5th-grade student with good receptive language skills, knows what he wants to say but has trouble “getting the words out”
This student is diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech and has limited verbal output. He knows what he wants to say but when he tries to say it, he struggles, and the words do not always come out. He is smart and performs on grade level. He enjoys reading and playing basketball.
Possible Recommendations:
Start by recognizing this student may still greatly benefit from speech-language therapy to improve his speech output. Balance traditional apraxia therapy techniques with using augmentative communication tools when he gets stuck and is unable to say his message. Features of a communication tool that may be useful include a high-tech device that has alphabet letters and word prediction allowing the student to type messages quickly. The device may also have pictures/symbols/written words to choose from on a dynamic (or changing) screen. Core words are recommended because they work best across all environments and facilitate the creation of novel utterances. Appropriate systems may range in screen size from 5 to 8 or 10 inches making them usually lightweight and portable. As this student develops speech, the high-tech device may be used less and less, with the possibility of not at all as speech becomes the primary mode of communication.
Devices to Try:
Goals and Outcomes:
The student will participate and communicate in the classroom with peers and adults using speech and AAC tools as necessary. Some suggested goals to track outcomes include counting the number of times the student uses complete sentences to initiate communication or respond during class activities.
SETT Framework for feature-matching forms based on the Student, Environment, Tasks, and Tools model.
Case Study Forms – SETT Framework
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