SLP Category: Recognized by Apraxia Kids for Advanced Training and Expertise in Childhood Apraxia of Speech
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- Angela
- Schmoldt
- 201 Bakers Ridge Road
Morgantown
West Virginia
26508
United States - WVU Medicine Children’s - Neurodevelopmental Center (NDC)
Morgantown
West Virginia
26508
United States
Sessions at our clinic are conducted in a small private therapy room or in a gym/larger space with peers. We have access to a sensory gym where some children participate in sensory-gross motor play activities before, after, or during their therapy sessions. Some children benefit from a small treatment room with less distraction and more 1:1 therapy and other children need the movement and gross motor-sensory activities to help them during therapy sessions. I try to target therapy goals in a fun and motivating manner while balancing being intentional and functional in our target words and practice/drill. During my sessions I am trying my hardest to get as many repetitions of target words as possible. I attempt to always choose activities that are motivating and intriguing to the child in order to keep their motivation and engagement high. I attempt to always send home HEPs (home exercise programs) with families, when appropriate, to allow for more repetition at home during the week. Therapy needs to be FUN but also FUNCTIONAL in order to make progress, meet goals, and improve their overall intelligibility!
Families are always welcome back for therapy sessions. We encourage parents, grandparents, caregivers, etc. to attend sessions in order to see how we are addressing goals and the strategies we use to target goals. If a family feels the child will do best with the caregiver/parent not present for therapy, the family will wait in the waiting and we end the session a few minutes early to allow for ample time to review targeted words, goals addressed, progress made, and HEP if/when appropriate. We like when parents are committed to coming in for weekly/biweekly therapy sessions, completing the HEP during the week, involved in goals and target word selection, etc. for optimal outcomes and most efficient growth and progress.
We have several low tech and high tech devices in our AAC library at the clinic. When a child’s intelligibility is significantly impacting their verbal out and one’s ability to effectively express their wants and needs, it is imperative to give them other modalities in order to continue improving their expressive communication and AAC is a great bridge for doing just that! Many of the children I have seen in therapy use the device and light up when they no longer struggle to express their wants or needs, without others saying “what did you say” or “say it again for me.” I always take time and explain to families that a device is not always for forever but a great resource for the child to have as they continue to improve and expand their syntax (grammar), semantics (vocabulary), pragmatic language (social skills), etc. It gives the child another way to express themselves as they work on their verbal output. For many of the children with apraxia that I have seen and utilized AAC for, it is a great resource at their fingertips when others are struggling to understand them and allows them to converse, make requests, comment appropriately, etc.
