When working with a child with moderate to severe CAS, we want to reduce frustration and make communication a more positive experience. Since your child may have faced perceived “failures” when trying to speak, our first order of business is to establish trust through lower pressure activities that build confidence and establish foundational skills for speaking. If your child is having a hard time verbally letting you know what they want or need, we’ll also want to empower them with sign language or pictures until their speech comes more easily.

Therapy targets are based on information gathered in the initial assessment and your input as the expert in your child. The assessment tells us what sounds and syllable shapes (Vowel-consonant; consonant-vowel; consonant-vowel-consonant, etc.) your child can produce so we can build on them. Your input helps us know what words are most important and motivating for your child to learn, such as names of family members, pets, favorite foods, or toys.

Speech therapy for CAS requires frequent and intense practice. Therapy happens several times a week and each session include TONS of accurate repetitions of your child’s target words during “play” activities. We focus on movements between sounds to help your child form words with greater consistency and accuracy.