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From: Marlene
Date: 11 Oct 2004
Time: 21:26:13 -0500
Remote Name: 209.161.246.120
In children with apraxia who begin to stutter, the demands of direct apraxia therapy are often associated with an increase in stuttering. Many specialists in apraxia discontinue therapy if a child starts to stutter. In my view, the strategies for dealing with stuttering are in direct opposition to the strategies used in apraxia therapy, which requires the child to work above their capacities. Teaching parents (who are often terribly anxious that their child's speech) a different way to communicate with their child is frequently very useful, and often effective in reducing effort and tension and improving articulation too. With some really severely apraxic children, we might even suggest the use of augmentative communication to reduce demands on their system.