Therapeutic Use Of Fish Oil for Communication

Posted: February 10, 2014 by lisa

“Every so often, scientists really do discover a substance of transformative power, one with the ability to cure the previously incurable and improve the quality of life for the rest of us. Omega-3 fatty acids — a component of simple fish oil, once so prevalent in our diet but now largely absent — could be such a substance.”~ Harvard Medical School doctor, Andrew Stoll, MD

Therapeutic Use Of Fish oils for apraxia, autism etc.

Basic information about fish oil supplementation for children with speech delays, impairments, or multifaceted communication impairments

What is the best fish oil for my baby or child?

My son didn’t like fish oils but they helped him greatly

The confusion is more the brand names than the formulas. In actuality, there really is no such thing as a “children’s fish oil” as fish oil is fish oil. However, fish oils can be marketed to appear to be just for children by making cuter bottles, fun flavorings, smaller capsules. In general, you will find the “Jr” marketed fish oils to be about twice as expensive because they are typically half dosage for around the same cost.

Most parents squeeze the oil out of the capsule anyway -so if anything a larger capsule would be easier for a child.  The one time you may want to consider paying twice as much for fish oil with the “Jr” marketed fish oil capsules is when you want to teach your older child to swallow the fish oils capsules.

Fish oils are also known by the following names

  • Essential Fatty Acids or EFAs
  • Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids or PUFAs
  • Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids or LCPs
  • Omega 3s or O3
Tanner Geng who’s been on fish oils since 2 year’s old

Dr. Stordy and Malcolm Nicholl co-authored The LCP Solution and my son Tanner’s story is the first one in the book under apraxia “The Lellow Breakthrough“

Malcolm was one of my co-authors of the book The Late Talker as well. The LCP Solution or the Omega 3 Connection are both excellent books for general info about why EFAs (or LCPs/PUFAs/stinky fish oils, are essential to our bodies, have to be consumed, but are virtually lacking in our diets today.

The Following Links Will Provide More Information

Two options for those that just can’t get fish oils into their child

  1. NNAlgae Omega- EPA and DHA from Algae
  2. NNOmega 3 Fishies

What improvements should I look for when I start my child on fish oils?

Since I receive lots of calls about this -I wanted to list the most common changes in an apraxic or other speech disordered child on EFAs from what I’ve read and heard and seen. Most of the following are for children that were essentially nonverbal previous to supplementation.

  1. Increase in babbling or attempts at sounds.
  2. Increase in imitation.

Changes also can be looked for in (what you see as positive or negative)

  • sleep
  • attention
  • appetite
  • focus
  • behavior
  • stools

Next will come a breakthrough of something you were probably working on for a bit -so you will be excited but will think “Well -I don’t want to get my hopes up we were working on that for a while now -maybe it’s just a coincidence” However after the second or third surge in a short period of time -and then another – you are pretty sure things are different and it’s at this point the professionals and the rest of the family and your friends are noticing it too – maybe about two to three weeks now.

OK -the next stage is pure elation and hope -you see the light and no longer feel as desperate and want to share this new information with everyone and anyone. As the months go by and your child continues to progress at a much more rapid rate -you may even start to doubt the original diagnosis -especially if you started EFA supplementation at two -and perhaps the SLP that diagnosed the apraxia who also was at first excited is starting to second guess if the original diagnosis was correct as well.

Unless you have to stop the NNProEFA 3.6.9. (or other Essential Fatty Acids) and literally have the chance to see the regression of acquired speech and language skills, attempts, and changes in behavior like we did with Tanner (and/or have a chance to again witness the second surge when your child is put back on the EFAs) -that doubt will probably remain somewhere in your mind and in others around your child. So the “I told you that he would start talking when he was ready” comments should be expected of course.

The child on NNProEFA 3.6.9. or some other EFA formula’s like it no longer fits the criteria of the classic definition of apraxia -and yet doesn’t fit the classic perception of what a late talker is either. The brain responds to multiple stimuli and even if children on fish oil no longer present with the original diagnosis, they will still require appropriate speech therapy. And while most of this information is focused on speech and communication impairments, fish oils are beneficial for numerous conditions from cardiovascular to psychological conditions as they contain the essential fatty acids. With a slightly different formula of fish oils containing high EPA to DHA and an even smaller amount of GLA, the fish oils are also extremely beneficial for those diagnosed with attention issues.

What Percentage Of Children Have Benefits With Fish Oils?

According to researcher Dr. Jacqueline Stordy, and author of The LCP Solution, who presented at a conference at the UNC School of Medicine Chapel Hill on fish oils and apraxia, the results are around 80 percent success rate with the right formula.  Formula is key for success.

Me and my son Tanner when he was younger

We hope to raise monies for clinical research to validate the importance of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids Until there is research, share all with your child’s ped -many neurologists today are more knowledgeable about the importance of EFAs even if your pediatrician still has little to share in this area.

While looking into fish oils which contain essential fatty acids, you may also want to explore with your child’s doctor essential amino acids and nutrients through diet as well. Essential nutrients are needed daily but the body can’t produce them so they need to be consumed in the diet. The problem is many diets today are poor and add to that compromised metabolic systems. The purest form of supplementation is through food.

Essential fatty acids, essential amino acids and essential nutrients may be confusing…but the good news is that we don’t have to understand everything about good nutrition to see it have positive effects!

Email us or provide feedback below if you have any questions or comments!

Warning from Nordic Naturals

The professional line of Nordic Naturals is the preferred line by most.  You can only purchase the professional line at an authorized distributor online such as http://www.speech411.com or  from a healthcare professional. Very few online sites are authorized to sell the professional line even though you can find it all over, for example on Amazon.  There has been a rise in fraudulent sellers including on Amazon.  Don’t purchase the professional line of Nordic Naturals at Amazon as nobody selling there is authorized to sell there.  The issue with that isn’t just buying a product that wasn’t authorized to be sold on a particular website.  Amazon has a problem with fraudulent sellers mainly from China (see some of the references below) and this problem is not just limited to fish oils, and it’s not just limited to Amazon.   Nordic Naturals has hired a company to help them as they purchased some of the bottles or NN ProEFA 369 sold on Amazon and some were packed with cotton. They do not pack their fish oils with cotton which means you do not know what is in those capsules, or where they were packed.  As you can see from the links below at times the product’s exact description and sometimes reviews all look legitimate.  When a product is counterfeit however and there are side effects or injuries,  the customer and the actual manufacturer are the ones that suffer. Example of how this is not just a fish oil issue

Why is nutrition important? A talk by Dr. Martha Herbert

LISA GENG

Author and Executive Director at The Cherab Foundation

Lisa Geng is an accomplished author, mother, founder, and president of the CHERAB Foundation. She is a patented inventor and creator in the fashion, toy, and film industries. After the early diagnosis of her two young children with severe apraxia, hypotonia, sensory processing disorder, ADHD, and CAPD, she dedicated her life to nonprofit work and pilot studies. Lisa is the co-author of the highly acclaimed book “The Late Talker” (St Martin’s Press 2003). She has hosted numerous conferences, including one overseen by a medical director from the NIH for her protocol using fish oils as a therapeutic intervention. Lisa currently holds four patents and patents pending on a nutritional composition. She is a co-author of a study that used her proprietary nutritional composition published in a National Institute of Health-based, peer-reviewed medical journal.

Additionally, Lisa has been serving as an AAN Immunization Panel parent advocate since 2015 and is a member of CUE through Cochrane US. Currently working on her second book, “The Late Talker Grows Up,” she also serves as an executive producer of “Late Talkers Silent Voices.” Lisa Geng lives on the Treasure Coast of Florida.

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

163 Comments on “Therapeutic Use Of Fish Oil for Communication”

  1. Wow so much info on here that I am just hearing about but glad I discovered, thank you for this! My son is going to be 5 yrs old, non verbal ASD, no apraxia. Would I just then need to give him the Pro EFA only? And if so how many daily do you recommended?

    • Hi Jose,

      The formula I share on this page http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/ has been successful for kids with autism and apraxia. For ADHD I recommend even higher EPA and have a page on that too. You absolutely can start with one capsule of NN ProEFA 369. From what I’ve seen personally and through the group dosage isn’t as important in regards to fish oils as formula (and quality of the oils) so if your child is a responder you should know even with just the one capsule within a day to three weeks in most cases (most often a week)

      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”

  2. Hi Lisa,
    My son will be 4 next month, he has very little speech, he was diagnosed with ASD, please, what can I do to help with him talk more? I’m very confused about the omega fatty acids, he’s extremely picky with food and won’t be able to swallow capsules.
    Thank you.

  3. Hi Lisa,

    My child is five years old and is having delayed speech, he has’nt started speaking words.

    Currently, I could find the below recommended EFA and EPA fish oils:

    Complete Omega:

    EPA:

    Can you please review and confirm if these are of the right specification?

    Also, are there any more economical options / recommendation in India, like if something below can be substituted:

    • As I have on this page I recommend the professional over the commercial line if you are looking for more economical http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/

      See if you can find a fish oil in a store near you in India that is higher in EPA to DHA which are both Omega 3s. I can’t see the label on the Amway one you shared. I do recommend a bit of GLA which is an Omega 6 from either primrose or borage seed oil but you can always add that to a pure Omega 3 fish oil if you don’t have a good blend near you. Are you a member of the Cherab group on fb at http://www.apraxia.org ? There are a number of parents in the group from India and can check to see which brands they use. Some ship in the NN ProEFA 369 from http://www.speech411.com

      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”

  4. Hi
    My daughter is 20 months old n her speech is delayed. I wanna know tat, giving her fish oil ll improve her speech, if yes suggest me which brand to give her n how much dose..
    Thanks in advance.

  5. Hi Lisa, I have a 3 years 5 month daughter who is full of her own language but unfortunately we don’t understand her. She is a twin, was diagnosed incorrect at age 2 with autism … we were told severe low functioning. Anyone who has worked with her said no way it’s not. Many speech therapist and early intervention specialist… said it wasn’t autism. So, we have a diagnosis and unfortunately not accurate. Many have said they belive it is apraxia. I started her on NN proefa 3.6.9 1 tsp liquid but I’m reading here you also recommend proepa. She has been taking it 2 weeks and we as well as preschool teachers have noted much improvement…like much more clarity to her jabber. She is extremely social loves to sing etc. Just can’t make a thing out..except for the tune! Anyways before we add to her 3.6.9 I wanted to ask the expert! She will not swallow pills but is taking lemon liquid 5 ml. Pretty well. Should we add epa? And if so how much? Liquid? Regards. Kim …

  6. Hi Lisa,

    I have a 4 year old that says some words, but hardly ever uses sentences. She repeats a lot of words and sometime babbles. She also has a hard time answering questions. I had her evaluated and was told that she is language impaired. I recently had her start language therapy sessions weekly through the school system. This week I was notified by her private school that they don’t want her to return for the next school year due to her lack of speech. This is both heartbreaking and frustrating on many levels. After doing research online I came across your website. I feel as if there’s hope. I’d like to order the fish oil ASAP. Should I start her on two of the ProEFA 3-6-9 and one ProEPA? Or should I only do the ProEFA 3-6-9? Also, I stay in the treasure coast area. Are you able to recommend a good language therapist and preschool that could help my daughter?

    • Tiffany what country are you located in? If in the US she’s entitled by federal law to a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. Where would you say she fell on this matrix? http://pursuitofresearch.org/2013/03/22/speech-therapy-matrix/

      As she’s only 4 years old I would also seek second opinions on the diagnosis of language impairment as that is the assumption when a child isn’t talking that they don’t understand. But if your child isn’t talking say due to apraxia https://cherabfoundation.org//2006/parent-friendly-signs-of-verbal-apraxia/ that is an expressive disorder of speech -not a language disorder. Apraxia or other impairments of speech can create lags in language due to the delays in speaking but that’s different than an impairment.

      is your child showing any signs of frustration in not being able to communicate? Please think of joining our support group on facebook at http://www.apraxia.org We have members that are teachers, SLPs, special education attorneys, doctors, as well as parents like me. And remember ability to think has nothing to do with ability to learn http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/08/study-cognitive-ability-can-far-exceed-verbal-ability/

      I’d love to help so please update me. About fish oils -have the dosage here http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/ but I typically recommend just starting with one capsule of the NN proEFA 369. If she’s a responder -you’ll know! And then increase as I have on the page. I also recommend stopping them for a week or at least a weekend once you start to observe if there is a regression off -and then starting again. Fish oils are taken for granted too much because they are so easy -but that’s how they gain respect! 😀

      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”

  7. Hi, My 4 year old ASD son who has a severe speech delay currently takes Balanced Essentials Liquid Vitamins which contains Omega 3, 6 and 9 via 3mg Flax seed oil. He is the pickiest eater but will happily take the Liquid vitamin which is great for us so hesitant to change to something else he may not.

    Has anyone combined flax seed oil with a Fish Oil supplement? I’m not sure if it would overdose my son if I did, but not sure he is getting the amount of Omega that would help him? Thanks for any advice.

  8. Hello Lisa,
    My son is three and a half and diagnosed with ASD and receptive expressive language disorder. He’s on liquid1 tsp per day Children’s DHA by Nordic Naturals. After reading the article I start to realize this might be not the best choice and dosage for his needs. Please let me know what’s opinion and if you think I should replace the DHA or to add on EPA and EFA.
    Thank you!

    • Hi Tia,

      The Nordic Naturals Children’s DHA is just cod liver oil. Please read the dosage page here http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/ because most of us found formulas higher in EPA to DHA to be better. Also for some reason I found the Omega 6 oil GLA to be important too for some reason. I know fish oils can be confusing -but good news is they are all healthy even if it’s the “wrong” formula! Let me know if you have questions still.

      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”

      • Hi Lisa,
        Thank you for your reply! My son has been on 2 capsules pro EFA and 1 capsule pro EPA for a month now but I see minimal progress if any. I plan on starting a heavy metal detox in about a month but have to supplement accordingly including 400-800 IU Vit. E per day. I remember reading( don’t remember where) that I shouldn’t be giving Vit. E while on the current proEFA and pro EPA schedule. Please let me know if that’s correct and why so. I’m strongly decided to start the chelation and when supplementing with the suggested dose Vit. E per day what do you feel is the appropriate fish oil dose and which one?( dha, gla, EPA or EFA)
        Thank you!
        Tia

      • Please do a lot of research before you proceed with either high dosage vitamin e or heavy metal detox -both of which have potential side effects that can be far worse/more severe than a speech delay…which at 3 years old ‘may’ still just be developmental. We had horrific side effects in our group -my son Tanner included with the theory of vitamin e -and that’s all it is; theory. There are no studies at all -just one paper which was based on a vague survey- and me and 2 other moderators from the Cherab Foundation were the parents who collected the responses and not quite sure of how the paper came to the conclusion it did. We were using 200/200 alpha gamma tocopherol in the group and had no side effects with that -and yes some including me did note some progress. But then as you are going to try with your 3 year old and taking him to double and almost triple his upper tolerable levels of vitamin e (which is a fat soluble vitamin) b I wasn’t aware at that that even at 400 IU from a meta analysis which is one of the highest forms of evidence in research there is an increased risk of mortality https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4030744/ and there is also an increased risk of prostate cancer at just 400 IU a day of vitamin e http://www.harvardprostateknowledge.org/vitamin-e-may-indeed-increase-the-risk-of-prostate-cancer

        There are zero studies I’m aware of with children and vitamin e so who knows what a mega dosage will do to a child’s internal organs and health over a few weeks, months, years. I can tell you within days (DAYS) these were some of the side effects I and others saw on one formula out there that has mega vitamin e https://www.truthinadvertising.org/speak/ Please be very skeptical and question everything. Don’t jump -don’t listen to me or anyone else (well except about being skeptical and questioning everything) You do not want to have to go through the guilt of knowing that you are responsible personally for in essence poisoning your own child. That is what hypervitaminosis is -vitamin poisoning. My point is that any drug -or supplement has a risk of side effects.

        This is one of the reasons I now focus on food. The one exception is fish oils which have tens of thousands of studies to validate their safety and health benefits for humans of all ages. So even if they don’t “work” they are still healthy. Please let me know if your child has a diagnosis because if he doesn’t -it’s still possible it’s just a developmental lag which 75 percent of late talkers have just that. If it is just a developmental lag -fish oils and therapy may help, but they may not. With a developmental lag a child will start talking at some point without any help -just later.

        Saying that -whomever told you that you can’t use fish oils and vitamin e together is pulling wool over your eyes. Just about all fish oils contain alpha tocopherol as it’s put in there in small amounts (perhaps around 15 IU per capsule) to help with stability of the oils. And yes when we used the 200/200 alpha gamma that was added to the fish oil regimen. I don’t know of one parent who used vitamin e alone. Not one -and I’ve been outreaching for 18 years. Not saying it doesn’t exist as only around 80 percent of kids are responders to the fish oils with the right formula leaving around 20 percent who are not responders.

        My advice is to stop the fish oils totally and observe. Do you see any regression in any area. Then start them again and observe -do you note any progress? If no regression off and no surge when starting again your child is probably not a repo9nder.

        Even if your child isn’t a responder there are so many other strategies out there that are benign between fish oils and heavy metal detox -which can come with a side effect of death http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2006/11/07/the-complaint-against-dr-roy-kerry-kille/ (that’s about a child who died from an accident with chelation therapy) And I get why some parents who have children with severe autism who tried so many other things will be willing to go to that extreme…but again don’t you just have a 3 year old with an undiagnosed speech delay?

        I’d be willing to speak with you -but if not -either way, in addition to seeking accurate (if any) diagnosis to secure appropriate therapies and placement, seek out an integrative medical doctor who has a focus on nutrition- ayurveda which is the world’s oldest medicine. Even if nutrition and Ayurveda don’t help it’s healthy and can’t hurt. Again would be willing to speak to you.

        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”

  9. Hi, Lisa: I just got about the information about the fish oil can help the child with speech and the bain from my son’s case manager from the annual visit and searched on line and got lot helpful information here. My 7 years old boy can’t not talk now. But he can get mama and some sound and got the development delay diagnosis when he was 2. But didn’t get the test of autism. After I read your posts and I decided try your suggestion fish oil to him. I ordered on line for NNProefa 3-6-9 and NNProefa and before I last check out it showed up a notice said these products contain the warning of Ca pro 65 said these products contain chemical known to ca pro 65 cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harms. I am not sure why ca has this warning and make me concerned about these products. Any explains for this warning or these products safety?
    Ps I live on California and not sure other states have this kind warning for these products.

    Thank you very much!

    • Hi Poise,

      I don’t see if on my bottle but I’m in Florida. On the website for Nordic Naturals it says “All fish oil‚ regardless of the kind of manufacturing process used‚ needs to be processed in order to remove contaminants and pass minimum laws and standards (such as California’s Proposition 65). This process always requires the use of heat.” https://www.nordicnaturals.com/en/FAQs_portal/FAQs_Group_All/638 Please contact Nordic Naturals and ask them. There are numerous families using fish oils from California and you are the first ever to bring this up. Unless I’m misunderstanding your question?

      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”

  10. Lisa,
    I already got the Nordic Naturals Baby DHA for my 24 month old son who has a speech delay. Will this work for now or do I need to purchase another product fromanagement Nordic Naturals?

    • Hi MG,

      The Nordic Naturals Children’s DHA is just cod liver oil. Please read the dosage page here http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/ because most of us found formulas higher in EPA to DHA to be better. Also for some reason I found the Omega 6 oil GLA to be important too for some reason. I know fish oils can be confusing -but good news is they are all healthy even if it’s the “wrong” formula! Let me know if you have questions still.

      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. My 7 year old son has severe Apraxia. His verbal skills are equivalent to a 2-3 year old. He attends speech therapy twice a week for about 3 years now and is progressing very slowly. I would like to find out more about the recommended dosage for him and also to see if you know of any additional benefits of taking Vitamin E along with the Fish oil for speech apraxia.

    • Hi Jodi,

      I know you are asking about fish oils but first wanted to address what is going on with progress even with just therapy. The general rule of thumb is to reevaluate therapy, therapist, and/or diagnosis. Where would you say your child fell on this matrix? http://pursuitofresearch.org/2013/03/22/speech-therapy-matrix/ Based on what you wrote I’d say severe to profound? Has your son been to either a pediatric neurologist or developmental pediatrician to confirm or rule out soft signs http://pursuitofresearch.org/2014/07/29/parent-friendly-soft-signs/ Apraxia today is rarely just a speech impairment and rarely just a motor planning impairment. You want to find an SLP who is experienced in a few methods to help because for example it’s not unusual for a child to have apraxia with coexisting dysarthria. OT can be key as well. Don’t hesitate to seek a second opinion with another SLP and replacing an SLP that you’ve been using if not seeing progress. Here are a few ways to secure low cost therapy http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/05/31/5-ways-to-get-free-or-affordable-speech-therapy/

      I do not at all recommend taking vitamin e along with fish oils. There is no evidence to support it, and instead, we’ve had a number of reported side effects from vitamin e supplementation -many fish oils contain a nominal amount of alpha tocopherol for stability (maybe 15 IU per capsule) and that’s OK. Avoid any fish oils mixed with high levels of vitamin e or supplementing it separately.

      The dosage of EPA, DHA and GLA I have on this page http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/

      Lisa Geng

      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”

  12. Hi Lisa
    We are in the auK. My son is 3 yrs 10 months. He has moderate ASD. He is extremely verbal I suppose comparative to what he was. I have bought Equazen omega 3 and 6 children’s chews for him. I’d be grateful for some guidance on the appropriate dosage.. the container says “6 chews per day for the first 12 weeks.. followed by 2 chews per say”.
    Us there anything else I should be considering as a supplement?
    Many thanks

  14. Hi Lisa. Good to find this page. My 2 year old son isn’t talking except I tell him to say the word. Like ‘do u want water? , say water’ then he says it. His dad stutters alot so we are thinking he might want to do that too. Would giving him this oil be of any good? I want to start him up on the pro EFA 369 . Do I need to add the ProEPA as well for better result?

  15. Hello,
    First of all thank you so much for all these resources! My almost 3 year old boy has apraxia of speech and although he has been taking DHA for children only the last 2 weeks we are seeing so much improvement! We are amazed and so happy to finally hear him saying more words and expressing his wants and needs.
    What is the difference between DHA for children and PROEFA 369? They are both from Nordic Naturals. We haven’t tried PROEFA yet…should we instead of the DHA?
    Also, should we start giving him vitamin E too?

    Thank you so much for all you do!!!

    Best,
    Luz

    • Hi Luz,

      Children’s DHA from Nordic Naturals is cod liver oil. Any oil made from the liver of the fish naturally contains vitamins A and D. You would need to be careful with higher dosages of fat soluble vitamins as they store in the body Fish oils not made from the liver of the fish do not contain fat soluble vitamins.

      In addition to the fat soluble vitamins, cod liver oil tends to be higher in the Omega 3 DHA vs the Omega 3 EPA and I found formulas higher in EPA to DHA to be more effective. Also, I found a small amount of the Omega 6 GLA to be key too for some reason. I share this on this page http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/

      I do not at all recommend taking vitamin e along with fish oils. There is no evidence to support it, and instead, we’ve had a number of reported side effects from vitamin e supplementation -many fish oils contain a nominal amount of alpha tocopherol for stability (maybe 15 IU per capsule) and that’s OK. Avoid any fish oils mixed with high levels of vitamin e or supplementing it separately.

      The dosage of EPA, DHA and GLA I again have on this page http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/

      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 Lisa.My son is 19 month old with suspected autism.We are in the uk.I started giving him Nordic Naturals complete omega 4 months ago.So he has about 307 Epa and 225 DHA.I read carefully the dosage on your website and I would try the eye q equazen.with 558 mg Epa abd 174 mg DHA but I want to ask of it’s not too much for a 19 months old.thank you

    • Hi Carla,

      The EyeQ is a great formula for you to be using. As you are in the UK it will be cheaper for you than the NN ProEFA 369 and I know parents that tried both and found them comparable. I cover this here http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/

      If you started already -would love to hear your updates!

      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”

  17. I forgot to mention that my son started babbling after the nordic naturals but still has no words and has to be seen by a SLT. This is the reason that I think a higher Epa would help him I am just a bit scared not to be too much for a 19 month old

    • Hi Carla,

      Since it was a month ago you asked this -let me know if you have any updates prior to me answering more. Thanks! And awesome that it sounds like he’s what I call a “responder” 😀

      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”

  18. Hi. I’m just looking into this. My son is 5 and half ASD non verbal (started saying single words in the last few months after i started giving him omega3, multivitamin, vit b12 now also). After reading through this i can see you recommand proepa and proefa and my question is would nordic naturals complete omega 369 that has omega 3s 1310mg (EPA 615mg and DHA 450mg) omega 6s 500mg (GLA 170mg) omega 9s 500mg (OA 400mg) be a suitable substitute for those? Seems reasonable just need an opinion. Thank You in advance x

    • Hi Nat,

      When it comes to fish oils more isn’t always better -it’s all about formula. Have you seen this page? http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/

      I also recommend doing one thing at a time so you can see what is doing what. This was my son Tanner’s updates when I started him on just fish oils (all other variables were the same) http://pursuitofresearch.org/2011/10/27/tanner-gengs-the-lellow-breakthrough-for-apraxia-the-lcp-solution-book/ So my point is it ‘may’ be just the fish oils that helped your son. Only one way to know. And it’s good to know because any drug or supplement has a risk of a side effect. Fish oils would be one of the exceptions as there are literally tens of thousands of studies to support its safety and efficacy and has been used in dosages as high as a tablespoon a day for generations

      I also recommend stopping what you think is helping for a few days so you can note if there is any regression off.

      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”

  19. My daughter is 17 monts old.she babbles but does not have any clear words yet.l bought some nn proefa369 and nn proepa capsules.what is the dosage you recommend for her.please answer me as soon as possible because i am so excited to start the combo.thaks a lot.

  20. Hi Lisa,

    My son is 27 months old. Along with his pediatrician, I strongly believe he has verbal apraxia. In addition to speech therapy, I am interested in starting diet supplementation with fish oils. I have read over much of the information and research presented on the Cherub Foundation’s web page. I wanted to try the recommended formula of 2 capsules of NN ProEFA369 and 1 capsule of NN ProEPA. Would it be too much to use this formula in addition to the one serving of the IQ powder for him?

    PS: It occurred to me after doing some research that I began seeing signs of verbal apraxia when my son stopped using his infant formula (enhanced with DHA) at 14 months old. Almost, immediately after stopping his DHA enhanced formula, there was loss of intentional words.

    Thank you for your research, commitment and caring.
    Renee from NJ

  21. Hi Lisa,

    Thank you for your response! My son is currently receiving PROMPT therapy by his SLP. It sounds like she also believes he is apraxic. We will be going to a developmental pediatrician also. I looked over the soft signs. I do see many- low oral tone (unable to blow bubbles or blow out a candle, doesn’t truly pucker), poor sleeper, high pain threshold, some sensory seeking but not habitual or OCD like, ( from 17 to 24 months he was a high oral seeker on all paper, but that has stopped). In addition, he does have tendency to over stuff his mouth (although it’s improving greatly). There are also some delayed fine motor abilities such as poor distal grading of the wrists and hands (stacking blocks is hard and the shape sorter took a long time). My son started pointing at 21 months and waving at 23 months, which is quite late. I’m also watching for auditory processing delays. I am pediatric school based physical therapist, so I’m watching everything! Other than that, he is a beautiful, happy little man, who has super strong social relationships and is loving life other than the frustration to communicate at times. So, we will get through this…I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your story and resources. It is really helping me in so many ways.

    I am also reading The Late Talker book. I just read the part where you mentioned your son demonstrated regression after having a viral infection. Around the time when we stopped formula, saw a loss of the two words he had (car and cat, un prompted), my son and I both had cox sacci virus. Though your personal experience, what roll do you think if any the virus played? Has any of those you’ve worked with ever seen a similar timeframe or connection?

    Thanks so much
    Renee

    • Hi Renee!

      I ‘think’ I just answered you on another message. Oral apraxia is not that common but it’s easy to diagnose and you are mentioning some of the classic signs of it Read this over http://pursuitofresearch.org/2017/02/03/why-more-should-know-what-oral-apraxia-is/

      PROMPT is an excellent therapy to address a motor planning impairment, the issue is that apraxia today is rarely just a motor planning impairment, and it’s also typically not just limited to the face/mouth -as you are noticing we are seeing a global presentation. So it’s awesome you have that appointment with the developmental pediatrician. Either a developmental pediatrician or a pediatric neurologist can help spot the global soft signs.

      I highly suggest prior to the evaluation by the MD to take various short videos of your child in typical situations. Playing, eating, trying to communicate etc. The day of the visit he may not be himself, and you want the doctor to see how he normally is.

      I did share on the other link about fevers and regression, in the literature, there is more evidence linking an impaired immune system during pregnancy to more severe autism. I understand that is during pregnancy and autism, however, with the lack of research for apraxia I tend to pull from existing literature to see how it may affect our children with apraxia (the true silent majority I call them)

      Does your child take fish oils? Here is a page which sums up 18 years of WHY I think you should look into them http://pursuitofresearch.org/2017/10/04/discovery-of-an-apraxia-protocol/ I don’t have this on there but believe that the fish oils help with the immune system too https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11724453

      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”

  22. Hi Lisa,

    Yes there have been many soft signs. My son use to oral seek and chew paper and mouth many objects in addition to over stuffing food between 17-24 months. After 24 months, this improved dramatically after quite a bit of work (reflex integration, redirection). There is decreased fine motor grading, and some decreases planning skills. Pointing started at 21 months, waving at 23 months. He is not a great sleeper either. He is not able to blow a horn or bubbles and not yet mimicking to stick his tongue out of his mouth (like a snake). I do believe he is a responder. In the first week, I am hearing more variation in babbling and new sounds. I also heard the resurgence of the word car, which I haven’t heard in several months.

    I am reading the book The Late Talker. I was interested to read about your son’s regression after a viral infection. My son had cox sacci at 14 months, around the time that typical language development seemed to stop. Have other people in your path experienced this?

    • Hi Renee,

      I recommend you look into oral motor therapy which is a therapy skill some SLPs are trained in. It’s unfortunate that when your son was having some of the soft signs early on that his SLP didn’t pick up on the need for that, but it’s at the same time apparent that his current SLP is not trained in oral motor therapy -not all are. Here is some information to help http://pursuitofresearch.org/2012/07/22/oral-motor-dysfunction-exercises-and-therapy-for-autism-and-apraxia/ Also you’ll want to look into oral apraxia http://pursuitofresearch.org/2017/02/03/why-more-should-know-what-oral-apraxia-is/ as you are sharing some classic signs of that. I’d highly recommend a second opinion. If you are in the US there are numerous SLPs to choose from and if you are paying private search for best- because most of them are super nice and they all pretty much know basic speech therapy. Through early intervention and the school your child is only entitled to what is appropriate -but again you can pay privately for best You also don’t have to go to the one that just happens to be the closest to your home even though that is preferable -but even if you have 2- one who is more of an expert that is further away and to help with diagnosis (think you need that) therapy, helping to set short and long term goals and monitor and oversee progress -and then someone who is meh that is closer that can follow the directions of the better SLP Here are some ways to secure more therapy low cost http://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/05/31/5-ways-to-get-free-or-affordable-speech-therapy/

      I wish I could tell you more about the regression Tanner had at 11 months prior to his regression. I do know however that it’s far from rare for our children to have a fever and then regress. Unfortunately, I don’t believe there is any research in this area -but very little research for apraxia. In autism there is a link between fevers and regression into autism

      “Thus far the evidence seems to indicate that fever, if anything, is a risk factor for autism. Maternal influenza and fever during pregnancy proved to be risk factors for the later development of autism in the CHARGE study (Ousseny Zerbo et al.). In some cases autism seems to develop more often than it should after febrile seizures. Also in certain inherited conditions, e.g., mitochondrial disorders, fever may mark a regression into an autism phenotype.

      The deleterious effects of fever on the nervous system have been known for a long time.”
      https://corticalchauvinism.com/2015/07/06/fever-and-autism/

      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”

  23. Hi Lisa,

    I have a 5 years old son who is not properly diagnosed as his diagnosis varies from SPD, PDD ( spoech delay and self- stimulatory behaviour) to ADHD ( inattentive, impulsive, hyper) and has some temper tantrum as well. I really don’t care about the diagnosis as there is no social service available in my country but I don’t have any doc on board for doing tests etc for us. I am just a desperate mon trying to help my only child. He is limited verbal, has lots of vocabulary, can express his need and some emotions. But he can’t respond to questions or narrate anything and far behind from his age. Do you think this protocol might help him? Really looking forward to see my child speaking and I can feel him struggling to find the right word to communicate. In most cases he address me and be quiet as he doesn’t have words to express his mind. It’s really heart- breaking. Please guide me if possible. TIA

  24. Hi Lisa,

    I have a 34 month old son who is not talking yet. We are taking him to Speech and Occupational therapy since one month . His speech therapist is confident he does not have autism. She needs another month or so with my son to rule out Apraxia. I stumbled across your blog while researching possible cures for speech delay and/ or apraxia. It’s been a month now to be exact that I have started giving him Nordic Naturals ProEFA-3.6.9 capsules twice daily. His eye contact is better but no words yet although there is an increase in babbling than before. I do notice there is a tremendous increase in his appetite and he sleeps soundly. However, my main concern is his speech or lack of it. I am panicking now as I thought that Nordic Naturals would be the magic cure to his absence of speech. Please help me with any dosage change instructions as I am losing hope.

  25. Hi Lisa,
    I have a 34 month old son who is not talking yet. We are taking him to Speech and Occupational therapy since one month . His speech therapist is confident he does not have autism. She needs another month or so with my son to rule out Apraxia. I stumbled across your blog while researching possible cures for speech delay and/ or apraxia. It’s been a month now to be exact that I have started giving him Nordic Naturals ProEFA-3.6.9 capsules twice daily. His eye contact is better but no words yet although there is an increase in babbling than before. I do notice there is a tremendous increase in his appetite and he sleeps soundly. However, my main concern is his speech or lack of it. I am panicking now as I thought that Nordic Naturals would be the magic cure to his absence of speech. Please help me with any dosage change instructions as I am losing hope.

  26. Hi Lisa,
    My son is 3 and half years old. He is having ASD and getting ST and OT in one of the special school at Phoenix. He is also getting private ST from one of the center in Phoenix.We can see some improvements after going to school. Our developmental pediatric asked us to give fish oil and omega capsules to him. I have started giving him 1 NN proEFA369 capsule per day. From your post I saw that 2 NN ProEFA 369 with 1 NN ProEPA is best formula. Could please let me know whether proEPA is needed for him now or 1 ProEFA369 is enough for him or something else I should give him?
    Also for how long I can give this to my son.

    Thanks

    • You can even just use one capsule of NN ProEFA 369 which is what we used for the first apraxia conference
      https://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/12/the-first-scientific-conference-on-therapy-for-verbal-apraxiadyspraxia/ but yes most of us start with one or two capsules of the NN ProEFA 369 and then add the extra NN proEPA -you don’t have to -but most of us found more results with that rather than raising the dosage to 3 NN ProEFA 369. With fish oils formula is more key than dosage

      Best,

      Lisa Geng
      President CHERAB Foundation
      Creator IQed Smart Nutrition
      “Help give our cherubs a smile and a voice”
      Please consider a donation to the Cherab Foundation
      Donations are tax-deductible, our federal tax ID number is 22-3685234

  27. Hello, my son has speech delay, i would just like to ask if its ok to other brands? As long as it has EPA in it?

  28. ello, my son has speech delay, i would just like to ask if its ok to use other brands? As long as it has EPA in it?

    Thank you!

    • Hi Mai,

      This page https://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/ covers the formula that works for most I found you want a formula that has higher EPA to DHA (both Omega 3s) with a small amount of GLA. For fish oils what appears to matter more than dosage is formula and quality of the oil.

      Lisa Geng
      President CHERAB Foundation
      Creator IQed Smart Nutrition
      “Help give our cherubs a smile and a voice”
      Please consider a donation to the Cherab Foundation
      Donations are tax-deductible, our federal tax ID number is 22-3685234

  29. Hi Lisa
    Thank you for this fantastic information. My son is very speech delayed (possible apraxia), so I definitely want to try him on fish oils. He is 2 years and 4 months old. Many of the bottles however, state that these are for children age 3 and above. I see many parents are giving them to their children before the age of 3. Do you have any views on that? Also, I am based in the UK so will buy EyeQ Equazen. I found that they have the liquid available – here’s the link.

    https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/equazen-eye-q-children-s-liquid-citrus-60027242?skuid=027242

    Do you think it would be ok to give him this?

    Thank you so much in advance.

  30. My husband and I both read your book and have seen the benefits of the fish oil treatment. My 5 year old son was diagnosed with severe apraxia of speech and now he is telling whole stories. He does speech 8 times a week and takes the fish oil every morning. We put it in his morning chocolate milk and he doesn’t know the difference. I was curious if you suggest to stop the fish oil at a certain age or keep going.

    Thanks in advance,
    Joedi Adams

    • Awesome update! It’s amazing, isn’t it? Great question Joedi about do they need to keep taking fish oils. Most of the time yes but in a few cases parents have stopped it and no regression off. Most of our kids regress when they are stopped, so appears they need it for some reason. I once spoke to Dr. Martha Herbert (author of The Autism Revolution) about it as she reviewed my book The Late Talker and she said to me, “Why would you even want to stop them? They provide essential fatty acids that are virtually lacking from our diets and our bodies can’t produce them so we need to consume them at all ages, I know I feel better when I take them.” Being she’s a medical expert and pediatric neurologist from Massachusets General it made me question myself…why am I trying to stop my son from taking something that is healthy? I guess it’s mentally you don’t want to feel your child is dependent on anything? Not sure. I do know since my son (and others) has been using my product IQed which supports the metabolic system he doesn’t appear to need the same amount of fish oils and no regression if he misses a few days. Not that I’m trying to stop them -but as he’s a young adult he’s good with taking his IQed daily but doesn’t remember all fish oils did for him younger -like http://pursuitofresearch.org/2011/10/27/tanner-gengs-the-lellow-breakthrough-for-apraxia-the-lcp-solution-book/ He talks a bit about this here http://pursuitofresearch.org/2011/05/17/from-struggles-with-apraxia-to-honors-english-tanner-geng-and-his-success-story/ when he was interviewed

      Lisa Geng
      President CHERAB Foundation
      Creator IQed Smart Nutrition
      “Help give our cherubs a smile and a voice”
      Please consider a donation to the Cherab Foundation
      Donations are tax-deductible, our federal tax ID number is 22-3685234

  31. Hi Lisa,
    My daughter is 26 months old and only has about 2 words.
    She was born with a soft cleft palate which was repaired at 9 months.
    She was diagnosed with 22q deletion and her speech therapist have not diagnosed her with apraxia but are leaning towards it.
    My daughter’s receptive language is very good, and she tries so hard to make words.
    Would the fish oil work for her?
    If so, which one should I buy and what would be the dosage?

    Thank you so much!

    Johanna

    • Hi Johanna,

      With fish oils dosage isn’t really as key as formula. The dosage found in one capsule of Nordic Naturals (NN) ProEFA 369 is about the dosage approved by the FDA for infant formula so will be conservative for your 2 year old. You can run it by her pediatrician or neurologist, but here is the dosage I recommend https://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/ You can start with just one capsule of the NN ProEFA 369 and if she’s a responder you’ll know within a day to 3 weeks. (most see results within about a week)

      Best

      Lisa Geng
      President CHERAB Foundation
      Creator IQed Smart Nutrition
      “Help give our cherubs a smile and a voice”
      Please consider a donation to the Cherab Foundation
      Donations are tax-deductible, our federal tax ID number is 22-3685234

  32. Hi
    My son has just turned 3years but he is still not talking.He can say a word or two occasionally but he tends to talking More often with mouth closed.
    He has received about 5 session of speech Therapy but it has not helped.
    He has not been diagnosed with any condition.He is a normal happy child.The speech therapist said he has referred him for cognitive assessment.
    I brought for him the NN omega 3 syrup when he was 2 but did not continue when it finished.
    He used to say most of the alphabets but he doesn’t anymore.Is he regressing?
    What do you recommend for him?
    I need help.Can you also help me get the food supplement that helped your son in addition to the NN omega 3,6,9
    Thank you
    Dennis

  33. Hi
    My brother will be 14 years next month and he was diagnosed with hearing problems and he uses hearing aids for that. However his speech has not improved and he started with one word but can now form a sentence but most people do not understand as the worrds are not clear. The doctors had diagnosed mild autism before the hearing problem. We have done a few sessions of speech therapy as well.
    But he does the other things normally . What can we start him with?

    • Even though my son Tanner always has had normal hearing, he attended the oral based hearing impaired preschool Summit Speech School in NJ through his IEP with out of district placement as they were able to offer appropriate placement and therapy for a child with apraxia. It’s not uncommon for one to have a hearing impairment and a speech impairment too. There were a number of hearing impaired/deaf students in Tanner’s preschool who had the diagnosis apraxia. Has your brother ever been diagnosed with a speech impairment? A lot of times speech impairments are overlooked due to another diagnosis -and in your brother’s case his hearing issue. It again doesn’t mean there isn’t something else going on. About fish oils, he can follow the same protocol I have here, but I’d start him at least at the 2 capsules of NN ProEFA 369. https://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/09/13/dosage-of-fish-oil-for-children/ If he’s a responder to fish oils you’ll know within a day to 3 weeks. Then you can add the extra one capsule of NN ProEPA. That page goes into the difference between the professional line (the “pro” EFA or EPA) which you can get from healthcare professionals or from authorized distributors online such as http://www.speech411.com which is my site for my patented nutritional formula IQed. Don’t get them from Amazon as there has been a tremendous issue with counterfeit products due to 3rd party sellers- not just fish oils as you can see from the news. Here are ways to secure more speech therapy as he probably needs more than a few sessions. https://pursuitofresearch.org/2016/05/31/5-ways-to-get-free-or-affordable-speech-therapy/ Where does he fall on this matrix? https://pursuitofresearch.org/2013/03/22/speech-therapy-matrix/ Are you in the US? Does he have an IEP?

      Best,

      Lisa

      Lisa Geng
      President CHERAB Foundation
      Creator IQed Smart Nutrition
      “Help give our cherubs a smile and a voice”
      Donations are tax-deductible, our federal tax ID number is 22-3685234