Assessing and Treating Suspected Childhood Apraxia of Speech

5220 Old Highway 11,Hattiesburg MS 39402

04 February, 2022

Description

The Children's Center's Spring Institute features guest speaker Cari Ebert, renowned therapist, presenter, author, and autism & apraxia mom. Course Summary A young child presents with a diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Now what? Establishing an appropriate treatment plan based on the principles of motor learning is essential when treating CAS. For minimally verbal children with suspected CAS, the principles of motor learning should still guide the treatment approach. This first part of this course will discuss assessment and differential diagnosis. The second part will provide guidelines for goal writing, target selection, therapy strategies and activities, use of multisensory cueing, and carryover techniques for speech-language pathologists working with toddlers, preschoolers, and early school-aged children who have CAS or suspected CAS. Learning Outcomes: At the end of this training, participants will be able to: 1. Integrate informal assessment into the initial evaluation and ongoing diagnostic therapy sessions to assess the integrity of a young child’s speech motor planning system. 2. Summarize why CAS can be difficult to diagnose in minimally verbal young children and when it is clinically appropriate to make the formal diagnosis. 3. Compare the clinical symptoms of CAS with autism, dysarthria, phonological impairment, articulation disorder, and expressive speech/language delay. 4. Contrast speech therapy approaches for children with apraxia of speech, phonological impairments, and articulation disorders. 5. Summarize how to write apraxia speech therapy goals based on the principles of motor learning. 6. List 10 activities for making repetitive speech practice fun and engaging. 7. Explain the role of parents and teachers in supporting children with apraxia of speech. Speaker Bio Cari Ebert, MS, CCC-SLP is a pediatric speech-language pathologist in private practice in the Kansas City, Missouri area. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa in 1993 and her master’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1995. Cari is a therapist, consultant, author, product developer, and nationally recognized speaker who gets paid to do what she loves most—TALK! She specializes in autism, apraxia, and early intervention. Her son has dual diagnoses of autism and apraxia which allows her to engage audiences both as a professional and as a parent of a child with special needs. Cari recently co-authored a book with Dave Hammer titled The SLP’s Guide to Treating Childhood Apraxia of Speech. She offers a variety of apraxia therapy products on her website as well as self-study courses related to apraxia, autism, and other early childhood topics. https://www.cariebertseminars.com/ Instructional Personnel Disclosures Nonfinancial: Cari Ebert has a son with dual diagnoses of autism and apraxia and shares personal experiences in her trainings. Financial: Cari Ebert receives royalties from all product sales on her website. She also receives compensation for presenting this course. Agenda (6-hour training) Introduction Motor Planning: making sense of an abstract concept Etiologies of CAS Assessment Making the Diagnosis When to Refer to a Medical Professional Co-Existing Conditions Making a Differential Diagnosis Getting Parents and Teachers Involved in the Therapy Process Motor Performance vs. Motor Learning Prognostic Indicators Principles of Motor Learning and Speech Therapy Tools for Success when Treating CAS/sCAS Targeted Motor Speech Goals and Activities for Minimally Verbal Children with sCAS Data Collection Goals for Older, More Verbal Children with CAS Teletherapy and CAS The Children's Center is a nonprofit organization that provides cost-free, innovative services for infants and children with communicative and developmental disabilities in Southern Mississippi, while educating, training and supporting families, university students, and professionals.