Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is also known as Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia (DVD) or Developmental Apraxia of Speech (DAS.) CAS is a motor speech disorder. There is something in the child's brain that is not allowing messages to get to the mouth muscles to produce speech correctly, therefore CAS is not a muscle but cognitive disorder (although it may have some impact on language as well as speech). The problem occurs when the brain sends muscles an information what to do. Somehow that message gets jumbled. Visually explaining it is almost like trying to watch a cable TV station without a right decoder. There is nothing wrong with the TV station and nor with the set. It is just that the set can't read the signal that the station is sending out. The child's language-learning task is to figure out how to unscramble the mixed message but the child is not able to do it.

Visible symptoms of Childhood Apraxia of Speech

• A child presents little or no babbling in infancy and has just few consonants in the repertoire.
• A child’s understanding of a language is much better than production.
• A child’s speech is slow, effortful, or halting. Sometimes a child seems to struggle.
• A child is very hard to be understood.
• A child may make slow progress in therapy.

Childhood Apraxia of Speech has much more effect on volitional, voluntary, creative speech than on automatic speech. This means that the more the child wants to communicate a particular message, the harder it becomes! So, if you happen to hear him saying something once when there is no pressure, and than you say, "Say it again!", you can be guaranteed that he won't be able to repeat it again. It is essential to put as minimum communication pressure on a child as possible. Low-pressure verbal activities are the most important thing parents can do to help. These will include: songs, especially repetitive one, finger-plays, poems, verbal routines, repetitive books and daily routines, e.g. social greetings, prayers.

You can make other activities into verbal routines: make up little sayings or poems that you say every time you do the same thing, label instead of counting objects in counting books, e.g. Two cars: car, car, dog, verbalize repetitive activities, e.g. while setting a table, cup, cup, cup, bowl, bowl, bowl, plate, plate, plate, fork, fork, fork, and so on. Don't make a big fuss about whether or not your child is talking or singing along; just provide a supportive environment for him to do so. Never say: You can't have it unless you say it first. That would be a torture for a child.

In a case when a child is not able to communicate effectively use sign language or a communication board. It will decrease child’s frustration and help with speech development. Dyspraxia may affect other motor functions, such as fine motor control, gross motor planning and further language functions like learning grammatical words, e.g. the, is, or, more complex grammatical forms like passive, spelling, putting words together into a sentence or sentences together into a paragraph.

Occupational therapy, physical therapy, and learning disabilities assistance are often helpful for children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech. CAS can be a very frustrating disorder at times. It is common for children with apraxia to make a good progress for a little while, then none, then more, etc. The therapy is helping, even if we can’t see the effects immediately.

To learn more about CAS read my post

http://slpzone.blogspot.com/2013/03/apraxia-treatment.html

Check my posts about AAC devices

http://slpzone.blogspot.com/2013/10/webinars-to-learn-about-augmentative.html

http://slpzone.blogspot.com/2013/10/list-of-augmentative-and-alternative.html

References:

Stackhouse, J. (1992), Developmental verbal dyspraxia: A longitudinal case study, Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers.

Caruso, A. and Strand, E. (1999), Clinical management of motor speech disorders in children, New York: Thieme.

Crary, M. (1993), Developmental motor speech disorders, San Diego Singular.

Hall, P., Jordan, J., and Robin, D. (1993). Developmental apraxia of speech, Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.

Velleman, S.L. and Strand, K. (1994), Developmental verbal dyspraxia. In J. E. Bernthal and N. W. Bankson (Eds.), Child phonology: Characteristics, assessment, and intervention with special populations, New York: Thieme.

Velleman, S. L. (2002). Childhood apraxia of speech resource guide, San Diego: Singular.

The Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America (CASANA) http://www.apraxia-kids.org/