• I have had excellent success with the Kaufman program. This program is aimed at children who can copy some sounds correctly. http://www.kidspeech.com/

• The Nuffield program: http://www.ndp3.org/ is excellent for helping children increase and develop the number of sounds that they can copy correctly. This would be a better place to start if your child has true apraxia (which literally means no speech sounds)

• Ask around at your local play groups and preschools to hear about local SLPs who have a good reputation for treating apraxia. They may use one of the above programs or a program of their own that has worked well for them.

• The Apraxia-kids website recommends the following software in the resources section of their website: http://www.apraxia-kids.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=chKMI0PIIsE&b=788467&ct=464321

• There is some evidence that using another form of communication, such as sign language, picture communication or a voice output computer system might help to improve children’s articulation skills. However, more research is needed. In the meantime, it can reduce stress if the child is able to use these methods to communicate in the short term, until his speech improves.

• The Speech-EZ program has been recommended by some therapists. http://www.speech-ez.com/

Related Reading about Apraxia:

• Can You Cure My Child’s Apraxia of Speech?
• My Child Has Been Diagnosed With Apraxia. How Can I Improve My Child’s Success? I Want Him To Learn To Speak Clearly.
• I Want To Find a Cure For My Child’s Apraxia Of Speech. What Programs Do You Recommend?

There are many things that you can do to optimize your child’s chances of improving. After more than a decade of treating clients with apraxia and dyspraxia, I have noticed that some types of parents have children who improve quickly, even if the delay is quite severe. If possible, do the following:

• Notice the apraxia early and get it treated early (preferably by three years of age) by a qualified Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP).

• Get involved in your child’s therapy program. Ask your SLP if you can sit at the table with your child and try to play the games the way the SLP does. Ask for home programs and practice worksheets.

• Invest in some games that your child loves (like Pop Up Pirate). Put the game in the cupboard and only pull it out for speech practice.

• Read to your child and foster a love of reading. Let him sign out books from the library on topics that he is interested in.

In addition, I noticed that there are certain children with apraxia who improve more quickly than others. The characteristics of a child whose speech improves quickly include:

• An outgoing child with good self esteem, who is willing to try and make mistakes and try again. Make sure to find some interests and activities that your child can succeed at. Praise him for attempts, not just perfection.

• A child with good receptive language (understanding) has better outcomes for articulation as well. If your child has low receptive language scores, ask your Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) how you can support his receptive language improvement as well.

• A healthy child. Of course, you can’t always control the child’s health. But you can provide good nutrition, rest and medical care.

• Typical attention span. If this is a concern, ask your SLP or Occupational therapist (OT) for ideas to improve attention span.

• Imitation skills. Even if your child cannot yet copy sounds or words, you can improve imitation skills by working on actions, signs, gestures and fun noises like animal sounds or vehicle sounds.

  Related Reading about Apraxia:

  • Can You Cure My Child’s Apraxia of Speech?
  • My Child Has Been Diagnosed With Apraxia. How Can I Improve My Child’s Success? I Want Him To Learn To Speak Clearly.
  • I Want To Find a Cure For My Child’s Apraxia Of Speech. What Programs Do You Recommend?

Every child is different, and no one can predict whether or not the speech difficulties associated with apraxia (also called dyspraxia) will be cured in one year or several years. What we do know is that most children with apraxia, with speech therapy appropriate to their needs, will eventually learn to speak clearly and be understood. It may be a long and challenging process, but there is hope.

Related Reading about Apraxia:

• My Child Has Been Diagnosed With Apraxia. How Can I Improve My Child’s Success? I Want Him To Learn To Speak Clearly.
• I Want To Find a Cure For My Child’s Apraxia Of Speech. What Programs Do You Recommend?

Speech therapy materials for Children with Apraxia

Before purchasing Speech therapy games or materials or to help your child with apraxia, please have him or her assessed by a Speech Language Pathologist to make sure that you are working on the correct goals.

Once your child is assessed you should have a list of goals to work on. Generally, Speech therapy for a child with apraxia (also called Childhood Apraxia of Speech or Dyspraxia) consists of practicing sounds starting at a simple level and then moving to more complex mouth movements and eventually to words and phrases. For some children, your Speech Language Pathologist may recommend starting at an earlier stage with muscle strengthening games and activities (called Oral Motor exercises) or simple mouth movements. Many children with apraxia find sign language helps them communicate their thoughts when they cannot make themselves understood.

Early vocabulary and imitation goals: The Baby Babble DVD (http://www.talkingchild.com/shop_BabyBabbleDVD.aspx) includes Oral motor exercises and some early sign language, so it is ideal for toddlers and younger preschoolers with speech and language delays.

Articulation Goals: Check out this link for Kaufman cards: http://www.superduperinc.com/products/view.aspx?pid=NS1002&stid=

These cards, although pricey, are great materials for working at home with children with apraxia. For children whose goals are at the single word level, the back of the card has approximations from simple to complex. For example a picture may show BROTHER, and on the back of the card it shows that the child may say only the “b” sound at first but eventually progress to “budder” and then to the correct pronunciation.

Parents will find that using the cards to play speech therapy games with kids will work better than just asking the child to name the cards. One example of a speech therapy game is to hide the cards around the room and find them with a flashlight. Children are asked to name the picture on one card before they can search for another card.

Again, please check with your Speech Language Pathologist to find out what the best goals are for your child.

Examples of communication disorders:

• autism — a developmental defect that affects understanding of emotional communication
• aphasia — loss of the ability to produce or comprehend language
• Learning disability – Both speaking and listening components of the definition
• Dysnomia - Deficit involving word retrieval
• Asperger syndrome – Areas of social and pragmatic language
• Semantic Pragmatic Disorder – Challenges with the semantic and pragmatic aspects of language
• blindness – a defect of the eye or visual system
• deafness – a defect of the ear or auditory system
• dyslexia – a defect of the systems used in reading
• dyscalculia – a defect of the systems used in communicating numbers
• expressive language disorder — affects speaking and understanding where there is no delay in non-verbal intelligence.
• mixed receptive-expressive language disorder — affects speaking, understanding, reading and writing where there is no delay in non-verbal intelligence.
• speech disorders such as
• cluttering, a speech organization disorder
• stuttering
• oesophageal voice
• speech sound disorder
• specific language impairment
• dysarthria

source: wikipedia

Speech-language pathology is the study of disorders that affect a person’s speech, language, cognition, voice, swallowing (dysphagia) and the rehabilitative or corrective treatment of physical and/or cognitive deficits/disorders resulting in difficulty with communication and/or swallowing. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) or Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) address people’s speech production, vocal production, swallowing difficulties and language needs through speech therapy in a variety of different contexts including schools, hospitals, and through private practice.

Communication includes speech (articulation, intonation, rate, intensity, voice, resonance, fluency), language (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics), both receptive and expressive language (including reading and writing), and non-verbal communication such as facial expression and gesture. Swallowing problems managed under speech therapy are problems in the oral and pharyngeal stages of swallowing (not oesophageal).

Depending on the nature and severity of the disorder, common treatments may range from physical strengthening exercises, instructive or repetitive practice and drilling, to the use of audio-visual aids and introduction of strategies to facilitate functional communication. Speech therapy may also include sign language and the use of picture symbols or Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) (Diehl 2003).

The practice is called:

* Speech-language pathology (SLP) in the United States and Canada
* Speech and language therapy (SLTs) in the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. Within the United Kingdom a Speech and Language Therapy team is often referred to by clinicians as the “SALT” team.
* Speech pathology in Australia
* Speech-language therapy in New Zealand

Other terms in use include speech therapy, logopaedics and phoniatrics.

from: wikipedia

photo: flickr: 42dreams