Congratulations to Alicia Keefe, B.Ed, R.SLP, S-LP (C), for graduating from the Apraxia Kids Intensive Training Institute (Apraxia Boot Camp)!

My name is Alicia Keefe and I am a Speech-Language Pathologist in Cold Lake, Alberta, as well as a co-owner of Aligned Intervention Services. At my clinic, I focus primarily on treating children who have motor speech disorders. I am passionate about using a strength-based approach to meet children where they are at and build their communication skills through play. When I am not working, I am busy with my five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son.

Alicia offers services in Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada.
Check out Alicia’s Apraxia Kids SLP Directory Listing to learn more.

Apraxia Kids: What are the top 3 things you learned from this training experience?
Alicia: The completion of the Apraxia Kids Boot Camp and case study have provided me with knowledge and tools that have significantly impacted my approach to assessment and intervention of Childhood Apraxia of Speech. The areas most significantly impacted have been the following:

1) Increasing my knowledge of specific assessment tools to identify characteristics consistent with CAS and support a differential diagnosis.

2) Improving my ability to select treatment targets that are achievable from a movement perspective based on length, phonotactic complexity and sound inventory.

3) Intentionally incorporating the principles of motor learning to plan for generalization and learning.

Apraxia Kids: How did the boot camp experience change or expand your network of colleagues/friends?
Alicia: The boot camp experience provided me with an opportunity to build relationships with a cohort of SLPs who are all passionate about motor speech disorders. Since attending boot camp, I have regularly connected with the members of my boot camp group each week. These connections have allowed me to ask questions, have discussions and further my learning in the area of CAS. I look forward to continuing to work alongside these colleagues/friends and have opportunities for connection and collaboration in the future.

Apraxia Kids: How have you implemented the knowledge you gained at boot camp?
Alicia: Following the completion of boot camp, I now focus primarily on treating motor speech disorders through my clinic. I was able to take the knowledge that I gained at boot camp to ensure that my assessment protocol focuses on achieving a differential diagnosis by recognizing deficits in planning and programming the movement gestures necessary for speech production. I am now able to think critically about intervention approaches to ensure that I am utilizing a motor-treatment approach, while selecting targets that are achievable from a movement perspective. Following boot camp, I have also begun to advocate for children with CAS to receive an increased number of weekly treatment sessions to allow for mass and distributed practice of targets.

Apraxia Kids: What is an example of how you have been able to (or plan to) use your expertise as a local resource/support for other professionals and/or families since attending the intensive training?
Alicia: Following the completion of the Apraxia Kids Bootcamp, I have prioritized helping educational staff to develop their understanding of how receptive ability may exceed expressive ability in children who have Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). Increasing the understanding of this potential gap has had important implications for ensuring that educational programming that matches the child’s understanding of language. I plan to continue to advocate for children with CAS and to provide education for teachers in our area to help them better understand CAS and how we can work as a team to help children with CAS experience success within their learning environment.

Apraxia Kids: What would you say to someone considering applying to boot camp next round?
Alicia: Attending boot camp has been a pivotal experience within my career as a Speech-Language Pathologist. Prior to attending boot camp I was passionate about treating CAS, but now I have the knowledge and skills to go along with that passion in order to make a difference in the lives of children with CAS.