Fish oil capsules help children with speech disorders find their voices

Posted: June 26, 2006 by cherab

Published in Englemed Health News

Look Who’s Talking Now: Fish oil capsules help children with speech disorders find their voices

A simple fish oil supplement may be the key to dramatically unlock the voices of children with speech and language disorders.

That’s the conclusion of a group of scientists who reviewed a study of nineteen youngsters suffering from various speech problems. The children, ranging in age from two years to eight years, were given a fish oil supplement containing a mixture of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids (EFAs). Speech-language pathologists who monitored the children reported significant improvements within just a few weeks. The improvements were noted not only in the children’s ability to talk, but also in their behavior, ability to focus, and in maintaining eye contact.

Now the scientists, brought together by the Cherab Foundation, a major nonprofit group for children with speech disorders, are calling for a large-scale clinical trial to validate these initial findings.

“The results were dramatic,” says developmental pediatrician Marilyn C. Agin, M.D., medical director of the New Jersey-based foundation, who also reported similar results in ten anecdotal cases. “They strongly suggest that EFA supplementation combined with speech and occupational therapy could become the treatment of choice in multifaceted communication disorders.”

Until now children with severe speech disorders such as apraxia, a neurologically-based condition, have required years of intensive one-on-one therapy-often with painfully slow progress. “But now, with EFA supplementation, the future for these children may be much brighter-and sooner rather than later,” says Lori L. Roth, M.S., CCC/SLP, a speech pathologist with the Cherab Foundation.

The amazing potential of EFA supplementation came to light when the nonprofit group’s president, Lisa Geng, used it with her three-year-old son, Tanner. After just three weeks his vocabulary exploded. “It was the breakthrough we had been praying for. It was incredible,” says Lisa.

Why does this supplementation work? The experts believe that the speech disorders are the result of a breakdown in communication between the brain and the muscles in the mouth, tongue and jaw that have to work together to produce speech. Essential fatty acids, especially the omega-3 DHA and the omega-6 fatty ARA, are highly necessary for brain development. Most children obtain them-during the most critical times of brain development-directly from their mothers while they are still in the womb and subsequently while being breast-fed. Any deficiency can result in permanent neurodevelopmental deficits in the growing infant.

“Therefore, essential fatty acid supplementation in neurodevelopmental speech disorders could correct a specific deficit in the speech center of the central nervous system,” says Robert Katz, Ph.D., Cherab’s director of EFA research.

The panel of experts who reviewed the study included scientists from the NIH, Johns Hopkins University, Kennedy Krieger Institute, University of Kansas, and Oxford University, England. They join a growing group of researchers who are heralding the benefits of essential fatty acid supplementation for a wide range of brain-related problems including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, and even Alzheimer’s disease and autism.

(the following open label study was initiated due to one of our parents Nancy Goodman – I’ve shared many times the importance not in theory but in reality for the small amount of GLA which has very strong anti inflammatory properties which may enable the DHA and EPA to cross the blood brain barrier and get through the very small blood vessels of the brain)

Visit the Main Fish Oil Information Page For More Information

Category: Apraxia, Essential Fatty Acids (EFA), Media, News, Therapy Tags: ,

48 Comments on “Fish oil capsules help children with speech disorders find their voices”

  2. My son is 3 and 1/2 yrs old and weighs 40 pounds. I would really love to try this for improving his speech. How much would he take? and what exactly should he take? meaning are there other things to take with the fish oil?

  3. My son is also 3.5 yo and about 40+lbs. what is the recommended dosage of EPA /EFA? About a year ago I believe i was giving him 2 EFA and 1 EPA??

    • Hi Elena it’s Lisa! There really is no set dosage for children, but as I have on this page in research the dosages are much higher than what many use. When your son was 3 and a half and on the 2 ProEFA and 1 ProEPA did you notice any changes? You’re using NV Original now too right? Typically from what I’ve seen from my son Tanner when you are using NV, as it naturally supports the metabolic system through the foods in it, it doesn’t seem they need as much fish oils. Also did you notice surges with fish oils alone? If your child is a “responder” which seems to be around 80 something percent according to Dr. Stordy (who wrote The LCP Solution) as she presented at one of our conferences, even with just one capsule of ProEFA you should note a difference. Did you? I can tell you prior to NV many of us including me were doubling or tripling the “formula” so using 4:2 or even 6:3 ProEFA/ProEPA a day. I’d say with NV most use just one or two capsules of ProEFA, and a few use 2 ProEFA to 1 ProEPA and that’s about it. Let me know!

      • What is NV..
        My daughter is now 3.5 and been taking fish oils for a few months with great improvements including seeing an SLP. Just getting into the apraxia thing more and more since her diagnosis a couple months ago. We just added GLA two days ago to her does of fish oil which already contains the EPA and DHA.. I think those are correct acronyms? Also read recently perhaps adding “Carnosine”? If this is a good idea, how much should we add? We want to see how she does with the addition of the GLA prior to adding anything else, but also wondering if we should increase the amount of fish oils she is getting. Currently she is getting 5ml a day right before bed (liquid, which works for us), and it contains very close to the dose amounts recommended for the EPA and DHA.. Just no GLA which is why we added it. Should we maybe give her 7.5ml and see or should we wait for results from the GLA (50mg) to see? Thoughts?

      • Hi Tom,

        NV was a food powder supplement many of us used and loved that was discontinued years ago. If you are looking for a healthy food powder to ensure your child is getting all the essential nutrients I recommend my product IQed https://getiqed.com/ but no claims are allowed to be made on IQed until we have clinical validation.

        What formula of fish oils are you currently using that you just added the GLA? So you must be using a pure Omega 3 formula? What is her diagnosis? Yes EPA and DHA are correct -those are both Omega 3s (GLA is a form of Omega 6) I cover formula on this page http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/ 5 ml is a teaspoon which is about 4 regular sized capsules a day. ore is not always better and I found by raising the EPA a bit higher you can even lower the dosage and I a pretty confident you’ll even note more improvements.

        Read over the formula page above and let me know if you have questions after reading that. I recommend capsules over liquid for the reasons here http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/fish-oil-capsule-vs-liquid-for-children/ and here are suggestions on how to serve http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/06/10/something-smells-fishy-serving-kids-fish-oils/

        About carnitine I don’t recommend supplementing with it until you have testing done for the reasons on this page http://pursuitofresearch.org/2012/07/09/carnitine-deficiency-testing-for-autism-and-apraxia/

        Lisa Geng
        President CHERAB Foundation
        cherab.org
        Communication Help, Education, Research, Apraxia Base
        Conceptualist for IQed “Approved for the Feingold Diet”
        getIQed.com
        772-335-5135
        “Help give our cherubs a smile and a voice”

    • Hi Lisa,
      Thank you for all your help with the information on your website! I am from overseas, so I don’t know which fish oil to get for my son. Can I have the doses and combination of fish oils I need for him? My son is 2 and a quarter, he is not babbling/talking and hardly vocalizing. He has many other delays, but I am very worried about the speech. I am doing lots of therapies with him. I hope the fish oil will help him. I f you can help me with that I would really appreciate it.

      Thanks,

      Malka

  4. Although there may be some health and nutritional benefits to taking Omega-3 supplements, there is no long-term data to support that Omega-3 has any role in speech/language development in preschool children or toddlers.

  5. My daughter is 14 months and weighs almost 22lbs. She was started on one Nordic natural 369 complete omega for 1 week and now takes 2 (total time one and a half weeks). I have seen an improvement in awareness, eye contact and babbling different sounds. Should I start the NV too and add another EPA for better results? Why are the positive effects so short lasting? In other words, I can give the fish oil at lunch, and by the next morning, awareness, behaviours, and babbling less positive until I give next dose of EFAs.

    • Your child is still very young. At 14 months she may just have a developmental lag which is super common. Here are warning signs for 12 through 18 months “Cause for concern in first 12-18 months
      · Lack of communicative gestures · Does not attempt to imitate or produce single words
      · Does not persist in communication (may hold hand up for help, but gives up if adult does not respond immediately) · Limited comprehension (understands less than 50 words) · Limited vocabulary (speaks less than 10 words) · Lack of new words between the age of 12-18 months” That’s from The late talker handout https://cherabfoundation.org//2011/late-talker-handout/ I’ve since co authored The Late Talker book with one of my boy’s neurodevelopmental pediatricians which may be helpful to you as well. http://www.amazon.com/Late-Talker-What-Child-Talking/dp/0312309244/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1459887056&sr=8-1&keywords=late+talker&linkCode=sl1&tag=pursofrese-20&linkId=193ee45cc2ec63eafdaad59f4ee1c335

      The fact though she’s having such good improvements to fish oils is a sign that she may have more going on. Is your child in early intervention -any speech therapy currently?

      As far as why does your child appear to need more fish oils daily, Fish oils contain essential fatty acids. Essential nutrients are those nutrients that our bodies require, but our bodies can’t produce so we need to consume them. And with today’s western diet many including the essential fats (found in fish oils) are virtually lacking today.

  6. Lisa- thank you for your response. My daughter was born 4 weeks premature IUGR and has lagged behind her milestones (except gross motor) since birth. 1)Since she is premature, do I evaluate meeting those milestones you discussed by actual or adjusted age? I ordered your book and received it today. I agree that there is more going on. She was evaluated by Early Intervention this past week and will begin speech and occupational therapy for adaptive and communication skills in about 1 month with a dx of Unspecified Developmental Delay. OT will be for 30 min once weekly and ST will be 30 min twice weekly. Early Intervention would not consider sessions less than 30 minutes and I know you suggested more frequent sessions for less time (I believe I read). 2) Therefore, should I pursue additional private therapy so that daughter has more frequently, as well as starting private therapy before Early Intervention can begin since the brain is most mallable up to 2 years of age? She has also been evaluated by a neurologist at 7 months and last week, and I was told nothing wrong at 7 months despite not meeting multiple milestones( although I knew in my gut that there was something off). She has a hx of GERD and feeding issues that persist today as well as sensory /tactile/oral aversions, whole hand pointing, waved bye bye a few times at age 13 months but nothing since, claps with moving right hand on left hand instead of using both equally. Since starting the EFAs, she is so cranky but I am hoping to see more improvement as outlined in the article “Therapeutic use of fish oil for apraxia, autism and other communication impairments”. 3) Would IQed be a meal substitute or snack? 4)Should I also add an additional EPA or wait until 3 weeks on current 2 EFAs as this was the timeframe that most saw surges of improvement? This is a long post and I know you are super busy but I am alone in my quest for answers and help and am just reaching out for any beacon of hope and treatment. As a side, my daughter just got over roseola (like you son had as a baby) and i gave her tylenol for fever reduction, not knowing that there is some association between baby tylenol and autism in metabolically or genetically vunerable children. During the time she was sick is when it was most noticeable that the effects of the EFAs seemed to “wear off” sooner with more prominent lack of eye contact and interaction. I hope that by continuing to give the fish oil while she was sick, i may have minimized potential toxic overload. Not sure if that possible-just hoping. Again, thank you for any guidance, feedback, or suggestions.

    • Dominique I would for sure try to get more therapy through your insurance -there are some tips here http://pursuitofresearch.org/2012/07/10/insurance-coverage-tips-for-speech-and-other-special-needs-therapies/ which may help.

      More frequent therapy is better for apraxia, which at 14 months old again could potentially just be a developmental lag -or a diagnosis outside of apraxia. What Early Intervention therapists should do is give you “homework” so that in between their professional sessions you can work with your child at home.

      This link has a lot that may help you http://www.speechdiet.com including this I did for Contemporary Pediatrics for things to do at home to help your child

      In general you really don’t want a therapy session less than 20 minutes -I’m not a huge fan of a 15 minute session. By the time the child is situated the session is over. So if by chance your child does have an IEP one day -remember that -push for at least 20 minute sessions. The more frequent therapy would be to provide one hour vs two 30 minute sessions- in most cases I’d choose the two 30 minute sessions.

      There is new evidence that there is placidity in the brain regardless of age -always hope. But even traditionally the reason Early Intervention is from birth to three is because it used to be believed that is when there is the biggest window. Certainly there is a tremendous amount of growth going on those first 3 years so awesome you are not sitting back waiting!

      About your IQed question – it can be used as either a meal replacement or a snack. Did you see this page? http://getiqed.com/pages/nutritional-facts

      When kids are sick, tired, or stress and they do have an impairment that is typically when you’ll note regression. But think about it -none of us are 100 percent up to our game when we are sick, stressed or tired right? Don’t feel guilty about using any medication -even one linked to autism -there are just so many theories out there and you did what you did at that time. I’ve been outreaching for 16 years and can tell you even with extensive biomedical and genetic testing it’s not common for someone to have a definitive reason why their child has a communication impairment. It’s normal as a mom to blame yourself -don’t do that!!

      You are clearly an amazing, loving, and investigative mom. Did you read this about my son Tanner? https://jakes-journey-apraxia.com/2015/05/29/letter-to-me-in-1999-from-me-in-2015/ It may help you. And one of my co producers of a new media project just wrote this about her own journey http://themighty.com/2016/04/my-education-journey-with-a-communication-disorder/ and this is Julia today “Julia Muggia Ochs is the mother of two children with special needs, and works as a freelance field producer for film and television interviewing actors and filmmakers. Julia produced behind-the-scenes footage for films, including “Chicago,” “The Producers,” “Baby Mama” and New Year’s Eve. She is currently executive producer of the media project “Late Talker, Silent Voices.” Julia also serves as co-president of the Special Education PTA in New Rochelle, NY.” There is so much hope!! PS this is a teaser of our first documentary -my son Tanner is the one in college https://www.gofundme.com/LateTalkersFilm Please share and help if you can!!

  7. Hello, can you please tell me where I should be going to get fish oil tablets for my 2 year 3 month old. He has no words as of yet and we are concerned for his speech. We are obviously working with him to get up to speed with saying words. Can I get the fish oil from the pharmacy or do I need to see my GP? Thank you

  8. My son is 23 months doesnt speak He started speech therapy 3 months ago and has shown improvement but very little. I purchased the Children’s Liquid DHA from Nordic on Amazon. I see on some of the reviews that parents started seeing improvements in as little as two weeks. With all the fake reviews on Amazon, it’s hard to believe. Generally, how long should it take to see small improvements?

    • Hi Elizabeth, I have to break this page up because I’m getting lots of questions addressed on this page. There is no such thing as a children’s fish oil -just flavorings can be strawberry vs lemon, and a cuter bottle. In regards to liquid you don’t even get the smaller capsules. But fish oil is fish oil. The children’s DHA is just cod liver oil. Healthy, but I explain on the page that is not the formula that we found best in our group. I recommend a formula higher EPA to DHA (both omega 3) with a small amount of GLA (Omega 6) from either primrose or borage seed oil. One of the formulas is from Nordic Naturals (NN) called NNProEFA.

      Not all kids are responders to fish oil- Dr. Stordy who wrote The LCP Solution says it’s around 80 something percent -so most but not all. But you want to make sure you are using the right formula before you give up. Don’t know what to tell you about the DHA liquid you currently have because I’d stop using it if you want to give fish oils a try to use the formula we found best.

      I also don’t recommend using the liquid as the shelf life once opened is only around 4 months and has to be refrigerated. I explain more about this on the page as well -and this page has serving suggestions http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/06/10/something-smells-fishy-serving-kids-fish-oils/ as no kids swallow capsules.

      First surges from fish oils are typically within a day to three weeks if they are going to work. Here are my son’s changes in Dr. Stordy’s book The LCP Solution http://pursuitofresearch.org/2011/10/27/tanner-gengs-the-lellow-breakthrough-for-apraxia-the-lcp-solution-book/

      So saying all that I recommend you try the NNProEFA if you are in the US, EyeQ if you are in the UK (both are comparable formulas but manufactured in the US or UK so each would be cheaper depending on where you live) Also when it comes to fish oils you can probably find the Nordic Naturals professionals line NNProEFA cheaper than where you bought it -google it. Hope that helps!

  9. Hi, are the fish oil gummies by Nordic Naturals good to use? I highly doubt my 2 year old will willingly eat fish oil in any other form. She has apraxia of speech and we also have her in speech therapy.

  10. Ai..im sivenes from malaysia..i have 2year 6mths old son and i noticed that his speech delayed.. very few vocabulary..from where i can get this fish oil supplement? Which fish oil supplement u recommend for him ? And he is a picky eater..do not take chewable tablet..if gummy type he can take..please do help me and thank you..

    • Hi Sivenes,

      I don’t know what you can get in the stores near you -but if you join our group on facebook at http://www.apraxia.org there are other parents from Malaysia who can share what they use. Some just buy a higher quality Omega 3 that is higher in EPA to DHA and a separate bottle of primrose oil for the Omega 6 GLA (as that’s easier to find than borage seed oil) and create their own formula. For fish oils name brand doesn’t matter -just formula and quality of the oils- and then dosage. here’s the formula that you can follow http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/

      Let me know if you need more help!

      Lisa Geng
      President CHERAB Foundation
      Communication Help, Education, Research, Apraxia Base
      Conceptualist for IQed “Approved for the Feingold Diet”
      772-335-5135
      “Help give our cherubs a smile and a voice”

  11. I have a son who has speech problems! He is 2 will be three in August. He was born i believe at least 2 weeks late, he was 11lbs at birth with a huge conehead! So what I’m wondering is could it have caused maybe some brain damage and what not? I have gotten a speech therapist involved and started giving him gummy vitamins for kids that have the fatty fish oils and dha. Is there anything else that might help? I’ve heard cod liver oil might help as well! Also heard it helps them with sleeping longer! I read an article about essential oils helping they’re kids too! I’m just trying everything I can to get my son to talk! Thanks for your time and consideration!

  12. Hi Lisa,

    Greetings from Jakarta, Indonesia. My daughter is 20 months old and doesnt speak. Babbling / sometimes screaming only if she want anything. She consumed Nordic Naturals Children DHA Liquid for about two weeks.
    Please give me suggestion , should I try NN pro EFA 369 to improve her speech? im so confused and need suggestion.

    Thanks

    • Hi Nadia,

      If you were able to find the Nordic naturals cod liver oil (which is what their children’s DHA formula is) you should be able to purchase the Nordic Naturals (NN) complete Omega which is the exact same formula as the professional line NN ProEFA 369. You can’t purchase the professional line in stores -just the commercial line. So where ever you purchased the NN cod liver oil formula -ask them if they can get you the NN Complete Omega. Most of us typically get the professional line as it’s a bit cheaper but if you are in Indonesia not sure if getting it online will be cheaper with shipping etc. But look into it.

      Also you can create your own formula by purchasing a high quality fish oils higher in EPA to DHA -and then purchasing some primrose oil (which is probably easier to find than borage seed oil for the GLA) and following the dosage I have on this page http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/

      Yes I would try the NN Complete Omega/ProEFA 369 as in feedback most of us saw little to no change with cod liver oil. For fish oils it’s all about formula and quality of the oils -and then dosage.

      Lisa Geng
      President CHERAB Foundation
      Communication Help, Education, Research, Apraxia Base
      Conceptualist for IQed “Approved for the Feingold Diet”
      772-335-5135
      “Help give our cherubs a smile and a voice”

  13. Hi Lisa,
    My son who is 19 months old just got a diagnosis of suspected childhood aparaxia and an oral motor disorder because he can only eat soft food. My son has no words and he met every milestone late. Also my son has delayed expressive and receptive communication. His doctor compared his communication to a 9 month old. and I signed him up with Birth to 3 and he has been getting OT services for over a month now. And he will see a SLP this Friday. They have made it clear that the SLP is very busy and she may not be able to visit our home every week. So in that case I am going to look for a private SLP. How many sessions do you recommend that my son should do and how frequently?
    Also I have been giving my son DHA since he was born and yet he still has childhood aparaxia and had developmental delays so I decided to give your formula a try hopefully I see improvements. I give my son 1/2 teaspoon of the pro EFA and 1 capsule of the pro EPA in his youghurt. He won’t take it directly. Do you think he is still getting the correct dosage even though I am mixing the fish oil in his yoghurt? Or should I add a little more of the pro EFA and pro Dha to his yoghurt to ensure that he is getting the exact amount of fish oil?
    Lastly is there anything else you think I should do. I am very desperate here cause I know I caused his communication disorder as my TSH was abnormal throughout my pregnancy. I just purchased your book but is there anything else you would suggest for the mean time?

  14. Hello Lisa,

    My baby is 4 yrs old.She has ADHD and ASD. She use only 2/3 words but not regularly.She making various noise and many sounds but not any speech without amma,maa and no.

    Her others development is normal.She understand our instructions and languages,operate computer,pointing for her wants and she have special memory as she never forget anything..

    Last 2 months she taking Nordic Naturals Omega 3 daily 2 capsule with Vitamin E 800 IU.

    Her speech still not improve but concentration increased and some behavioral changes has come..

    Please advice me about NN Pro EFA 369 and NN Pro EPA combo therapy.. Only NN Pro EFA 369 or NN Pro EFA 369 with NN Pro EPA which therapy will be benefit?

    Please help..

  15. Hi Lisa

    Regards from Newzealand, my son is turning 3 this month and he is been diagnosed with autism after his second birthday and he is not talking . Could you please suggest me which fish oil supplement I should start with and from where I can buy EFA supplement.

    Thanks
    Xxxxx

    • Hi Harpreet,

      Can you share with me which formulas you have near you that compare to what is on this page http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/ Do you have Nordic Naturals or Equazen in the stores near you?

      Lisa Geng
      President CHERAB Foundation
      cherab.org
      Communication Help, Education, Research, Apraxia Base
      Conceptualist for IQed “Approved for the Feingold Diet”
      getIQed.com
      772-335-5135
      “Help give our cherubs a smile and a voice”

  16. Hi there. We have twin fraternal boys that were diagnosed with apraxia At 4 years old by their speech therapist. They have speech therapy once a week and attending kindergarten full time this year. Just with the help of school and therapy sessions, we are beginning to see some progress. Slow progress with communicating with words but its something. They also have hearing aids due to not able to hear high frequency sounds so that might have something to do with their speech. I just found out about the use of fish oil from this site and other internet findings. We just started giving them fish oil gummies. I hope to see some more progress. Thanks for your insights s experience!

    • Hi Paul,

      Where would you say your children fell on this matrix? http://pursuitofresearch.org/2013/03/22/speech-therapy-matrix/ If it’s apraxia and they are only 4 years old it’s doubtful they would have a mild impairment. Most with apraxia at that age require therapy at least 3 times a week. With apraxia you typically need frequent therapy to help with the motor planning. Under the matrix are a number of links to help you with advocacy if you are in the US. Either way in the meantime here are other ways to secure therapy http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/05/31/5-ways-to-get-free-or-affordable-speech-therapy/

      If you have a private SLP, I really think either way you need a second opinion. If it’s mild find out for sure if it’s apraxia as that is a severe impairment. And if it’s not mild I’d find someone else because the advice I’m giving you this SLP should have told you one day of SLP a week is not enough. If you are outside the US -that may be why though as I know different areas have different laws.

      Also if they have a speech impairment (apraxia or not) you really should look into retaining them in preschool at least another year -preferably two based on the evidence. http://pursuitofresearch.org/2012/07/10/research-reason-to-delay-kindergarten/ Are you outside the US? Saying that I know you wouldn’t be in Finland which is one of the top in the world in academics because they don’t start primary education there till 7. Please look into this before starting -it sounds like your children aren’t receiving enough therapy to be appropriate -and whomever is suggesting now you start kindergarten while they are 4 years old with an apraxia diagnosis either doesn’t know what apraxia is -or doesn’t care.

      If your children wear hearing aids PLEASE look into placing them into an oral based hearing impaired school. These schools will provide therapy that in my experience is perfect for apraxia. In the hearing impaired world there are 2 types of school -deaf culture (where there is a bigger focus on sign) and the oral based school where most of the children wear hearing aids or have cochlear implants. My son Tanner attended the Summit Speech School in what’s called “out of district placement” through his IEP for his preschool years. It’s covered in this Inside Edition segment

      About the fish oils. Outside of the Nordic Naturals (NN) Omega 3 Fishies -most gummies are nothing more than healthy fish oil candy. Very low in any Omega 3 (maybe 30 mg of DHA) One capsule of regular sized (not jr) NN ProEFA 369 is about the dosage the FDA approved for infant formula -and it’s only about a quarter of a teaspoon. In research for children they typically use 2 teaspoons (or 8 to 9 capsules) a day. I cover more about dosage here http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/

      Lisa Geng
      President CHERAB Foundation
      Communication Help, Education, Research, Apraxia Base
      Conceptualist for IQed “Approved for the Feingold Diet”
      772-335-5135
      “Help give our cherubs a smile and a voice”

  17. Hello Lisa,

    Thank you for your reply.

    My baby now taking Complete Omega last two months..I think she is responder because of her sleeping problem,loose stool and hyperactivity.After 2 weeks she became normal..Now we marked her dramatically change in social behavior and attention..she repeated her few words but still no new words..But making various sounds.

    What do you think now we add EPA supplement for her words !!

    Like Tanner she understood us and knew what she wanted and try to communicate. She has high receptive (understanding) ability and low expressive (talking) ability.

    Please help.

    • Hi Tara,

      Complete Omega comes in regular and Jr sized capsules. One regular sized capsule of NN ProEFA 369 is about the dosage the FDA approved for infant formula so highly conservative. Not sure what dosage you are using? Let me know While dosage is not as key as formula in regards to fish oils -a jr size capsule is just 1/8th a teaspoon -maybe a drop or two of fish oil. I recommend regular sized capsules and I recommend the professional over the commercial line for the reasons I have here http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/ This is how to serve fish oils to a preschool child http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/06/10/something-smells-fishy-serving-kids-fish-oils/

      You can add the NN ProEPA- but just want to check the dosage you are using first.

      Lisa Geng
      President CHERAB Foundation
      Communication Help, Education, Research, Apraxia Base
      Conceptualist for IQed “Approved for the Feingold Diet”
      772-335-5135
      “Help give our cherubs a smile and a voice”

  18. Thank you Lisa.

    My child is 4.5 yrs old and taking daily 2 regular size Pro EFA not jr size.

    When she start 2 capsule after complete 1 capsule 3 weeks then she was making various sounds but now again she is same before taking EFA 369.

    Why improve stop and not proceed ?

  19. Hi Lisa. Would you advice that I start giving a three months old who is actively avoiding eye contact these vitamins and if yes can you brief me on the dosage. He actively tries to avoid eye contact and gaze but he coos and somewhat smiles. Your response will be very much appreciated. By the way I just purchased nordics naturals baby dha right before I found your site. Looking forward to hear from you. Thanks

  20. I have 2 children ( 1.8 years old and 6.8 years old ) they are both delayed in speech. I am wondering what does should I give them and if there is a particular form of omega3 do you advice me to give them. I live in the UK.
    Thank you

  21. My daughter (3yo 4mo) is 100% non-verbal with 0 words but does make sounds. What would be the appropriate brand and dosage of FO for her to be on? Thanks.

  22. Hi,

    My son is 2 1/2 yrs old and has some speech delay, what would be the recommended dosage when using: NN ProEFA 369 & NN ProEPA for him.

    Also, I have a 10 month old, can I start giving him this supplement too?

    Thanks,
    Elena Barajas

  23. Hi Lisa,

    Thanks for this post and and answering comments. I have a 17 month old who has always been on the quieter/laid back side, but has always been social (good eye contact and communicative through gesture). She was meeting her milestones until month 9 when she wasnt pulling to stand. Our pediatrician recommended early intervention at the one year mark this past June when she wasn’t crawling or standing. She has been doing 5-6 hours of therapy (PT, OT and minimal FT) since August. She now cruises, pulls to stands, climbs and walks if holding on to one or both of my hands. She has stood on her own a few times but doesn’t do it regularly.

    We are worried we may have a speech issue as well, but its hard to say for sure. She says one syllable sounds for certain words but they aren’t many and she is nowhere near where her older sister was at her age. She does sometimes sound like she is having babble-like conversation and sometimes sings in her own way parts of songs she knows. She understands a lot and is constantly pointing to things she wants. When I saw the word for the thing she wants, she nods or grunts to confirm but wont say it herself.

    I took her to see a neurologist and we are now awaiting bloodwork. I just bought the nordic naturals 250 mg dha strawberry capsules this morning (was recommended by the neurologist) when I came across your site. I read through the comments and see you generally suggest using nordic naturals proEFA. Is that the case for a 17 month old as well? Anything else we should be doing? What do you think is going on with my daughter? It has been such a big source of stress for us. It seems like the main problem is gross motor delay that is potentially causing a global delay. She was born one day after her due day so isn’t premie and hasn’t been diagnosed with anything. Any tips/advice would be much appreciated.

    Thank you,

    Stef

  24. I started giving my 4 year old child flavored fish oil in her yogurt. I made sure it’s a similar flavor as her favorite yogurt. She is a very good taster. Full dose (1 tbsp) is a little over 1000 mg of epa and dha combined, but I’m only giving her 1 tsp right now. I didn’t specifically start for her speech, but overall brain health. I just happened to stumble upon this article. If it helps with speech that’ll be great too.

  25. Can anyone guide me to where I can find this research publication? I want to cite it for one of my manuscripts but can’t seem to find it!