Intervention for childhood apraxia of speech: A single-case study

Abstract

The underlying nature and diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) still requires clarification. However, the label ‘CAS’ or ‘suspected CAS’ continues to be assigned to a group of children with speech problems, and speech and language therapists need to be aware of effective treatment for these children. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the combination of two motor intervention methods, Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) and the Touch-Cue Method (TCM), on a child with CAS. SS, a girl aged 4 years and 7 months (4;7) whose speech characteristics fulfilled the criteria of CAS received a 6-week treatment with MIT, and following a 6-week treatment-free period, a 6-week treatment period with TCM. Speech sound errors decreased and sequencing abilities increased significantly after the MIT period, and the positive progression continued during the TCM period. SS made substantial gains in producing whole words correctly during the TCM block. Improvement was maintained during the 12-week follow-up. Our findings suggest that the combination of MIT and TCM was an effective way to address the child under study.

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