LEVELS TRAINING PROGRAM: LEVEL 2 COURSE ELECTIVE

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This presentation focuses on treatment of clients diagnosed with apraxia of speech and related motor speech disorders. Many of these clients do not respond to the traditional auditory and visually-based motor speech techniques. Often because other co-existing issues are not addressed including oral sensory deficits, feeding deficits, and oral placement deficits, making differential diagnosis an important assessment component.

This course demonstrates how activities which utilize a tactile approach (OPT), in conjunction with auditory and visually-based apraxia therapy techniques, can improve speech clarity in clients diagnosed with apraxia of speech.

Additionally; childhood apraxia of speech is defined (along with other motor impairments), treatment goals including a muscle-based approach, sensory, OPT, and feeding are discussed, and strategies for implementing a multi-modality motor speech program are provided.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion, participants will be able to:  

• Define childhood apraxia of speech along with subsequent motor speech impairments that may also be present.
• Identify when a muscle-based approach is appropriate in a treatment plan.
• Describe how oral placement activities through structured repetition improve muscle skill and teach muscle memory.
• Explain how using a multi-sensory tactile approach is used with clients to transition from OPT to facilitate speech production.
• Identify strategies for planning and implementing a multi-modality motor speech program.

This course is an interactive, hands-on workshop. When taking this course as a self-study it is encouraged that you follow along with all of the activities.

Content Disclosure: This presentation will focus on treatment methods related to the use of TalkTools® resources. Other similar treatment approaches will receive limited or no coverage during this lecture.

(pending AOTA approval)