Childhood Apraxia of Speech: "Current Guidelines in Diagnosis and Treatment"

Westbury, NY, January 10, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Saturday, January 29, 2011 at 8:30am
Campo Salisbury Center
718 The Plain Road, Westbury NY

Donna Lederman will present a one-day seminar on Childhood Apraxia of Speech at the Salisbury Center in Westbury NY. The presentation is sponsored by the Long Island Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Information Connection. CAS is a motor speech disorder that is particularly challenging to diagnose and to treat, especially in young children. This seminar presents information that is clinically relevant, and it highlights successful assessment and treatment techniques through numerous video-examples. Donna Lederman is an ASHA Certified SLP and founder of a Long Island private practice specializing in the assessment and treatment of children with motor speech disorders and related disabilities.

There has been long-standing and considerable controversy in the field of speech-language pathology regarding the definition of CAS and identification of its diagnostic markers. The American Speech Language and Hearing Association published a Technical Report in 2007 a childhood speech disorder that recognized CAS as a diagnostic entity and defined its core characteristics. CAS was defined as a “neurological pediatric speech sound disorder in which the precision and consistency of movements underlying speech are impaired in the absence of neuromuscular deficits……….” The clinical presentation of this disorder varies considerably from child to child, but generally includes inconsistent productions of words, sequencing difficulty and disordered prosody.

The content of the January 2011 presentation is drawn from the presenter’s more than 35 years of experience in working with children with speech and language disabilities as well as extensive coursework in pediatric motor speech disorders. The challenge is to keep assessment information in mind while creating motivating activities in which each young child with CAS can practice the motor patterns that underlie successful speech production. Using multisensory information to help the child improve planning, sequencing and coordination of muscle movements for speech production is another critical element to consider. While research to date has not provided sufficient information to support a specific assessment or treatment protocol, principles of effective treatment have been identified and can be used to guide treatment decisions.

Ms. Lederman is a Certified PROMPT Clinician and former PROMPT Instructor and has presented numerous seminars nationally and internationally. She has recently presented a workshop for parents (“First Words Forward”) and a seminar for speech-language pathologists on the topic of CAS in Chicago, sponsored by CASANA, the Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America. CASANA is a non-profit organization that provides extensive information to support parents and professionals working with children with CAS. CASANA (www.apraxia-kids.org) is devoted to education and much-needed research into information to support assessment and treatment planning for children with this challenging disorder.

For additional information on the topic of CAS as well as the upcoming seminar, please visit www.donnalederman.com or contact Carol Arthur, office manager at 516-746-2090 or 631-486-6916. The seminar brochure may be downloaded at the LISHA website, www.lisha.org.

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