Functional speech production

Top of the License

 

 

Sample from another group on CAS from last year.

Intervention

Intervention Method

When looking at intervention for apraxia of speech, Darley (1975) states that the goal is to help

the patient relearn the motor sequences they need in order to produce phonemes accurately.

There are six principles that are essential in managing apraxia of speech. However, not all

patients are candidates for treatment when it comes to apraxia of speech. This may be the case

when the patient’s impairments are so severe that functional speech production is merely

impossible. In these specific cases, the patient will not benefit from treatment.

Patients and families need to understand the characteristics of apraxia of speech and the rationale

for treatment tasks. Meaning, the family of the patient needs to understand the nature of this

disorder, receive counseling, and understand what the treatment process entails. Most treatment

programs begin with repetitive and intensive drill work. In order for patients to appropriately

re-learn all the motor movements necessary to produce phonemes, they need constant repetition.

Treatment should be sequenced in a way where the patient maintains a high success rate. The

patients need to start off with easy activities in order for them to feel motivated, then slowly

progress to more difficult activities. It is vital that the patient should learn how to monitor their

own speech. With appropriate treatment and feedback from the clinician, the patient should be

able to monitor and correct their errors in order to learn what is and isn’t appropriate. Teaching

the patient to become aware of their sound errors will help them learn to self-correct. Lastly,

treatment should focus on functional communication. Clinicians should ensure patients are able

 

 

to communicate their wants and needs appropriately. Therefore, helping them produce

meaningful words as promptly as possible is important (Freed, 2020).