Diagnosing Childhood Apraxia of Speech in Autistic Children

Clinicians often suspect a motor speech disorder, especially childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), in autistic children who are minimally speaking. Differentially diagnosing a speech sound disorder can be challenging for a number of reasons, including limited speech production by the child and difficulty engaging in the evaluation tasks, including a dynamic motor speech exam with multisensory cueing. In this course, a brief overview of diagnosing CAS and an evaluation protocol will be provided. The bulk of the course will be focused on ways to modify the assessments for autistic children to maximize participation and obtain accurate results. Possible outcomes and recommendations for treatment will be briefly discussed.

Following this course, participants will be able to:

1. List two considerations for creating optimal participation that should be explored prior to the evaluation.
2. Name two ways to adapt assessments for autistic children.
3. List two important aspects of analyzing connected speech samples.

This course meets the requirement for Professional Development hours towards your ASHA renewal since it is approved by TSHA! You can count these hours towards ASHA renewal when you submit your Compliance Form.