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- Ashley
- Brigeman
- No
- 102 Mitchell Road
Oak Ridge
Tennessee
37830
United States - Little Big and Loud PLLC
Oak Ridge
Tennessee
37830
United States
My treatment approach for Childhood Apraxia of Speech is intense where sessions are shorter in duration (20-30 minutes), but greater in frequency, and the number of practice trials per session is maximized. The Principles of Motor Learning serve as my foundation for treatment and guide my clinical decisions. Therefore, treatment focuses on practicing towards habituation of the movement pattern for speech, and not the individual sounds. I implement a multi-sensory approach to facilitate motor learning, where maximum cues are provided initially, then faded over time to promote generalization and carryover. My goal is to provide functional or meaningful therapy for the child, one that will aid in improving their quality of life. Movement activities and reinforcers are introduced throughout our sessions as a means to motivate or interest the child, but chosen carefully as not to direct their attention away from the goal of treatment.
Parent involvement and support is crucial to the therapy process. It starts with education; educating parents on what CAS is (and is not), treatment approaches, how to implement strategies at home for practice and what their goals are for therapy. Parents are able to observe or video sessions to assist with implementing at home practice.
My experience with AAC for those with CAS is very carefully considered and based on the child’s cognitive and communicative status. Many of the children, with whom I have treated with CAS, are too young to implement a device or not appropriate for a device. Therefore my experience has been with low tech options. My goal is to enhance their communication, not replace or inhibit their communication skills. I have used Sign and PECS in conjunction with speech therapy to give them access to tools to support their communication and encourage successful interactions.