Apraxia-Kids Parent Conference
General Session Notes




All the presentations were well done and interesting to listen too. It was a pleasure to get to hear a number of people I had read about actually talk and out line therapy techniques.

Edyth Strand covered the first segment of the conference and discussed the central nervous system and what constitutes apraxia. While she was talking the question below came to mind and the next day I had an opportunity to ask it of her at lunch time.

Question of Edyth Strand: If children with apraxia exhibit similar symptoms as children with lesions on their brains does it make since to have all children with apraxia receive MRIs or CAT scans.

Answer: Not really. If there were a lesion present, treatment would remain the same. If the child had lots of headaches and was throwing up a lot then you might have one to rule out a tumor. If child had other neurological symptoms then further testing might be advisable, but to say all children with apraxia would benefit from an MRI or CAT scan is to general a rule.

Edyth Strand asked the audience to do the following, say your first and last name without sound (voicing). Notice how it feels, how much coordination is involved. This little test give you a greater understanding of what is involved with speech production. Children with apraxia cannot do the series of movement gestures needed to produce clear speech. Sound isn't the problem, it is the combination of sound and movement gestures.

One of the things I liked most about the general session was the presentations given by Nancy Kaufman and Deborah Hayden. I thought these presentations were useful because of the included therapy videos. It allowed for a greater insight into the methods used with the Kaufman Cards and Prompt therapy. It is difficult to get a good understanding of these two types of therapy from just visiting the web sites associated with the products. Having the force behind the product give a presentation and show actual therapy sessions via video was very useful in helping to form an opinion of the product.

Need to coordinate therapy with therapist to provide consistency in practice

MultiSensory cues are most successful (touching, visual, sound)

Evidenced Based Practice
  • Clinical Research Evidence
  • Clinical Expertise
  • Parental perspective
  • Summed up to make - Clinical Decision Making Process


    • Nancy Kaufman - Kaufman cards work to give child a functional vocabulary which can be worked on for more word perfection. Give the child ookie for cookie or just ooe, but the child now has the word cookie. Over time it will become cookie.

    Deborah Hayden - Prompt Method

    David Hammer - Cues make the child do the work to find and make the sound. If the child does the work it will be more lasting. Suggested using items to make the sounds make sense, sticky could be represented by a magnetic train. Sticking the last car on is like putting the sticky on the back of your word. Stickys are final sounds.