Apraxia of Speech

AAC Support for Apraxia

The frustration of childhood apraxia of speech Kiddos who face childhood apraxia of speech, or CAS, are constantly experiencing a verbal “knock down drag out” fight.  How frustrating would it be to want to say “ball” and not be able to?  Or to be able to produce sounds, but for other people to hear only gibberish…it’s discouraging to say the least. This is just a small fraction of what kiddos with childhood apraxia of speech endure every day. Another way What if this wasn’t the case?  What if we could bridge that gap for children with CAS so that we could understand what they meant?  What if they could tell us, even without words, what they want us to know? We already have the means in place.  It’s called augmentative/alternative communication, or AAC.  As one site put it, AAC is “any form of communication that a person can use that is not speech.”  It sounds … Keep Reading…

Apraxia: Getting a Diagnosis and Services

Now that you know what apraxia is (and if you don’t, head on over here for a definition and here for some signs and symptoms), maybe you think your kiddo might have it.

There are a few different opinions out there about who actually gives the “official” diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech.

Some people think it’s a pediatrician, others believe it’s a neurologist (since it has neurological origins), and then there are those of us who understand that an SLP is really the professional that is qualified to give the diagnosis of CAS.

Another reason why it’s so important to find an SLP who knows their stuff when it comes to CAS. Unfortunately there’s not one test that can be given to confidently give a diagnosis of CAS.

Trained SLPs will look at a number of areas, including:

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Apraxia: Red Flags and Symptoms

The frustration is real. child with head down on hands

Your child is two and still not saying any words, or at least not consistently.
But he understands EVERYTHING… sometimes too well!
So why isn’t he talking yet.
At first it was cute, giving the puppy dog eyes and following directions like a little saint… I mean, he is adorable and everyone else seems to think so ?
But now the struggle is settling in more.
This whole throwing a tantrum over seemingly nothing, or the moments when he looks at you and really seems to want to tell you something but no words are coming out, or the hitting…. Let’s not even start down that rabbit trail… I mean, this just isn’t cute anymore.
Your sweet little angel seems to be transforming into someone you don’t even recognize.

Your child may be showing symptoms of Childhood of Apraxia (or CAS as it’s often called). Check out more about what this means and how common it is over here.
But how do you know if that’s really what it is and not just a case of the terrible twos?

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