A little digression

Any other Speech Pathologists out there?!?

I've now spent 2 Saturdays within the past month or so in Apraxia workshops... This post may be one you want to skip, but I'm hoping some of you out there will have some input for me.

Apraxia is a motor programming and planning disorder that is haunting parents, children, speech therapists, and professionals alike. It's a complex disorder. There is no one feature that is adequate for diagnosis.  The symptoms can be neurological, linguistic, and motor AND can change over time. Inconsistency is expected in these kids, making them difficult to treat and difficult to determine a therapy plan. Often times, Apraxia is not a stand-alone disorder and we see it in combination with other disorders...Feeding disorders, Down Syndrome, Sensory Integration Disorders, and Autism. Bottom line, many of these kids don't speak. At all. It's not because they don't know what to say, it's that they don't have the ability to coordinate and sequence sounds. 

The disorder itself is complex, but professionals within the "speech world" also have very different views on treatment. 

I was in a presentation yesterday that focused on Apraxia being an Oral Placement Disorder. The program uses tools to help facilitate the production of sounds. I must admit, it was pretty convincing. As I sat there though, I kept thinking back to Dr. Velleman's presentation and how many times she stated (and I've heard) that to "improve speech, you must practice SPEECH". The strength required for speech is much less than the strength required for other oral motor activities (blowing, chewing, etc). In a nutshell, the basis of Talk Tools is starting with these activities and then moving towards sounds, words, phrases, etc.  

So....SLP's, what's your opinion? Any of you using the Talk Tools method and incorporating the tools, or are you adamantly against it and sticking with a more traditional version of therapy? Thus far, I've been sticking with a more traditional version of therapy, but am starting to have my doubts. Some of my kids are progressing, some are not. Can you convince me to give Talk Tools a try? What are your thoughts?

Thanks so much...hoping we'll be able to help each other out!

xx,

Lauren