Join Cherab's free support discussion list:

For information about communication impairments, see Cherab's partner informational site, Speechville Express

Read more about The Late Talker, a new book for families of children who are late to talk.

EFA... What's that?!
by Dr. Katz

How did this Apraxia /EFA Scientific Conference Come About?

Official Scientific Post-Conference Statement

Scientific Organizers

Scientific Panelists

Administrative Organizers

EFA Resources

What is ProEFA, EFA, LCP, and DHA? And could they possibly help your child? The answer will be clear to all in the near future. This is because Cherab will soon begin research on apraxia and EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids) based on the outcome of the hugely successful First Scientific Conference Dedicated to the Therapy of Verbal Apraxia/Dyspraxia.

How did this Scientific Conference Come About? Ms. Lisa Geng, President and founder of the Cherab Foundation, has been supplementing the regular diet of her son, Tanner, diagnosed with verbal apraxia, with a nutritional supplement containing a mixture of essential fatty acids (EFAs) containing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The results of the supplementation have been remarkable in that Tanner started to talk and his speech improved rapidly. After sharing her experience with hundreds of parents through the Cherab Foundation, many have adopted the EFA supplementation approach and reported improvements in their child's speech. Positive results have also been noted by Marilyn Agin, M.D., a former speech pathologist, and now a clinical developmental pediatrician, Medical Director of New York City's Early Intervention Program, who has a number of EFA-supplemented apraxic children under her supervision. Cherab Foundation's resident speech pathologist, Lori Roth, M.A., CCC-SLP, who is also supervising apraxic children, has reported similar progress. Ms. Geng asked Robert Katz, PhD, a Health Scientist Administrator with about 25 years of research program management experience and currently president and co-founder of the Omega-3 Research Institute, Inc. where he initiated and co-organized three international workshops on physiologic effects of omega-3 fatty acids to suggest possible approaches to validating these initial reports. The First Scientific Conference Dedicated to the Therapy of Verbal Apraxia/Dyspraxia was approved by the Cherab Foundation.

Official Statement from The First Scientific Conference Dedicated to the Therapy of Verbal Apraxia/Dyspraxia! You may also want to explore the archives of our grouplist.

Postconference Statement
The First Scientific Conference on Therapy for Verbal Apraxia/Dyspraxia, held on July 23-24, 2001 at the Headquarters Plaza Hotel, Morristown, New Jersey under the auspices of the Cherab Foundation (http://www.apraxia.cc/), focused on "Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) and Verbal Apraxia: A New Potential Therapeutic Intervention." A panel of scientific experts discussed the evidence presented at the conference in the form of professional anecdotal case reports on improvement of verbal communication ability with EFA supplementation in this population. The panel unanimously agreed that the existing scientific evidence justifies planning and implementing a comprehensive clinical trial to convincingly validate this new potential therapeutic intervention. The panel discussed various clinical research alternatives including the following:

A controlled case series trial using currently available standardized speech assessment measures or developing new clinical assessment profiles for baseline and post-EFA testing

A randomized, placebo-controlled multicenter clinical trial of EFA and placebo supplementation to be undertaken as soon as possible. For example, if a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial would be undertaken, all diagnosed verbal apraxic children, including those with hypotonia and sensory integration disorder, who have not been supplemented with EFAs, would be eligible for randomization. The panel suggested that all randomized children would be supplemented with EFA or placebo in addition to appropriate speech therapy. This took into consideration the potential cooperative or possibly synergistic effect of the combined therapies in the treatment group. The length of the trial is proposed to be 3 months. Improvement in verbal communication skills, or the lack thereof using an assessment protocol as described above, would be the major therapeutic outcome measured, and plasma, as well as erythrocyte membrane EFA levels would be monitored periodically. The two groups would consist of about 20-30 age-matched subjects. ProEFA / Ultimate Omega "Nordic Naturals" would be the therapeutic supplement used in the trial based on preliminary successes attained. In addition the panel noted the potential availability of electrophysiological measuring instruments that could serve as assessment tools of developmental-behavioral characteristics of a verbal apraxic child, and recommended the exploration of such techniques. While the panel refrained from discussing the etiology and pathophysiology of verbal apraxia, it also expressed great interest in what appears to be a presence of verbal apraxia in a percentage of children on the autistic spectrum and a possible association in other disorders and syndromes, such as: hypotonia, sensory integration disorder, dysarthria, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Kabuki Syndrome and cerebral palsy. The panel recommended further exploration of these phenomena. Although no final decision was reached on the nature of the clinical trial/trials to be undertaken, the workshop ended with a commitment from all members to continue debating this issue in close collaboration with the organizers, and to reach a decision within the shortest timeframe possible. The organizers thank all panel members for their tireless dedication and enthusiastic participation in the Workshop's deliberations, and thank all parents who contributed to the success of the workshop, by requesting the professionals supervising and treating their children to complete a professional anecdotal case report questionnaire on the outcomes of EFA supplementation. This workshop could not have taken place without their assistance. The organizers also wish to acknowledge with thanks the assistance of many dedicated parents in helping with the logistic aspects of the workshop. Last but not least, the organizers are thankful to the Cherab Foundation president, Ms. Lisa Geng, for her support of this workshop, and her boundless energy and enthusiasm in the service of verbal apraxic children and their parents.

The Scientific Organizers:

Marilyn Agin, M.D. and Robert Katz, Ph.D.

Scientific Panel Members:

Marilyn Agin, M.D.
Medical Director, Early Intervention, New York City, NY

Susan E. Carlson, Ph.D.
Professor, University of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas
Member Consortium for Fatty Acids (CFBFA)

Joseph Hibbeln, M.D.
Chief, Outpatient Clinic
National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse
NIH, Bethesda, Maryland

Robert Katz, Ph.D.
Managing Director, Consortium for Brain Fatty Acids (CFBFA) Omega-3 Research Institute, Inc.

Nancy Kaufman, M.A., CCC/SLP
Director, Kaufman Children's Center for
Speech Language and Sensory Disorders,
West Bloomfield, Michigan

Ann Moser
Director, Peroxisomal Diseases
and Fatty Acid Profiles Clinical Laboratory,
Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland
Member CFBFA.

Jennifer Hill-Karrer, Ph.D.
Associate Professor,
University of Kansas Medical Centre, Kansas City, Kansas

Lori Roth M.A., CCC/SLP
Speech Pathologist, Cherab Foundation

Andrew Zimmerman, M.D.
Professor, Johns Hopkins University and
Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland

Alexandra J. Richardson, MA, DPhil
Senior Research Fellow in Neuroscience, Imperial College School of Medicine, MRI Unit, Hammersmith Hospital, London; and University Lab. of Physiology, Oxford.

Guest Dinner Speaker:

Hugo W. Moser, M.D.
University Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD Director of Neurogenics Department,
Kennedy Krieger Research Institute Baltimore, MD

The Administrative Organizers:

Cherab Foundation

Lisa Geng, President, Suzanne Smolyar, Executive Vice President, and Glenn W. Geng Executive Director, Treasurer

For scientific details on the Conference please contact Dr. Robert Katz, President, Omega-3 Research Institute, Inc at the following e-mail address: omega3ri@aol.com For all other information, please contact the Cherab Foundation.

Some Resources:

PRO EFA
This is the professional line of the child friendly, third person tested for purity form of EFA. ProEFA is the mixture of DHA (omega 3) GLA (omega 6) and EPA, and is the formula that will be used in upcoming research as a result of successful anecdotal case reports from professionals discussed at Cherab's first conference for apraxic children. Supplemented children can not participate in clinical trials. Other products that may help your child's communication found here as well.
ProEFA, and other products that may help

Ultimate Omega
This is the commercial line of ProEFA, the child friendly, third person tested for purity form of EFA. Ultimate Omega is the mixture of DHA (omega 3) GLA (omega 6) and EPA, and is the formula that will be used in upcoming research as a result of successful anecdotal case reports from professionals discussed at Cherab's first conference for apraxic children. Supplemented children can not participate in clinical trials.
Nordic Naturals

Omega-3 Research Institute
The official site for the Research Institute which is run by Robert Katz PhD. Dr. Katz led the first clinical scientific conference for verbal apraxic children.
Omega3 RI

A MUST Read About Essential Fatty Acids / EFAs
A book written for parents and professionals documenting some of the remarkable research by Dr. Stordy and colleagues on how essential fatty acids benefits those with various conditions, including apraxia. Our son Tanner's amazing positive results with EFA's are in this book too. To read some of it online at Dr. Stordy's website, click on the link below.
Dr. Stordy's Book

Ocean Essentials
More research on how various essential fatty acids are healthy for us.
Ocean Essentials

DMG and TMG
Kirkmanlabs

Omega TEK EPA
Fatty Acid Complex

Flaxseed
Natures Path
Natural Ovens

Glutent And Casem Free Diet
GFDiet

Join The Cherab Foundation GroupList
Great site to learn about speech disorders like apraxia, and therapies that might help including EFA's from others. Our group list has information exchange from various medical, speech and educational professionals, and updates about current research. You can post your questions here. Once you are a member, you can also access the archives and research past posts. Option of no email web only Cherab's GroupList

Join The Speech Diet List Serve
Great site to learn about EFA's from others. You can post your questions to the list. Once you are a member, you can also access the archives and research past posts.
Speech Diet List

FDA and 20/20 opinions on Mercury
is information from 20/20 TV, where they talked about mercury poisoning with medical and other authorities who spoke about a link between mercury poisoning and neurological conditions, including...language! This information was revealed to all of us by Dr. Patricia Kane at our January 2001 meeting BEFORE 20/20 and the FDA released their findings.
This page includes

	Mercury Information From FDA
	Mercury Information From 20/20 TV
	Mercury Information From Autism site which relates to apraxia
	Information from Dr. Stordy about mercury, and importance of DHA (from fish)

Information On Drugs Found Interesting
Drug Information

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.

Cherab Foundation
Communication Help, Education, Research, Apraxia Base
P.O. Box 8524 PSL, Florida 34952-8524
Phone: 772-335-5135

Disclaimer | Privacy Statement | E-mail Cherab
Copyright © Cherab Foundation 1998-2002 All rights reserved.

Last Update: February 19, 2003