Does Your Child Have Childhood Apraxia of Speech?
Our Expert Speech & Language Therapists Provide Evidence Based, Quality Therapy To Help Children With Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Some Facts About Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
Childhood Apraxia of Speech, or CAS, is a condition in which the brain has difficulty coordinating the very complex movements needed for speech.
Often children cannot be understood, or can only be understood by those who are very close to them such as family members. This means they have low intelligibility.
CAS is a rare speech condition, which appears to be more common in boys than girls. Some children might have a milder case and others might be more severely affected.
Typically, children with CAS might be able to produce clearer speech in short words than long words or joined up speech. Their pronunciation of the same word can also vary each time it is said.
Childhood Apraxia of Speech can sometimes be referred to as Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia or Verbal Dyspraxia.
CAS does not affect language itself, though it can co-occur with other communication disorders which might affect language.
Children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech Can Struggle With:
Being understood by others when talking in spontaneous speech.
Copying sounds, words or sentences when modelled to them.
Acquiring and using language, if they have CAS co-occurring with a language impairment.
Feelings of frustration or shyness if they feel they cannot be understood.
Speaking with a fluid pace and intonation- speech might sound ‘jumpy’.
Putting stress on the right syllables in words
Modulating their voice and breath production for speaking.
Children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech and Communication Skills
Here are some of the ways that good speech and language therapy can help children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech and their families:
Developing the child’s control and programming of speech sound production to improve their intelligibility when talking.
Developing the child’s rhythm, intonation (‘tune’ when talking) and flow of speech.
Providing homework activities to ensure the child is practicing their talking in a variety of environments and as often as needed for best progress.
Teaching the child’s family and other important people how to support the child with speech sound errors.
Supporting the child to use an alternative or supportive means of communication when appropriate. For example, Sign language or a voice output device.
Signposting families to appropriate and reliable sources of information and support.
Tips For Parents on How to Support Children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Do not penalise incorrect pronunciations of words or tell your child they are wrong. Don’t ask your child to copy you to correct their speech.
Acknowledge and confirm with your child what you have understood in their speech.
If you cannot understand what your child is saying, ask them to show you. If they cannot show you, can they draw it or find it in a book?
Acknowledge and support your child’s feelings. For example, they might be feeling frustrated if they can’t be understood.
Try to focus on what your child is telling you, rather than how they are pronouncing the words.
Follow the recommendations from your child’s Speech and Language Therapist, and try to complete the homework given with the frequency recommended!
How our Speech and Language Therapy Can Help Children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech
We assess each child’s needs holistically and design our treatment plans around the unique needs of each child. At the centre of everything we do are the goals, aspirations and expectations of the child and their family.
Here are some of the many evidence-based therapy approaches and frameworks we are specially trained to use to help children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech develop their communication skills.
Nuffield Dyspraxia Program, Third Edition (NDP3)
Rapid Syllable Transition Training (ReST) (no training in team)
Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC) (no training in team)
Elklan
Attention Autism for attention and listening skills
How can we help you and your child?
If you’re interested in how our expert speech and language therapy can help your child with Childhood Apraxia of Speech, click below to request a free telephone consultation with one of our therapists or to book an initial assessment appointment. We will assess your child’s strengths and needs and design a therapy package to suit your child’s unique learning style, and your budget. We can also support children and young people in the over one hundred schools that commission our schools speech and language therapy service.
