Performance in the accuracy task in children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech after an integrated intervention of literacy and motor skills

Abstract

Difficult in literacy skills are often seen in children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). This occurs because oral language has direct relationship with reading and writing learning. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance in the accuracy task of an integrated phonoarticulatory awareness, motor skills and literacy intervention of three children with CAS. Three boys between 5;3 and 5;8 years of age, with CAS, were offered 2 hours per week of therapy sessions based on literacy and motor skills. The children were assessed before and after therapy and at a maintenance assessment 1 month after the treatment ceased. The children improved on the accuracy task considering their deficits level. Improvement was maintained at the maintenance assessment. Therapy based on literacy considering phonoarticulatory awareness and motor skills can help children with CAS, but the severity of the children’s communication problems must be taken into consideration.

Clinical practice of childhood apraxia of speech in Hong Kong: A web-based survey study

“…The existing understanding of CAS is mainly based on English and Dutch speakers, but the literature about CAS in children who speak other languages is growing. For example, the genetic and neural bases of CAS have been investigated in Chinese [29] and Italian [30]; clinical features or speech performance have been explored in Arabic [31], Cantonese [32,33], Mandarin [34], and French [35]; assessment tests or diagnostic checklists have been developed for Arabic [36], Brazilian Portuguese [37], Danish [38], and Swedish speakers with CAS [39]; and the treatment efficacy of different approaches has been examined in speakers of Brazilian Portuguese [40,41], Cantonese [42], German [43], Italian [44], Korean [45], Mandarin [46], Spanish [47], and Turkish [48].…”

Difficulties in learning reading and writing in children with apraxia of speech

“…Деца са апраксијом говора испољавају дефиците фонолошке свести на нивоу слога и фонеме (Marquardt et al, 2002 ;Pagliarin et al, 2022) и то у оба модалитета, и на експресивном и на рецептивном плану. Ово значајно доприноси појави тешкоће у усвајају читања и писања (Pagliarin et al, 2022). Поред наведених дефицита фонолошке свесности, код ове деце се јављају тешкоће и на много једноставнијим фонолошким задацима.…”