CHILDHOOD APRAXIA OF SPEECH: Practical Treatment Strategies for More Intelligible Speech Presented by Margo Kinzer Courter Speech-Language Pathologist, Author and National Presenter

Specifically Designed for Speech-Language Pathologists Serving Children from Birth through Sixth Grade with Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Practical Ideas and Strategies

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a complex speech disorder that requires assessment and therapy techniques specific to this neurological speech disorder. By knowing what to assess and specific procedures for treatment, your students will produce more intelligible speech quicker.

MARGO KINZER COURTER, a highly experienced Speech-Language Pathologist, has specifically designed this seminar for SLPs who work with children from preschool through sixth grade.

Participants will gain a better understanding of the signs and symptoms of CAS in very young children as well as school-age students. Participants will have opportunities to learn multicueing strategies, share ideas with their peers, become familiar with assessment protocols, and practice treatment strategies. Most critically, those who attend can feel confident that they are getting the latest, most up-to-date, research-based information on the disorder as outlined by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

This one day seminar will help you understand CAS as a motor planning disorder. It will provide you with the necessary tools to diagnose and treat this motor speech and can be used in everyday treatment sessions with children with CAS.

Ten Key Benefits of Attending

1. Differentiate Between CAS and Other Speech Disorders
   Recognize the characteristics of CAS … Understand what the differences are between CAS, articulation, a severe phonological disorder, and dysarthria
2. Learn Practical Therapy Techniques for Children with CAS – Whether Providing In-Person or Teletherapy
   Learn effective treatment approaches such as Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC), and Progressive Approximation, as well as other effective treatment techniques including visual, tactile and kinesthetic cues developed by Margo Kinzer Courter
3. Discover the Most Effective Assessment for CAS
   Based on ASHA (2007) position statement, learn what areas should be assessed and what assessment tools are available for differentiating CAS from other speech disorders. Margo will provide you with an assessment document that includes all areas that should be assessed.
4. Improve Your Ability to Determine Appropriate Services for Children with CAS
   Students with CAS may demonstrate a concomitant language disorder … Learn how CAS may impact your students' learning … Learn how you can use your multisensory cues in therapy to support literacy development
5. Expand Your Understanding of the Principles of Motor Learning
   Understand what the principles of motor learning are and why they are important in making treatment decisions for children with CAS to more quickly increase motor planning and thus intelligibility of your students
6. Review Case Studies to Assist in a Differential Diagnosis
   Through discussing case studies with your colleagues, gain a better understanding of how to diagnose CAS
7. Discover Creative Avenues to Increase the Intensity of Your Intervention
   Research suggests that intensive intervention is needed for success when working with students with CAS … Explore avenues to increase this intensity without overburdening your caseload
8. Maximize Your Students' Time During Treatment
   Learn how to target the correct motor sequence for your students for greater success … Therapy ideas to save you valuable time
9. Discover What Resources are Available for CAS
   Explore the resources available for professionals and parents to increase understanding and keep abreast of the most current information regarding CAS
10. Receive an Extensive CAS Resource Handbook to Expand Your Therapy Tool Kit
    Receive a detailed CAS resource handbook that includes resources, references and instructions on how to utilize these powerful assessments and therapy techniques – whether you are providing in-person or online therapy

Outstanding Strategies You Can Use Immediately

• Learn specific techniques and therapy protocols for CAS
• How to recognize the characteristics of CAS
• Specific ways to identify the differences between CAS, phonological and articulation disorders, and dysarthria and how to more effectively help your students improve their speech production
• How to assess for CAS
• How to interpret assessment results and directly apply them to treatment plans
• Learn comorbid diagnoses that may accompany CAS
• Identify language domains that may be impacted by CAS
• Discover evidence-based practices for working with students with CAS
• Learn strategies to move from practice to generalization
• Practical, usable therapy techniques to improve the intelligibility of speech for children with CAS
• Learn multimodality cues designed by Margo Kinzer Courter
• Learn a visual cueing system that leads to literacy development
• Understand the principles of motor learning and why they are important in making treatment decisions for students with CAS
• A multitude of resources, materials and demonstrations you can use immediately with your own students
• Research-based treatment methods from a leading therapist on how to work successfully with students with CAS

A Message From Your Seminar Leader

Dear Colleague:

I have developed this seminar specifically for Speech-Language Pathologists who work with children and have questions about how to assess and treat Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). There is much to learn about this disorder, and there are specific diagnoses and treatment strategies that have been successful. We will spend our day together discussing and demonstrating these highly effective, practical techniques that you can use in your therapy.

During my practice, I have had the honor of treating many preschool children. These children were typically late talkers. I would spend several sessions (or months) treating the language disorder to realize that the child's sound system was not improving with my therapy techniques. At that point, I would suspect that the child might have difficulty with motor planning for speech, thus, Childhood Apraxia of Speech. I would then change my therapy strategy to address the speech disorder in addition to the language disorder. As new children began therapy, I made a change to my therapy techniques and initiated strategies appropriate for CAS. The results were astounding!

Regardless of the age that you are treating, CAS requires specific treatment strategies that are unique to this population. It is so important to know the course that this disorder might follow from a late talker to what appears to be stubborn articulation errors of a fourth or fifth grader. CAS can impact academic success from difficulty with morphology, phonological awareness, perceptual skills, syntax, and grammar. By understanding the characteristics of CAS, knowing what to assess, and how to treat it, your students will make remarkable progress.

Please join me for this day of sharing our experiences and learning about this fascinating disorder. I've packed this seminar with practical therapy techniques designed specifically for treating CAS and am excited to share my experience and evidence-based methods with you. I want you to leave with the understanding of how to diagnose, determine an appropriate level of service and subsequently treat children with this disorder.

Sincerely,
Margo Kinzer Courter, MA, CCC-SLP

P.S. This seminar will focus on practical ways SLPs can assess and treat CAS. It will provide practical strategies that you can use the very next day.

Who Should Attend

Speech-Language Pathologists serving children from birth through sixth grade with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)

Special Benefits of Attending

Extensive Resource Handbook
You will receive an extensive digital resource handbook giving you access to countless strategies. The handbook includes:

• How to diagnose CAS
• Assessments to assist in determining if CAS is present
• Information about comorbid disorders
• Easy-to-implement treatment strategies for preschool through middle school
• Practical strategies that will assist students with academic learning

For in-person seminars, registrants will also receive a printed copy of the resource handbook as long as their registration is received in the BER office at least 15 calendar days before the event.

ASHA - CEUs

ASHA-Required Disclosure Statement for Margo Kinzer Courter:
Financial:
Presenter for the Bureau of Education and Research and receives honorarium compensation.
Author for Plural Publishing and MKC Publications and receives royalty payments.
Nonfinancial:
No relevant nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

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