We've added some wonderful handouts and brochuresabout childhood apraxia of speech. Click here to have a look!
The Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America (CASANA) The mission: To strengthen the support systems in the lives of children with apraxia, so that each child has their best opportunity to develop speech
A Brief Overview of Language and Approaches to its Assessment: One Professional's Perspective by Thomas Powell, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Most of us take our ability to communicate for granted. We think of something to say, open our mouths, and the words come out. Although it may appear to be a simple thing, the communication process is actually very complicated. The complexity of human communication becomes especially apparent when we consider the diversity that exists among individuals for whom communication is difficult.
more... A Case Study of Childhood Apraxia of Speech by Patti Hamaguchi, M.A., CCC-SLP Jamie, a six year-old boy, moved into town and entered first grade. He was very unintelligible (hard to understand), but seemed to have a lot to say.
more... A Comparison of Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Dysarthria, and Severe Phonological Disorder A comparison chart, listing and contrasting the key characteristics of verbal apraxia, dysarthria, and phonological disorders.more... Apraxia: Speech Therapy in Toddlers and Young Children by Sharon Gretz, M.Ed. The purpose of this article is twofold: to communicate initial diagnostic procedures for identifying young children who may have CAS and to discuss speech therapy techniques that may benefit the speech production and expressive language skills of young children suspected to have CAS.
more... Apraxia? Dyspraxia? Articulation? Phonology? What Does It All Mean? by Nancy Lucker-Lazerson, M.A., CCC-SLP Your two-year-old says no words, makes some sounds, yet he understands everything you say. Your five-year-old speaks in what appear to be sentences, but all you hear are vowel sounds. Your seven-year-old lisps, and says "wabbit" instead of "rabbit". And your three-year-old talks non-stop, but no one can understand a word that he says. So what do you do?
more... Articulation and the Effect on Prosody in Children with Apraxia of Speech by Amy Meredith, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Prosody generally refers to intonation, stress pattern, loudness variations, pausing, and rhythm. We express prosody by varying pitch, loudness, and duration. A person who does not vary any of these parameters will sound robotic. We frequently come across characteristics of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) as including robotic speech or some other element of disordered prosody. What may account for this observation?
more... Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for Children with Apraxia by Dyann F. Rupp, M.S., CCC-SLP This question is increasingly asked as parents and caregivers become more aware of the benefits and positive outcomes of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). My response to this question is that AAC is an appropriate consideration very early in intervention.more... Backward Buildups: A Therapy Technique for Multisyllabic Words by Shelley Velleman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Because children with CAS are at risk for prosody problems as well as having difficulty with longer or more complex utterances, backward build-ups are an important strategy to use with them.
more... Because It's Your Child! Evaluating Information On the Internet Sharon Gretz, M.Ed. The internet has led the way to vastly more material being available to the public and health care consumers. The validity and credibility of materials published on the internet can vary to an extreme. There are many credible sources and just as many sources that would not be judged as credible. How are parents to make these distinctions?
more... Brief Ideas for Speech Therapy for Children with Apraxia of Speech by David Hammer, M.A., CCC-SLP There are many complexities involved when we discuss therapy strategies due to the wide range of children whom we service. These include, but certainly are not limited to, the maturation level of the child, the child's general cognitive abilities, possible dual diagnoses, other deficit areas such as fine motor skills, and parent motivation. When we discuss intervention strategies, we must take into account individual strengths as we develop a multi-sensory, multi-modality communication therapy course of action. more...
Apraxia-KIDSSM - the Internet's largest, most comprehensive and trusted website for information on childhood apraxia of speech (verbal dyspraxia, developmental apraxia of speech) and children's speech and language topics - including evaluation, speech therapy, research and other childhood communication topics. Invaluable for parents, speech language pathologists, teachers and all those who care about a child with apraxia.
This web site is a program of the Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association, the national organization representing the needs and interests of children affected by apraxia of speech. Address: 416 Lincoln Avenue 2nd Fl., Pittsburgh, PA 15209
