How to Celebrate Childhood Apraxia of Speech

What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

Childhood Apraxia of Speech is some degree of disrupted speech motor control.In other words,  a child diagnosed with CAS experiences  difficulty rapidly and accurately moving and sequencing  the tongue, lips and palate for the required movements for continuous and intelligible speech production.  While the data on incidents of CAS in children is lacking, the estimates of some sources indicate that CAS is low incidence with perhaps 1 – 10 in 1000 children affected or 3 – 5 % of speech-impaired preschoolers.

What does this look like at home, one the playground, in preschool?

A child with CAS may experience a limited number of vowel sounds, difficulty imitating mouth movements and/or words/sounds, or a variety of errors that may be unusual or idiosyncratic.  Children with CAS may or may not experience receptive language deficits.  Depending on the child, negative behaviors associated with not being understood may also be evident.

What does a parent do?  Where do you go?

An experienced Speech-Language Pathologist in the area of CAS can help navigate families and children through the CAS journey.  As a parent/caregiver, do not feel intimidated asking if your SLP has experience in the area of CAS.  The therapists at Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC. are happy to answer your questions about CAS as well as provide specific therapeutic interventions.

February is CAS awareness month.  If you would like more information, please feel free to ask your Speech-Language Pathologists as well as visit The Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America.

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC.

How to Play Board Games ….not BORED Games

Playing board games is a skill that is fading from our society

Go Fish! Sorry! Your Turn! These short phrases, for many, bring back memories of sitting around a table with friends and family playing….together….face to face. In a world filled with technology, the ART of playing a board games is becoming more of a skill that needs to be taught vs. a natural occurrence in the life of a child.

Langauage Opportunities in every game

Board games are filled with language opportunities: turn taking, waiting, giving positive reinforcement, sequencing, following directions, etc. It is not uncommon for a child to say “We played games.” when asked what they did in speech therapy. Games provide the opportunity to slow language down, practice specific phrase or sounds or vocabulary, and repeat a sequence or direction until over and over again. A child’s eye widen when the ‘game cupboard’ is opened and they are told to pick a game to play in therapy. Time and time again, a Speech Therapist hears, “This game is great! Can we play this again next week?”

Speech Therapists make it look easy

While a Speech Therapist weaves specific therapy goals into every minute of the game, parents and caregivers have the same opportunity to practice the important skills of turn taking, cooperation, encouraging another person, being a graceful winner/loser or just feeling like a part of something while playing a board game. Children may argue board games are really BORED games, but deep down, and usually within a few minutes of playing, they quickly realize there is nothing BORING about a BOARD game!

Share your favorite childhood game with your child. Have your child share their new game with his/her Speech Therapist. Enjoy a few hours away from the blue hue of a screen, enjoy the sight of a smiling child discovering a new skill….playing a BOARD game and not for one minute being BORED!

Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC

Consider Making Your Resolutions for the New Year!

Speech-Language Therapy Resolutions for a New Year

“What’s your resolution this year?” The most frequently asked question from January 1st – 10th of any year.  After about 10 days of asking we are all pretty certain that either a. all resolutions have been broken or b. there were none to begin with.  For 2018 we might consider to resolve ourselves versus struggle to meet unrealistic resolutions.  Resolve ourselves to find the good in all actions and words. Resolve ourselves to be present…present to our children, our partner, our friends, our corner of the world.  Resolve ourselves to laugh more, to smile more, to find the joy, to communicate!

Developing Communicaiton Skills is a Team Resolution

So how does this remotely relate to speech-language therapy?  Good question! Communication is not just made up of one mode of expression – talking. Rather communication is any way we get our message understood – talking, facial gestures, hand gestures, sign-language, AAC devices, etc. ; being understood is what communication is all about.  Speech-language therapy is a means by which we learn how to communicate in a mode that is most effective and efficient.  Speech-language therapy does not happen in a bubble and a Speech-Language Therapist (SLP) cannot make effective change in communication  without the support and team-work of a child’s entire TEAM .  Speech-language therapy is most effective when the entire TEAM is on the same page working towards the same end.   The resolve of the entire TEAM has to be finding, practicing and expecting  a child to communicate in the most effective and efficient mode.  As the main members of the TEAM, parents/caregivers need to communicate with the SLP.  Your SLP wants to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly….what worked, what didn’t work.  Your SLP should be able to clearly explain how to best manage and create an environment for successful communication in a manner that works for the ENTIRE TEAM.  The time spent communicating with your SLP is equally as important as the time she/he spends working with your child.  By resolving ourselves to communicate more effectively, our children not only learn by our example but those around us will as well.

 

Hats off to the start of amazing things in 2018!

 

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC