth. An SLP will also observe how your child pauses and changes the pitch of their voice and how well others understand what your child is saying.

Early Signs of Speech Apraxia

Early signs of apraxia of speech may be very little babbling in infants and/or very limited variety of sounds they make. Toddlers may omit sounds within words such as at the beginning of a word or they may not always be able to say a sound or word properly even after they have learned it. They could also lose the ability to say a word they have already previously learned or even revert to using nonverbal forms of communication such as pointing or nodding.

In some cases, young children may have trouble chewing and swallowing or show signs of clumsiness or feeling awkward. They may also understand language much better than they can express it. Other signs children may have that indicate apraxia maybe the following:

• Autism
• Epilepsy
• Galactosemia
• Mitochondrial dysfunction
• Neuromuscular disorders
• Intellectual disability

Teenagers and adults with apraxia may speak slowly, saying one word and meaning another word, move their lips and tongue around trying to make certain sounds. This movement is called groping. Adults may also have difficulty with some familiar words or phrases and in some individuals may lose their ability to make any sounds in serious cases.

Ongoing Research

Apraxia may also be caused by damage to other areas of the brain such as head trauma, stroke, dementia or a brain tumor. There is ongoing research (see Sources & References, below) to understand all the causes of childhood apraxia of speech, as some scientists believe it is resulting from a signaling problem between the brain and the muscles with regards to speaking. Childhood stroke, ADHD, autism, epilepsy or infection may also play a significant role in triggering apraxia. Scientists are continuing to focus on whether brain abnormalities that cause apraxia can be identified, if there are any genetic causes to this type of apraxia affecting speech, and which parts of the brain are linked to this condition.

There is no doubt that the importance of screening for early-literacy skills in this population of children is paramount as well as seeing for the need of a speech language pathologist for your child. However, how does “whole body apraxia” differ from traditional speech apraxia?

Whole-Body Apraxia

Whole-body apraxia does not only affect movement and speech but also affects the whole entire body. In other words, the condition is an all-encompassing apraxia. More and more children today are struggling with whole-body apraxia rather than just speech and movement. Whole-body apraxia can result in simple movement milestones that children achieve rather quickly but cannot grasp because the brain is unable to talk to the body. This is why children with whole-body apraxia have difficulty executing simple movements even though they understand what is being asked of them and they have full use of their bodies.

Simple daily tasks such as brushing teeth, getting dressed, bathing, toileting, riding a bicycle, running, eating with utensils, tying shoes, brushing hair, writing, picking up items and many more everyday purposeful motor planning movements taken for granted as a normal ability that with time the children will develop the skill to do.

Unfortunately, today certain children have difficulty putting it altogether to coordinate their movements. Their brains are incapable of giving instructions to their bodies. There are many forms of apraxia, but we are seeing more and more children developing whole-body apraxia which affects total normal movement milestones in children. Western medicine advocates for treatment therapy in the form of strengthening exercises, guided exercises and the use of assistive devices. Schools provide speech language pathologists for children in need, doing the best they can to work with those affected with language issues, but is this enough?

What Else Can Be Done?

The question is what else can be done for children with apraxia besides exercises and assistive devices? Is there something missing from a biomedical level that may be able to make a difference for all children and adults who struggle with speech apraxia and especially those who suffer from whole-body apraxia? The answer is YES, absolutely. It’s called….FATS…and lots of them (the healthy kind). The brain consists primarily of fats and requires fats to survive and to function well and to send all the necessary messages to the body. Because whole-body apraxia is a neurological condition that affects the ability of the body to have these coordinated movements throughout the entire body; the brain needs to be given the necessary supplements to make sure the brain is speaking to the body all the time.

The Importance of Fats for the Brain

Finding the right words, putting them into sentences, having conversations and easy social interactions all require competent motor planning and the ability to process information. All motor planning requires fats for the brain because fats are a very essential component of the brain that keeps the brain functioning at its optimum level. Seventy to 80% of the brain is fat, so children and adults require high-quality fats to feed their brains to help address the effects of speech apraxia and whole-body apraxia. Is there a better type of fat for the brain?

What Are Phospholipids?

Phospholipids are a class of lipids that are very important fats because of their unique ability to link both water- and fat-soluble molecules. They have a fat-soluble molecule on one end and a water-soluble molecule on the other end, making them very important structural fats for the cell membrane. The quality of phospholipids is subject to change depending on whether the person is consuming good fats or unhealthy such as trans fatty acids found in all fast foods. If children are eating high-quality fats regularly, then they help make their brain function appropriately. If they are given bad fats as in fast foods, then their ability to feed the brain is compromised.

Here is a list of what phospholipids do in our body and brain, which makes them so essential for brain functioning and why high-quality fats in our diet are so crucial.

• Enhance acetylcholine
• Facilitate early brain development
• Strengthen the gut lining
• Support healthy liver function

Which Fats Are High Quality?

Examples of high-quality fats are:

• Organic avocado oil
• Organic olive oil (unheated)
• Grass-fed ghee
• Grass-fed butter (if dairy is tolerated)
• Fats from fatty fish such as salmon

Feed your children high-quality fats for every meal. Most people tend to consume too many omega-6 fats that are found in meat, cheese, nuts and some fish. Keep in mind the cell membrane is comprised of omega-3 fats. The quality of the cell membrane makes for a good solid foundation for brain functioning, so think good fats when preparing meals for your children.

Supplements

In addition to feeding your children high-quality fats, there are also some excellent sources of fats in a supplement form. One of the primary sources of fat in a supplement is DHA. To avoid mercury contamination in fish, good manufacturers distill the DHA to remove mercury. DHA, an omega-3 fat found in fish and seaweed makes up 25% of the brain, which is why it is so important to give children this brain nutrient from the time they are babies. Researchers have studies which show how DHA can improve motor planning, attention, academics and behavior. Babies can have DHA. Start young!

Phosphatidylcholine (PC)

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is one of the most important phospholipids in the cell membrane. It is a great source of choline which helps create acetylcholine in the brain, which is fundamental for learning and memory. Supplementing with choline can help improve cognitive functioning because choline is the raw material for neurotransmitters.

Acetylcholine is necessary for memory and cognitive and all the major neurotransmitters that regulate memory, motor planning and executive function such as language development. Ask your practitioner for a recommendation for phosphatidylcholine that can help with apraxia and whole-body apraxia.

Vitamin E

A California pediatrician, Claudia Morris MD, recognized that many children with dyspraxia/apraxia were found to have low levels of vitamin E. Vitamin E deficiency is responsible for poor articulation, low muscle tone, abnormal proprioception and a high pain threshold. She recommends 2000 IUs daily of vitamin E for children.

High-quality fats are the most important piece of information parents will want to remember when dealing with apraxia or whole-body apraxia to make sure your child is getting the types of fats that they need to make their brains function at an optimum level. Feeding the brain lots of fats helps children reach their developmental milestones in an appropriate time frame.

LCP Solution

What is the LCP solution and why is it important? LPC is a new form of omega-3 that transports both DHA and EPA directly into the targeted organs, most specifically the brain. LPC, which is lysophosphatidylcholine, is in the form of a carrier molecule which allows it to provide six times the amount of higher absorption and a much faster uptake into the brain as compared to other traditional fish oils.

Researchers have found that the lack of beneficial effects with DHA supplements may be related to limited bioavailability because the optimum form of DHA for the brain is LPC. However, LPC is only sold to researchers at a very expensive price. Researchers have found that supplementing with krill oil is another possible solution instead of LPC because krill oil results in a five-times higher enrichment of DHA levels in the brain. LPC is also found in egg yolk – a much cheaper and viable solution as well.

No matter what type of apraxia your child may have, speech-related or whole-body, one of the most important decisions you can make is to give your child the right fats for their brain so you will ensure they will thrive.

About Teresa Badillo

She won a court case in 1995 against the Rockland County School District in New York to enable ARC Prime Time for Kids to be the first school using Applied Behavioral Analysis teaching method for autism that was paid for by the Rockland County School District. The following year she was instrumental in getting the New York Minister of Education to approve an extension of the ARC license from 5 to 21 years.

She has worked over the years in a number of alternative medical practices with doctors and practitioners organizing various biomedical intervention options for children with autism. Since the mid 1990s, Teresa has served on several boards:

• Foundation for Children with Developmental Disabilities
• The Autoimmunity Project
• Developmental Delayed Resources
• Epidemic Answers

She continues to consult and advise parents on all different areas of autism especially nutritional protocols. Since 2006 she has worked with NutraOrgana, LLC and BioCellular Analysis Testing. She currently researches, writes the newsletter and blogs Teresa’s Corner for The Autism Exchange (AEX). She also writes blog posts and pages for Documenting Hope.

Still Looking for Answers?

Visit the Documenting Hope Practitioner Directory to find a practitioner near you.

Join us inside our online membership community for parents, Healing Together, where you’ll find even more healing resources, expert guidance, and a community to support you every step of your child’s healing journey.

More To Explore