| Abstract: |
This article reports data regarding the efficacy of treatment for four young children with severe childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). A single subject, multiple baseline design across behaviors was used for experimental control and replicated over the four children. Baseline, probe and maintenance data were continuously collected. A treatment approach based on integral stimulation, dynamic temporal and tactile cueing (DTTC), was used. The article includes a rationale for the treatment approach based on several principles of motor learning, a description of how treatment was implemented, and a summary of the data showing responses to treatment. Three of the four children exhibited rapid change following the implementation of treatment. The degree of performance change was greater than that for control probes, and improvement was maintained for all utterances, although performance was variable. This study shows that frequent treatment, incorporating the principles of motor learning, may facilitate the treatment of severe developmental speech disorders that are accompanied by motor impairment. |
