Skip to main page content

• HOME
• Current
• Archive
• Contact us
• Help
• Custom Print FAQ

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Custom Print Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal My Folders Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Edeal, D. M. Articles by Gildersleeve-Neumann, C. E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Edeal, D. M. Articles by Gildersleeve-Neumann, C. E. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The Importance of Production Frequency in Therapy for Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Correspondence to Christina Elke Gildersleeve-Neumann: cegn{at}pdx.edu

Purpose: This study explores the importance of production frequency during speech therapy to determine whether more practice of speech targets leads to increased performance within a treatment session, as well as to motor learning, in the form of generalization to untrained words.

Method: Two children with childhood apraxia of speech were treated with an alternating treatment AB design, with production frequency differing in the 2 treatments. The higher production frequency treatment required 100+ productions in 15 min, while the moderate-frequency treatment required 30–40 productions in the same time period. One child was treated 3 times weekly for 11 weeks; the other child was treated twice weekly for 5 weeks. At the conclusion of each treatment phase, 5 min of probes were administered to determine whether generalization had occurred. Maintenance data to measure performance and learning were collected after a break from treatment.

Results: Both children showed improvement on all targets; however, the targets with the higher production frequency treatment were acquired faster, evidenced by better in-session performance and greater generalization to untrained probes.

Conclusions: Both treatment designs were effective, though frequent and intense practice of speech resulted in more rapid response to treatment in 2 children whose primary communication difficulty was childhood apraxia of speech.

Key Words: childhood apraxia of speech, motor learning, speech sound disorder, therapy, intensity

CiteULike    Connotea    Delicious    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. Maas, C. E. Butalla, and K. A. Farinella Feedback Frequency in Treatment for Childhood Apraxia of Speech Am J Speech Lang Pathol, August 1, 2012; 21(3): 239 - 257. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. L. Wambaugh, C. Nessler, R. Cameron, and S. C. Mauszycki Acquired Apraxia of Speech: The Effects of Repeated Practice and Rate/Rhythm Control Treatments on Sound Production Accuracy Am J Speech Lang Pathol, May 1, 2012; 21(2): S5 - S27. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]