Apraxia of Speech - ENT Wellbeing Sydney

Apraxia

Apraxia of speech, also known as verbal apraxia or dyspraxia, is a speech disorder in which a person has trouble saying what he or she wants to say correctly and consistently. It is not due to weakness or paralysis of the speech muscles (the muscles of the face, tongue, and lips). The severity of apraxia of speech can range from mild to severe.

What is the NDIS and how can it help adults with speech difficulties

March 5, 2018 By Ashleigh Fattah

What is the NDIS? The NDIS is a national scheme, which is being implemented across Australia to provide targeted support and better coordination and access to services for people with a disability. The scheme is a single national system catering people with any kind of disability anywhere in Australia with the aim of providing equal access to existing health care services across the country. For children on the current Better Start and HCWA … [Read more...]

The impact of language delay at school

December 4, 2017 By Ashleigh Fattah

One of the most popular misconceptions about children with speech and language delay is that taking a ‘wait and see’ approach cannot hurt. While this approach may not lead to anything life threatening, it can have serious repercussions for a child’s entire future following poor performance at school leading to decreased opportunities in further education, career and employment. Here are a few examples of a child’s delayed language skills … [Read more...]

How to Make Speech Therapy Effective

October 11, 2017 By Ashleigh Fattah

From time to time, I come across parents of children that have shopped around to different speech pathologists after finding that their child does not seem to be making progress with their communication or feeding concerns. There are many reasons why this may be the case and even times where progress has been made however not perceived. There are a few things to keep in mind when gauging progress in speech therapy and finding the right treatment … [Read more...]

Autism and Apraxia

November 18, 2016 By @entwellbeing

Recent studies have highlighted the need for children with autism to be screened for apraxia, which is a neurological speech disorder that often goes hand in hand with Autism. A three year long study conducted at Penn State College of Medicine showed that 64% of children initially diagnosed with autism were also found to have apraxia. Research also further validated the use of the Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder (CASD) as an accurate tool … [Read more...]

Do children grow out of Speech or Language Delay

September 22, 2016 By Ashleigh Fattah

There are a few common misconceptions regarding speech and language delays in children. Many parents get given advice that is not correct by other parents or even other health professionals that do not specialise in communication development, and in turn may make the wrong decisions when it comes to the management of communication delays. One of the most common and detrimental pieces of advice given to parents has to be the notion that children … [Read more...]

Types of Augmentative and Alternative Communication

March 14, 2016 By Ashleigh Fattah

What is Augmentative and Alternative Communication? Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is any type of communication strategy used by individuals with a range of conditions causing them to have significant difficulties with verbal speech. Some individuals even require a range of AAC methods to communicate and others may use AAC in conjunction with verbal speech to achieve efficient communication. One AAC system may not meet all of … [Read more...]

Articulation Games at the Park

April 8, 2015 By Ashleigh Fattah

The Park is a great place to keep the kids healthy with plenty of room for fun and games. But did you know it is also a great place to get your speech homework done! Here are a few ideas to start you off on speech games at the park. Sound Scavenger huntThis game is great for working on sounds at conversation level. The game requires a whole lot of items that start or end with the target sound. For example if the target sound is ‘k’ at the … [Read more...]

Sara S. Plager, CCC-SLP, in collaboration with Jennifer Miller, MD, determine an association of developmental apraxia of speech (DAS) in children with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS)

February 23, 2015 By @entwellbeing

Children born with Prader-Willi Syndrome tend to be more susceptible to developmental disorders that require diagnosis and management by a speech pathologist. This can range from delayed speech or language skills through to difficulties with swallowing and feeding. "Speech Language Pathology Chief of Service, Sara S. Plager, has collaborated with Jennifer Miller, MD (College of Medicine) pediatric endocrinologist who specializes in children … [Read more...]

How Apraxia of Speech Is Treated

January 22, 2015 By @entwellbeing

Apraxia is a motor function disorder that causes problems with different parts of the body, depending on how it manifests. Apraxia is often associated with a head injury, as in the case of a car wreck or other trauma. While apraxia may affect the legs or arms in some cases, it often manifests in what is called apraxia of speech or verbal apraxia. People who have apraxia of speech have trouble making the right speech sounds or uttering the … [Read more...]

What is Adult Speech Pathology

January 12, 2015 By Ashleigh Fattah

Adult Speech Pathology A speech pathologist may work with an adult for a number of reasons across different ages. The different diagnoses can be divided into a few different categories. These include: Speech Speech refers to the sounds that are produced by the lips, tongue and palate which make up the words that we say. Adults that see a speech pathologist due to difficulties with Speech sounds may include people with a lisp, people wishing … [Read more...]