Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) play a pivotal role in assessing and treating childhood apraxia of speech (CAS); however, CAS rarely occurs on its own. As many as 80% of children with CAS may also present with developmental language disorder (DLD), issues with speech perception, delayed literacy, or other motor or socio-emotional challenges.

The latest forum in LSHSS gives clinicians tools to assess and evaluate CAS and its comorbid diagnoses, allowing SLPs to better treat the child as a whole. In her prologue, guest editor Jenya Iuzzini-Seigel writes that ASHA members “can greatly improve care by making accurate differential diagnoses, extending referrals when indicated, and considering care of the whole child when planning intervention,” (Iuzzini-Seigel, 2022, p. 923).

Overlapping and Differential Diagnoses

After presenting an overview of the forum, Iuzzini-Seigel collaborates with Allison and Stoeckel on the forum’s first tutorial. The authors look at the overlapping symptoms and motor speech disorders in children with CAS and pediatric dysarthria to help SLPs properly diagnose each. Then, they illustrate application of the protocol with case studies and discuss treatment implications for complex cases.

In the next tutorial, Beiting discusses the diagnosis and treatment of CAS in children with autism, particularly those with limited verbal abilities. The article offers suggestions on keeping children with engaged and comfortable during therapy using tools such as physical activity and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

Speech Perception, Literacy, and Coordination Difficulties

The next article by Spencer and colleagues summarizes speech perception difficulties that children with CAS may experience. The authors review speech perception assessments and show how children who are experiencing problems with speech perception respond differently to intervention.

Miller and Lewis compared children with suspected CAS to those with reading difficulties but no speech sound diagnosis in the next article. The authors found that both groups had similar literacy deficits and that comorbid language disorder led to further deficits in children with CAS. The authors suggest that children with CAS be tested for both language and preliteracy skills as early as possible.

In the last article in the forum, Iuzzini-Seigel, Moorer, and Tamplain describe developmental coordination disorder, which is thought to occur in at least half of all children with CAS. They discuss the importance of diagnosing coordination disorders early and making the proper referrals to help the child get all the care they need.

Care of the Whole Child

Iuzzini-Seigel writes that the goal of this forum is to support comprehensive service delivery to help children with CAS thrive. We’d like to thank Dr. Iuzzini-Seigel and all the contributing authors for their work toward that goal.

You can learn more about CAS on ASHA’s practice portal. The ASHA Journals also have a topic collection of hundreds of articles on apraxia of speech, including CAS.

We hope that this forum can help you support children with CAS—and educate their families and your colleagues on the importance of identification and early intervention. You can read the full forum here, or check out the individual articles below.

Explore the Forum

Beiting, M. (2022). Diagnosis and treatment of childhood apraxia of speech among children with autism: Narrative review and clinical recommendations. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 53(4), 947–968. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-21-00162

Iuzzini-Seigel, J. (2022). Prologue to the forum: Care of the whole child: Key considerations when working with children with childhood apraxia of speech. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 53(4), 921–925. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-22-00119

Iuzzini-Seigel, J., Allison, K. M., & Stoeckel, R. (2022). A tool for differential diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech and dysarthria in children: A tutorial. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 53(4), 926–946. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-21-00164

Iuzzini-Seigel, J., Moorer, L., & Tamplain, P. (2022). An investigation of developmental coordination disorder characteristics in children with childhood apraxia of speech. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 53(4), 1006–1021. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-21-00163

Miller, G. J., & Lewis, B. A. (2022). Reading skills in children with suspected childhood apraxia of speech and children with reading disorders: Same or different? Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 53(4), 985–1005. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-21-00149

Spencer, C., Davison, K. E., Boucher, A. R., & Zuk, J. (2022). Speech perception variability in childhood apraxia of speech: Implications for assessment and intervention. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 53(4), 969–984. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-21-00170

References

Iuzzini-Seigel, J. (2022). Prologue to the forum: Care of the whole child: Key considerations when working with children with childhood apraxia of speech. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 53(4), 921–925. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-22-00119