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It’s a speech-sound disorder called apraxia of speech (AOS) often caused by a brain injury or stroke. Additionally, the individual has trouble producing the necessary oral movements to make the sound. Thus, AOS can occur even in the absence of muscle weakness. The person has normal muscle tone, strength, and mobility, but they can’t make any speech sounds.

In a typical case of AOS, the individual is visibly struggling to make the sound. Furthermore, he/she appears to be searching for where to position the speech muscles, such as the lips and tongue. Consequently, searching and groping are very prevalent in AOS. AOS can exist independently or in conjunction with oral apraxia.

Diagnostic Methodology

First of all, a speech-language pathologist will review the symptoms, medical history, speech muscles, speech sounds, words, and phrases to assess their condition.

The speech-language pathologist will evaluate the vocabulary, sentence structure, and speech comprehension skills.

CAS is diagnosed using multiple tests and observations. It really depends on the nature of the issues that have been observed. Your child’s age, level of cooperation, and the severity of the speech problem will all determine which tests will be administered during the evaluation.

When a patient has limited communication skills or is unable to engage with the speech-language pathologist, a diagnosis of CAS can be challenging.

Knowing whether or not an individual has CAS is important because it requires a different approach to treatment than other speech disorders. Even if the diagnosis is initially hazy, a speech-language pathologist may be able to advise you on the best course of treatment.

Examples of possible diagnostic procedures are: 

Hearing tests: If someone is having difficulty communicating, your doctor may recommend hearing tests to rule out hearing loss as a possible cause.

Evaluation of oral-motor skills: A speech therapist will check for tongue-tie, cleft palate, and other structural and functional issues with the lips, tongue, jaw, and palate. In most cases, CAS is not linked to low muscle tone, but it can be a symptom of other issues.

The speech-language pathologist will watch how the patient moves their mouth when they blow, smile, or kiss.

Speech assessment: The ability to form sounds, words, and sentences will be evaluated while the patient is engaged in play or other activities.

The patient may be asked to name pictures to identify any sounds, words, or syllables that he or she has trouble pronouncing.

The speech-language pathologist working with the patient may use speech tasks to assess his motor speech skills, such as coordination and fluency. Repetition of syllables like “pa-ta-ka” or the articulation of words like “buttercup” may be requested to gauge your child’s motor speech coordination.

If the patient is capable of forming sentences, a speech-language pathologist will listen to and record his speech to evaluate the melody and rhythm of his speech, including how he places emphasis on individual syllables and words.

A speech therapist may use cues like saying the word or sound more slowly or touching his face to help him produce more accurate responses.

Treatment for AOS often includes speech and language therapy. The following discussion provides some helpful tips that should be considered during AOS treatment.

Tips for Dealing with Speech Apraxia

1. Participatory Session:

Make the session fun and engaging.

For the /b/ sound, for instance, the child could be given the following guidance:

• Join your lips
• Take a deep breath and hold it behind your lips.
• Let your breath out immediately.
• The sound can also be used in a practical manner. Pick words with short CVC and CV sequences to memorize. Examples include “bee,” “bow,” “boo,” etc.

2. Incorporate a multi-sensory strategy: 

When dealing with AOS, it is best to employ a multi-sensory approach. To teach sound, you should use all of your senses, not just hearing and seeing. Let’s say we’re working on teaching the /b/ sound to the kid. Here are some of the things we can accomplish by utilizing multiple senses:

• Put your lips together as a visual cue.
• Pronounce the letter “b” three times. Audio cue: Say “ba” three times in a row.
• The “b” sound can be felt as air is expelled from the mouth, so placing a hand in front of the mouth can serve as a tactile cue. 

3. More frequent sessions of intensive therapy: 

First, consistent speech therapy sessions will be beneficial. Second, it’s best to schedule between three and five therapy sessions per week. A parent-focused program, however, is recommended. One way that these exercises are continued at home is through a program designed specifically for parents.

Moreover, due to a wide range of differences among people who have AOS, individualized treatment plans are likely to yield the best results. It’s best to begin with one-on-one sessions.

4. Exercises to improve intonation and prosody:

People with AOS not only have problems with the sounds they make when talking, but they also have unusual rhythms and intonations in their speech. These people, in other words, stress and pause incorrectly and speak at an abnormal pitch. Stress, intonation, pitch, and rhythm are all aspects of prosody that can be used in therapy sessions. Afterward, kids can finish up by singing songs, rhymes, humming, chanting, etc.

When speaking to an adult, it is important to use the correct prosodic features along with the intended sound. Each individual word, phrase, and sentence is examined.

5. Allowing ample practice to promote skill generalization:

Therapeutically, it’s crucial to allow time for the patient to practice the new skill in real-world contexts. This is a broad generalization. Allowing some time for the process of generalization aids in the application of lessons learned in one context to another. Having more opportunities to put what you’ve learned into practice boosts your likelihood of retaining that knowledge. Do it with the help of the therapist at first, and then try to reduce your need for their assistance over time.

6. Giving session feedback—knowledge of results versus performance:

The importance of feedback in the acquisition of new abilities cannot be overstated. Knowing a client’s preferred method of instruction allows therapists to tailor their feedback accordingly.

In some cases, informing clients of the outcomes could be beneficial. It entails commenting on the correctness or incorrectness of the statement. If the therapist and client are working on the word “ball,” and the client says “all,” the therapist would correct the client by saying, “No, that is wrong.” Could you say ball?

There would be less restrictions placed on one’s knowledge of performance. The counselor would simply paraphrase the patient’s words and offer suggestions for improvement. If the therapist is working with the client on the word “ball,” and the client says “all,” the therapist might respond, “I heard it as all.” Please repeat that, but this time includes the letter “b” at the beginning.

If a brain injury or stroke has resulted in apraxia and a person is not able to say what they want to say even though there is no physical barrier, speech therapy can go a long way in correcting the problem. For the best speech therapy sessions in Baltimore, and Houston you can always contact Total Speech Therapy for help at 410-696-3301 or by sending an email to yasminah@totalspeechtherapy.com. We have specialized speech-language therapists who can help your loved ones regain their speech.

The majority of speech and language disorders are detected early on. This is typically observed during the early stages of language development when the child first begins to experiment with sound production. But stuttering typically starts between the ages of two and three, when children begin stringing words into sentences.

What is stuttering?

Repetition of words or phrases is often the earliest indicator of stuttering. You may also notice repetitive and prolonged sounds, speech blockages, and difficulty speaking. There are a wide variety of hypotheses have been proposed to explain the phenomenon of stuttering in children. However, none of these things are completely known. Today, brain scans can be performed with relative ease, helping us learn more about the neural mechanisms at play during stuttering. These scans prove that stuttering results from a glitch in the brain’s handling of speech signals.

There is strong evidence that genetics play a role in stuttering, as approximately 60% of people who stutter also have a family history of stuttering. However, the exact mechanisms by which stuttering is passed down from generation to generation remain unclear. In a recent study, researchers tracked the development of a large sample of infants and toddlers. Results showed that 11% of children’s stuttering had started by age 4. Most children who stutter in preschool outgrow it by the time they’re teenagers, but it’s difficult to predict which kids will make a full recovery.

As a developmental disability, stuttering can prevent a child from reaching his or her full academic and professional potential, making early intervention crucial.

The earlier a stuttering problem is treated, the better the outcome. This is because it is much more challenging to treat children who are older than 6 years old. If not addressed until adolescence, the problem can persist throughout life. As soon as parents become aware of their child’s stuttering, they should consult a speech therapist for assistance.

The advantages of early intervention for stuttering 

Those who stutter have the best chance of success if they begin treatment as soon as they are diagnosed. The research shows that the chances of a child recovering from stuttering with the help of speech therapy are increased by nearly eight times if treatment begins early.

If your child is stuttering, speech therapy should be started immediately. Your child can overcome his or her stuttering and learn to speak fluently and confidently with the help of stuttering therapy.

The goals of treating stuttering with speech therapy are as follows:

• Reduce the frequency of stuttering
• Reduce the stress associated with public speaking
• Reduce word omissions
• Enhance your communication abilities

Total Speech Therapy has a team of speech pathologists who collaborate with you and your child to meet their needs.

How Do You Know When You Need a Speech Evaluation?

It is common for children to stutter and have less than perfect fluency as they develop their speaking skills. Parents may worry that their child is stuttering because of the frequency with which they repeat words or phrases.

If parents notice their child stutters for more than six months, if the stuttering begins after the age of three, or if stuttering runs in the family, they should take their child to a specialist.

If your child starts to feel uncomfortable when they have to communicate, it’s best to schedule an appointment with us. Some parents may recognize avoidance reactions in their children, such as head nodding, excessive use of filler words such as “um,” abandoning a thought in the middle of a sentence, or changing the words they are saying.

Children who stutter typically experience social anxiety as a result of the condition, which can be extremely embarrassing for them in various settings. It is possible for people who stutter to develop social anxiety, in which they become terrified of speaking in front of other people, which can lead to chronic stuttering. People who stutter can develop severe anxiety if they aren’t given the proper treatment. It’s embarrassing for them to interact with others, whether it’s in a group or one-on-one. This can be a very difficult process, but learning strategies to improve one’s speech can help one overcome their embarrassment.

Our expertise and unique approach to treating speech, language, swallowing, and stuttering make us one of the best speech centers in both Baltimore and Houston. You won’t have to leave your house because we’ll come to you instead. We guarantee the highest quality of care and the most positive outcomes wherever you are, whether that’s at home, in a hospital, a school, or a daycare. At Total Speech Therapy, we also provide high-quality outpatient speech therapy services on an individual basis. Book a private consultation by calling 410-696-3301 or writing to yasminah@totalspeechtherapy.com.

There are different stages or methods for developing vocal abilities in young children, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. When you look at other young children of similar ages, you can see the differences between them. Although this is not the best way to conclude your child’s vocal development because all children develop at their own pace, there are clear milestones you should keep in mind and monitor.

Even if the teacher has warned you about stuttering, letter inversion, or distorted words, don’t panic. Consider meeting with a speech-language therapist who can assist your child with specific difficulties.

My child struggles to communicate:

All of these bad reflexes, such as zoning, stammering, difficulty pronouncing certain letters (the R, for example) or sounds (the ch becomes s or j), and distorted words (the roar of “r” for a car), can be corrected in a few sessions. Often, it is the fact that he is still sucking his thumb or using a pacifier that is in question: the speech therapist will primarily recommend tongue positioning work in the form of games. If there is a language delay (limited vocabulary, difficulty constructing a sentence, etc.), the follow-up will take longer: the sooner you intervene, the better.

Their voice is hoarse:

Dysphonia, or persistent voice disorder, means your child may shout excessively or breathe incorrectly, straining their vocal cords. Speech therapy sessions can improve the child’s vocal quality and help improve their breath control and use of voice.

He has reading difficulties:

In kindergarten, we can see that he does not associate a letter with a sound. In first grade, he stumbles on the syllables, jumps or confuses the letters, mixes up similar words, deciphers with difficulty, and does not understand what he reads? The child may be experiencing dyslexia. There are techniques for treating this reading disorder and assisting the child in developing compensatory strategies. Many of them connect letters and sounds to shapes and images. Books and software can also help with learning. If other problems are present, a comprehensive follow-up with a psychomotor therapist and an occupational therapist is scheduled to avoid school failure.

Here are some indicators to help you see a little more clearly and identify if a visit to the speech therapist would benefit your little one. Consider your child’s age and whether the signs of difficulty listed below describe your child. If this is the case, it is strongly advised that you begin the process of meeting with a speech therapist.

At the age of 1:

• Your child does not or only occasionally babbles
• He does not express his needs through sounds or gestures
• He doesn’t smile or pay attention to his parents when they interact with him
• He does not respond to his name

At the age of 1½:

Your child does not use simple words

At the age of 2:

• Your child does not mimic your words or games
• Your child’s vocabulary is limited to a few simple words
• He does not form a sentence.
• Your child does not ask questions.
• Does not comprehend basic instructions.

At the age of 3:

• Your child creates sentences out of only two words
• Your child is having difficulty naming pictures or making requests
• He does not communicate with any adults other than his parents.
• Your child is unable to tell a familiar story or hold a brief conversation
• He struggles to answer the questions “who,” “what,” and “where.”

At the age of 4:

• Your child only speaks in short sentences of 2-3 words
• He struggles to answer “why” and “when” questions
• Your child has difficulty understanding long instructions without assistance
• He has trouble grasping spatial concepts (for example, on, up, down, in)
• Strangers find it difficult to understand him

At the age of 5:

• Your child has trouble pronouncing sounds
• Your child’s sentences lack determinants or pronouns
• Your child has difficulty matching words in sentences
• When your child speaks, he stutters
• Your child struggles to tell a story
• He has difficulty responding to your questions

When your child exhibits some or all of the above symptoms at the specified age, you should consider booking an appointment with a speech-language therapist near you. If you stay somewhere near Baltimore or Houston, Total Speech Therapy can help you in a great way to improve the speech capabilities of your child through their professional speech therapy.

Bringing speech therapy to the home via teletherapy for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an excellent option to help the children develop their communication skills since most of their communication development occurs at home. Parents and caregivers are the primary facilitators of speech development for children, and their collaboration with a speech therapist produces optimal results because the child spends most of their time with the family and the training continues on an as-needed basis.

Speech-language pathologists can better guide parents with the appropriate activities to develop their children’s communication skills at home from early childhood to young adulthood.

The Role of a Speech Therapist at Home:

Parents are usually very busy, and getting to and from the center can be challenging. Total Speech Therapy, on the other hand, brings the necessary therapy to the patient’s home via teletherapy. Second, the child feels more comfortable at home and accepts treatment more easily. Finally, the parents become involved in the training process and carry on with the activities between therapy sessions. Using speech strategies at home during caregiving, playing, and other regular activities helps generalize what the child is learning in treatment.

Speech therapy does not require you to force your child to sit and learn; however, it requires a lot of time and patience on the part of the parents. When children perform activities such as playing, eating, walking, and bathing, it is an excellent opportunity to work on their communication, learning, and memory. Eventually, parents or caregivers can incorporate the therapy into more challenging tasks as the child progresses.

Speech Therapy Activities for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders:

The more you communicate with the child, the better the outcome. Begin with short communication sessions with the child and gradually increase their length, which can be accomplished by slowly introducing new routines and activities for the child throughout the day.

Each child’s speech therapy needs are unique. So, a speech-language therapist can develop a personalized training strategy and activities based on a family’s priorities and a child’s functional requirements.

Training at home allows parents and caregivers to learn how to best use daily activities as learning opportunities. However, communication strategies differ for children of different ages. Here are some tips to help you understand other methods:

#1. Speech Therapy for Children Aged 0 to 3 Years (Infants and Toddlers) 

The first thing parents can do for their children with autism is to encourage engagement and interaction rather than speech.

Parents should focus as much as possible on engagement, meaningful play, gestures, and interaction for infants and toddlers. Parents should be more animated while performing household tasks such as dressing, bathing, feeding, and playing with their children. Use animal noises and toys to attract their attention.

#2. Speech Therapy for Children Ages 3-5 (Preschoolers) 

Parents and caregivers of preschoolers with autism should start focusing on interactions with their children in places such as the playground, daycare, or preschool.

Use games and role-playing activities to help the child begin meaningful interactions.  Make picture cards for example, and encourage the child to match the pictures to the words.

#3. Speech Therapy for Children Age 6 to 12 (School Age) 

School-age children can continue interacting with their parents and improve nonverbal communication skills, such as understanding body language and facial expressions.

Use cartoons and drawings to help children express their emotions. During regular home activities, parents should act like their children’s friends and help them understand social skills and behaviors.

The speech-language specialists at Total Speech Therapy can significantly assist families and teachers in implementing various classroom strategies that increase students’ access to the curriculum and minimize the gap between their learning styles, abilities, and academic demands.

#4. Speech Therapy for Children Aged 12 and Up (Adolescents and Young Adults)

Transition planning requires extra effort from parents of adolescents and young adults with ASD. Work with a speech therapist to help them prepare for advanced academic, workplace, and community settings.

Training at home with an experienced speech therapist can result in better results for children of any age group. Total Speech Therapy is an excellent choice if you need a speech therapist in Baltimore or Houston to help improve your child’s communication and social skills. The practice has a team of dedicated, and compassionate professional speech and language therapists who provide therapy in schools, daycare centers, and home daycare centers. Contact Total Speech Therapy to assist you with your speech therapy needs!

Living healthy has always been a priority for mankind. This is the reason why the health industry is consistently working to bring wonderful solutions to face all kinds of health challenges. Though the research and innovation process has never been stopped, it still has a long way to go to crack the mysteries of many diseases and develop potential solutions. Disorders like Autism still need mountains of research to improve the health of children and adults around the world living with the diagnosis. The exact reason why a child exhibits ASD is unknown but some of the research suggests that it is a combination of genetic, non-genetic, and environmental factors. It is a kind of neurological developmental disorder prevalent in children of 18 months or younger.

What are the symptoms of ASD?

When a baby grows its response to different things in the environment improves. But in the case of a child with autism spectrum disorder, it doesn’t happen in the way it should. ASD limits the ability of a child to communicate well with the world outside. A variety of symptoms can be seen in an autistic child. Here are some of the easily noticeable symptoms which indicate the parent to seek the help of a professional speech therapist:

• Delayed speech, and communication skills
• Avoid eye contact
• Can’t respond to name even after 9 months
• Getting upset about minor changes
• Unusual response to sound, test, and smell
• Making strange noises
• Unusual mood swing, or reaction
• Strange eating, and sleeping behavior
• Hyperactive
• Restricted movement skills

How is autism spectrum disorder treated?

To be very frank it is a challenge still to be addressed. So, as of now there is no such proven cure available to remedy ASD. However, some therapists such as speech and language therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, occupational therapy, nutritional therapy, and even daily exercises do a lot to dissipate the symptoms of ASD. Routines including the multiple therapy suggestions listed above along with developing a routine, daily exercise, and curating positive habits as children grow into adulthood may help those diagnosed with ASD lead a fairly normal life, depending on the severity. No two cases are alike so some may need individualized care more than others. Parents, getting advice and consultation from medical professionals will always be our advice to you because some unconventional methods, if not done correctly for your child’s needs, may create trauma for your child and hinder their overall potential growth and development.

Very often it is difficult to identify ASD only from the appearance but may have a significant impact on a person’s speech, and activity. This makes speech and language therapy an important treatment option. Please do some research to make sure you get an experienced speech therapist for your child to see effective results. Total Speech Therapy with a team of professional autism therapists in Baltimore providing the best care to people suffering from ASD. The one-on-one therapy sessions in conjunction Awith a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment plans have brought a lot of honors, and awards for them. Total Speech Therapy is an autism therapy center in Maryland that strives to provide children help with their speech and language development in their very own educational (childcare centers, special programs, etc) and home environments (depending on COVID-19 company restrictions). Call 410-696-3301 or email yasminah@totalspeechtherapy.com to talk to a Speech-Language Therapist and book a free consultation.

Total Speech Therapy is proud to announce and reveal to the whole world its new office at Houston, Texas. A Speech and Language Therapy practice has been relentlessly devoted to providing the best possible care and results for people who suffer from speech, language, cognitive or swallowing disorders.

Communication is the process by which people exchange information. Language is the process by which thoughts, feelings, and emotions are generated using a recognizable verbal or written system. It includes both receptive and expressive skills. During the rehabilitation process, the SLP, along with other members of the multidisciplinary team, provide quality care to help the patient reach his or her fullest physical, psychological, social, vocational, and educational potential.

Our expertise & unique approach to address a variety of causes that contribute to difficulties with speech, language, swallowing or cognition, makes us highly effective. Whether you’re at home, in adult living centers, the hospital or at schools/daycare facilities, we ensure the best possible care & results to help you reconnect with the world and with this we are proud to announce the opening of the new office in Houston to make accessibility easier. We offer individualized, comprehensive, high quality outpatient speech therapy services in Baltimore and Houston and nearby areas.

Our goal of speech, language, and cognitive-based therapy is to improve communicative effectiveness, efficiency, and naturalness. We make use of a few verified therapeutic approaches; which can be used to achieve these goals. The first is to restore lost function. This effort aims to reduce impairment and targets deficits directly. Achieving success with this approach depends on the etiology and course of the disease, as well as the type and severity of the disorder. The second approach is to promote compensatory abilities and the use of residual function. Compensation can take many forms; for example, a patient might be instructed in speech-enhancing strategies or the use of augmentative devices or alternative means of communication (gestures, functional communication board, etc). A third approach encompasses strategies to reduce a patient’s need for lost function by modifying the environment and facilitating more effective speaker–listener interactions. Through education and counseling, SLPs also help patients and their families adjust and cope.

If your child or loved one is having difficulty with communication or needs speech therapy please do not hesitate to talk to a speech-language therapist in the nearby areas.

To find a high quality speech-language pathologist, select Total Speech Therapy in Baltimore, or Total Speech Therapy in Houston, where you can better diagnose the condition of your child, yourself or an adult loved one to get better speech therapy solutions. You can either drop an email at yasminah@totalspeechtherapy.com or even call us at 410-696-3301 for personalized suggestions.