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Essay / Childhood apraxia of speech - 1535
Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is considered a motor speech disorder in children that is "characterized by deficits in the sequencing of movements necessary for speech production” (Teverovsky. Bickel and Feldman, 2007). CAS may occur due to a concomitant neurological disorder or may be associated with a neurogenic speech sound disorder without a known cause. The characteristics associated with a CAS diagnosis are what usually distinguishes it. According to ASHA (2014), there are many signs and symptoms that indicate a child has CAS. We see that these children generally have these characteristics to be able to be diagnosed. These characteristics include: “inconsistent errors in the production of vowels and consonants during repeated production of syllables and words, elongated transitions between sounds and syllables, and inappropriate prosody” (ASHA, 2014). These functional areas show consistent deficits associated with CAS and are also involved in speech planning and programming. These characteristics are not considered the only characteristics associated with a diagnosis of CAS. These children may also experience co-occurring phonological and linguistic problems. Impairment in inconsistency and accuracy of speech motor movements is what should be considered the main problem of a child with CAS. The features included in CAS were not considered by ASHA (2014) to be the only diagnostic features of CAS because not all signs and symptoms are seen in every child. No site of brain injury has been identified as causing CAS. The diagnosis of CAS is considered without the presence of oral motor weakness (Daniel, 2009). It is also important to note that a child with CAS may have other disorders...... middle of article...... for additional help. Integral stimulation does not provide tactile cues, but only provides visual and auditory cues during processing (Dale and Hayden, 2013). Both treatments require further research to improve the idea of either as a motor treatment for CAS.Works CitedDaniel, R. (2008). Effects of integral stimulation therapy on the speech intelligibility of a child diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech. (Unpublished master's thesis). Portland State University, Portland, Oregon. Edeal, D, M. (2009). Deconstructed integral stimulation: a study on the effectiveness of treatment for apraxia of speech in children. (Unpublished master's thesis). Portland State University, Portland, Oregon. Strand, E. (2000). The effectiveness of integrated stimulation intervention with developmental apraxia of speech. Journal of Medical Speech Pathology, 8(4), 295-300.