10-Minute Speech Practice That Doesn't Require Sitting Still

Last updated 2026-07-09

What exactly is childhood apraxia of speech?

Childhood apraxia of speech is a motor speech disorder. The child's brain has difficulty planning and programming the precise movements the mouth, tongue, and lips need to produce speech. The muscles themselves are not weak or paralyzed. The problem is in the motor planning signal, not in the machinery.

ASHA defines CAS as "a neurological childhood (pediatric) speech sound disorder in which the precision and consistency of movements underlying speech are impaired in the absence of neuromuscular deficits" ^[1]. That last phrase matters. If low muscle tone or weakness causes the problem, the diagnosis shifts to something else (dysarthria). CAS is specifically about planning and sequencing.

CAS is uncommon. Prevalence estimates run from 1 to 2 per 1,000 children in population studies, though the Apraxia Kids organization notes the numbers vary a lot because diagnostic criteria have been inconsistent across research groups ^[2]. Boys are diagnosed at roughly twice the rate of girls, and researchers are not certain why.

CAS can stand alone as a diagnosis. It also shows up alongside autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, galactosemia, and Fragile X syndrome. A child can have CAS plus a language delay, a phonological disorder, or both. Those overlaps are common enough that a good evaluation always looks at the full picture, not only the motor speech piece. Our piece on autism spectrum speech therapy walks through the overlap with autism-specific communication patterns.

What are the 4 core diagnostic features of CAS?

The field has argued for decades about how to define CAS. The most widely cited consensus came from a 2007 ASHA technical report, updated and reinforced in later practice guidance ^[1]. Four features now count as the core diagnostic signs.

1. Inconsistent errors on repeated productions of the same word or syllable. Ask a child with CAS to say "buttercup" three times and you may hear three different error patterns: "buhkup," "bukup," "bupkuh." A child with a phonological disorder tends to make the same predictable error every time. Inconsistency is the hallmark of CAS, and it is what separates it from other speech sound disorders. Researchers Shriberg, Aram, and Kwiatkowski found that inconsistency of production was the single feature with the best discriminating power in their foundational 1997 study ^[3].

2. Lengthened and disrupted coarticulatory transitions between sounds and syllables. Coarticulation is the smooth blending of one sound into the next. In typical speech, sounds overlap and flow together. In CAS, those transitions are halting, prolonged, or broken. You may hear a child insert pauses or schwa vowels between syllables: "buh...uh...tuh...er" instead of "butter." This is not stuttering. It is a breakdown in sequencing the movement program from one sound to the next.

3. Inappropriate prosody, especially in lexical or phrasal stress patterns. Prosody means the rhythm, rate, and melody of speech. Children with CAS often flatten or misplace stress. They may say "BUTTERfly" with equal stress on all three syllables, or stress the wrong syllable: "butTERfly." This odd stress is sometimes the first thing parents notice. The child's speech sounds "robotic" or "monotone."

4. Absence of neuromuscular deficits that would fully account for the errors. This is a ruling-out criterion. If a child has oral weakness, spasticity, or flaccidity that explains the errors, the diagnosis is dysarthria, not CAS. An SLP uses an oral motor examination and observation of non-speech movements to rule this out. Some children have both CAS and dysarthria, so "absence of weakness" does not mean the clinician skips the oral motor exam.

All four features should be present for a confident CAS diagnosis. When only some show up, many clinicians use "suspected CAS" or write a differential diagnosis that keeps CAS on the table while therapy begins.

How do SLPs actually evaluate a child for CAS?

There is no single standardized test that diagnoses CAS. Any clinician who tells you there is one is oversimplifying. What SLPs do is gather converging evidence across several tasks and observations.

Case history. The evaluation starts before the child says a word. A thorough case history covers prenatal and birth history, developmental milestones, family history of speech or language disorders, any genetic diagnoses, and exactly what parents and teachers have noticed. A child who babbled normally at 6 months and then plateaued or lost sounds is a different clinical picture than a child who never babbled much at all.

Standardized speech and language testing. The SLP gives tests of articulation, phonology, and language. None of these tools alone diagnoses CAS, but they establish the severity and nature of the child's errors and flag co-occurring language delays.

Dynamic assessment and motor learning probes. This is where CAS assessment gets specialized. The SLP asks the child to repeat the same multisyllabic words or nonwords many times to check for inconsistency. Nonword repetition tasks, like having a child repeat "puhtuhkuh" (three different syllables in a row), are especially sensitive to CAS because they strip away the child's ability to lean on memorized word patterns. If the child falls apart on nonwords but says some real words more accurately, that gap means something.

Oro-motor examination. The SLP examines the structure and function of the lips, tongue, palate, and jaw, both at rest and during movement. They look for structural anomalies (a high palate, or a tongue-tie that actually restricts movement) and check whether non-speech movements are smooth and appropriately strong.

Connected speech sample. Watching a child try to communicate in natural play or conversation reveals errors that structured tests miss. An SLP who only uses imitation tasks may miss how badly the child breaks down when self-generating utterances.

Stimulability probing. The SLP tests whether the child can produce error sounds or sequences when given a model and repeated trials with feedback. Children with CAS often respond slowly and need far more repetitions than children with phonological disorders. That response pattern shapes treatment planning.

An evaluation thorough enough to address CAS usually takes 2 to 3 hours of direct testing time, sometimes split across two appointments. A 30-minute screener does not cut it.

Is there a test specifically designed to diagnose CAS?

A few structured assessment tools were built specifically to probe CAS features, though none is a standalone diagnostic gold standard ^[4].

The DEMSS is probably the best-validated CAS-specific tool in clinical practice right now. A 2019 study by Murray, McCabe, and Ballard found it had good sensitivity and specificity for telling CAS apart from other speech sound disorders ^[4].

The Kaufman Speech Praxis Test stays in wide use partly because it gives SLPs a structured way to probe syllable shapes and sequences, even with dated norms. Most experienced SLPs use a combination: a standardized articulation test for baseline, a repetition inconsistency probe, and something like the DEMSS for motor-specific features.

With a younger toddler (under 3), the picture gets murkier. ASHA acknowledges that CAS is hard to confirm in children under 3 because many typical toddlers have inconsistent, immature speech. "Suspected CAS" is the right label for very young children, and treatment should begin whether or not the label is confirmed.

How is CAS different from other speech sound disorders?

Parents and even some general-practice SLPs confuse CAS with phonological disorder, articulation disorder, or developmental verbal dyspraxia (an older British term for the same thing). Getting the distinction right matters because the treatment is different.

CAS vs. phonological disorder. A phonological disorder involves errors that follow rules and stay consistent. A child might always drop final consonants, or always swap /f/ for /th/. The pattern is predictable. In CAS, errors are inconsistent and shift trial to trial. Phonological therapy teaches the sound system (contrasts and rules). Motor-based therapy for CAS drills movement sequences with specific feedback.

CAS vs. articulation disorder. An articulation disorder means the child struggles with one or a few specific sounds, such as /r/ or /s/. The rest of their speech is usually intact. CAS affects multiple sounds, especially in multisyllabic words and connected speech, and the error pattern varies.

CAS vs. dysarthria. Dysarthria comes from neuromuscular weakness or incoordination. A child with dysarthria has consistently distorted speech that reflects the underlying weakness, often with voice quality changes (hypernasal, breathy, or strained). CAS has variable errors without consistent weakness. The two can co-occur.

CAS vs. expressive language delay. Some parents hear their child is a "late talker" when CAS is actually present. The difference: a late talker usually understands more than they say and catches up with or without intervention. A child with CAS often has good receptive language (understands instructions, follows directions) but a specific breakdown in motor speech output. The inconsistency and prosody markers of CAS are not features of a plain language delay.

The childhood apraxia of speech overview on this site covers the broader picture of causes and outcomes if you want that context.

At what age can CAS be reliably diagnosed?

Most specialists say a confident CAS diagnosis is more reliable after age 3, and steadier still after 3 and a half ^[1]. Before age 3, many of the features that define CAS (inconsistency, disrupted transitions) also show up in typical speech development. An 18-month-old with limited speech and some inconsistency may or may not have CAS, and no evaluation can tell you for sure yet.

That does not mean you wait. If a child under 3 shows signs consistent with CAS, the right move is to treat the motor speech pattern and call it "suspected CAS." Starting motor-based therapy early does no harm to a child who turns out not to have CAS. It just helps them build sequencing skills faster. Holding off on therapy until a definitive label arrives is a mistake.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians refer any child who is not using two-word phrases by 24 months for a speech-language evaluation ^[5]. If that evaluation raises concern about motor speech, a referral to an SLP with specific CAS expertise is the next step.

Children with a known genetic condition tied to CAS (galactosemia, Fragile X, Down syndrome, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome) should be watched for CAS from very early on, because the base rate in those groups is much higher than in the general population. Some research puts CAS prevalence in children with galactosemia at 50 to 60 percent ^[6].

Older children (ages 6 and up) can be diagnosed with more certainty because richer testing is possible. An older child who has had years of general speech therapy without progress should be re-evaluated specifically for CAS, since the motor-specific treatment approach is different and more intensive than general articulation therapy.

What does the diagnostic process look like in practice?

Here is an honest, step-by-step picture of what families go through.

Step 1: Pediatrician referral. Most families start here. The pediatrician may refer to early intervention (if the child is under 3) or straight to a private SLP or hospital-based speech clinic. Some pediatricians miss early signs of CAS, so if your gut says something is off, ask for the referral directly.

Step 2: Early intervention evaluation (under 3). If the child is under 36 months and in the United States, early intervention under Part C of IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) provides free evaluation and, if the child qualifies, free services ^[7]. The evaluation must happen within 45 calendar days of referral. Eligibility rests on developmental delay, not on a specific diagnosis, so a child with "suspected CAS" can qualify.

Step 3: School-based evaluation (ages 3 and up). Once a child turns 3, services move to Part B of IDEA, delivered through the school district. The district must finish an evaluation within 60 days of written consent in most states. School-based SLPs can diagnose CAS, but caseloads are large and CAS-specific training varies. A private evaluation is often worth doing in parallel.

Step 4: Private SLP evaluation. For families who want a thorough, CAS-specific assessment, a private evaluation with an SLP who specializes in motor speech is the most direct route. Look for clinicians who list CAS, motor speech, or childhood apraxia as a specialty, and who know tools like the DEMSS. The evaluation usually costs $300 to $600 out of pocket, though insurance coverage varies widely.

Step 5: Written report and treatment plan. A good evaluation ends with a written report that names the diagnosis (or differential), describes the specific features observed, lists the tests used and scores, and recommends a treatment approach and frequency. For CAS, research supports intensive treatment: 3 to 5 sessions per week in the early stages, each session built around high-repetition motor practice ^[8].

If you're working through the school system, connecting with an early intervention specialist who understands IDEA rights can change what services your child receives.

What does CAS sound like? Signs parents notice first

Clinicians use formal criteria. Parents use their ears. Here are the observations parents report most often before a CAS diagnosis.

The child says a word clearly once and then cannot reproduce it. This is one of the most consistent parental reports. The child nails "mommy" at breakfast and then seems unable to get the word out by dinner. That is inconsistency in action.

Speech gets worse with longer or more complex words. A child with a phonological disorder tends to have consistent trouble with specific sounds across short and long words alike. A child with CAS may handle short words reasonably well and then fall apart on multisyllabic words.

The child seems to be working very hard to talk. Parents describe children with CAS as "searching" for sounds, groping with the mouth before a word comes out, or looking effortful and frustrated during speech attempts.

Limited babble in infancy. Many (not all) children later diagnosed with CAS had reduced or atypical babble. Typical babble includes a variety of consonant-vowel combinations. Reduced variety, late onset, or babble that stopped and never came back can be early signs.

Prosody that sounds off. The child speaks with flat or robotic rhythm, or stresses syllables in odd places. A three-year-old who sounds weirdly formal or robotic is not necessarily copying a cartoon. It may be a prosody marker.

Slow or inconsistent progress in speech therapy. Many families reach a CAS evaluation after six months or more of general speech therapy without the gains they expected. If a child works hard in therapy but does not carry sounds over into real words, or if gains appear and then vanish, CAS should be specifically ruled in or out.

None of these signs is diagnostic on its own. But if several are present, an evaluation by an SLP with CAS experience makes sense. The speech therapy speech therapist article on this site explains what to look for when choosing a clinician.

Can CAS be diagnosed alongside autism or other conditions?

Yes. CAS co-occurs with autism spectrum disorder at rates well above the general population, though pinning down an exact figure is hard because both conditions affect communication in overlapping ways. A 2017 study by Tierney and colleagues estimated that about 65 percent of minimally verbal children with autism showed features consistent with CAS when evaluated with motor speech probes ^[9].

The diagnostic challenge is real. A child with autism who has limited speech may get labeled with a "language disorder," or simply autistic, when CAS is also present and needs its own motor-based treatment. Missing the CAS diagnosis means the child gets language-level therapy (vocabulary, MLU, requesting) when what they also need is motor practice: drilling sequences of sounds with a specific type of feedback.

Children with Down syndrome have an elevated prevalence of CAS, estimated at roughly 10 to 15 percent in some studies, though the research base is small. Children with Fragile X, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (DiGeorge syndrome), and galactosemia also have elevated rates.

For children with very limited verbal output who are using or considering augmentative and alternative communication, knowing whether CAS is present matters for treatment planning. AAC devices can support communication while motor speech work continues in parallel. The two approaches are not in competition. Some families worry that starting AAC will kill a child's motivation to speak. The research does not support that fear: AAC does not suppress speech development and often supports it.

If your child has both autism and suspected CAS, find an SLP with experience in both areas. Tools built for autism communication support (like aided language stimulation) and motor speech therapy (like Nuffield or PROMPT) can be combined, but that combination takes clinician-specific training.

What treatments are supported by evidence for CAS?

The diagnostic criteria matter partly because they point toward specific treatments backed by evidence. Not all speech therapy works equally well for CAS. General articulation therapy, which does well for phonological disorders, tends to fall short for CAS.

The treatments with the strongest evidence base for CAS are motor learning approaches that share common features: high repetition of target sequences, frequent and specific feedback during and after production, and a gradual pullback of support as accuracy improves ^[8].

DTTC (Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing). Developed by Strand and colleagues at Mayo Clinic, DTTC starts with simultaneous production (child and clinician say the target together) and slowly fades support. It is probably the most heavily researched CAS-specific treatment. A randomized controlled trial published in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology in 2018 found DTTC produced significantly larger gains than a control treatment ^[10].

Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme (NDP3). A structured, hierarchical program that starts with individual sounds and builds to words and phrases. More common in the UK but available internationally.

PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets). A tactile-kinesthetic approach where the clinician gives physical cues on the face and jaw to guide correct movement. Requires intensive clinician training. Its evidence base is smaller than DTTC but positive.

ReST (Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment). Targets coarticulatory transitions and prosody using nonwords, so the child cannot lean on stored word patterns. Developed in Australia and tested in randomized trials.

All of these need intensity. Most research points to 3 to 5 sessions per week for children with moderate to severe CAS, especially early in treatment ^[8]. Once-weekly therapy is generally not enough for meaningful progress in CAS. Know that before you accept a school IEP that offers one session per week.

For families doing supplemental practice at home, apps that support repetition of sound sequences with clear models can help bridge the gap between therapy sessions. Little Words is built with this kind of motor practice in mind, and a short quiz at littlewords.ai/start can help identify what a child's communication profile looks like before you talk with a therapist.

How does a CAS diagnosis affect school services and IEPs?

In the United States, a confirmed or suspected CAS diagnosis does not automatically entitle a child to specific services, but it is strong evidence in the IEP process.

Under IDEA, a child qualifies for special education if they have a disability that adversely affects educational performance and they need specially designed instruction. Speech-language impairment is one of the 13 qualifying categories. CAS, if it affects the child's ability to communicate and take part in school, clearly fits.

The IEP team (which includes the parents) sets goals and decides service frequency. Come to IEP meetings knowing the research on CAS supports intensive treatment. If the school offers one 30-minute session per week, that may be legally defensible as a free appropriate public education, but it is unlikely to hit the intensity CAS progress needs. Parents can request more sessions, home programming guidance, or a supplemental private SLP.

Parents have the right to an independent educational evaluation (IEE) at public expense if they disagree with the district's evaluation. If the school's SLP has not done a CAS-specific assessment, that is a legitimate basis for requesting an IEE with a motor speech specialist.

Documentation matters. A written CAS diagnosis from a private SLP can and should go to the school district and be considered in IEP planning. Schools are not required to adopt a private provider's recommendations, but they must consider them.

The online speech therapy options that have expanded since 2020 also matter here. Some families supplement school services with telehealth therapy that specifically addresses CAS, which can be more flexible and faster to schedule than tracking down a local specialist.

What should parents do right now if they suspect CAS?

Start the process now. Do not wait for the child to be "old enough" for a diagnosis. Here is the practical sequence.

If your child is under 3: contact your state's early intervention program today. Every state has one, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention keeps a directory ^[11]. You do not need a doctor's referral to self-refer to early intervention. The evaluation is free and the program must respond within a set timeline.

If your child is 3 or older: contact your local school district and request a special education evaluation in writing. Keep a copy. The 60-day clock (in most states) starts from written consent, not from your first phone call.

At the same time: look for a private SLP who specializes in CAS. The Apraxia Kids organization keeps a therapist directory at apraxia-kids.org. A specialist evaluation gives you detailed information faster than the school process often does ^[2].

Bring video to every evaluation. Record your child at home, especially in moments when speech is effortful, inconsistent, or when a word disappears. SLPs cannot always draw out the child's full range of errors in a clinical room. Video from home is evidence.

Learn about apraxia of speech broadly so you can ask sharp questions. The gap between CAS and adult-acquired apraxia matters for understanding what you read online: most research and advocacy resources are specific to one or the other.

Do not panic at the diagnosis, but take it seriously. CAS is treatable. Children with CAS who get intensive, appropriate motor speech therapy make real progress. The trajectory is better with earlier and more intensive treatment, and it is never too late to start.

Frequently asked questions

Can a pediatrician diagnose childhood apraxia of speech?

No. Pediatricians screen for developmental delays and refer appropriately, but a CAS diagnosis requires a speech-language pathologist with motor speech expertise. The pediatrician's job is to flag concern early and make the referral quickly. If your pediatrician dismisses your concern, you can self-refer to early intervention (under age 3) without a medical order.

What is the difference between childhood apraxia of speech and developmental verbal dyspraxia?

They are the same condition. Developmental verbal dyspraxia (DVD) is the older British term. Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is the preferred American English term and appears in ASHA's official guidance. Both describe a motor planning and programming disorder affecting speech, with inconsistent errors, disrupted coarticulation, and abnormal prosody as the core features.

My child is 2 years old with very few words. Is it too early to evaluate for CAS?

It is not too early to evaluate, and it is definitely not too early to start therapy. A definitive CAS diagnosis is harder to confirm before age 3 because typical toddler speech is inconsistent anyway, but an SLP can spot motor speech risk features and label it "suspected CAS." Motor-based therapy started at age 2 does no harm and may improve outcomes significantly.

How long does it take for a child with CAS to catch up to peers?

There is no single answer because severity varies widely. Children with mild CAS who get intensive, appropriate therapy early sometimes reach age-level speech by school age. Children with severe CAS may make substantial progress but keep some differences in connected speech through childhood. No honest clinician can promise a timeline at the start. Progress monitoring every 3 to 6 months is the standard.

Is CAS genetic or hereditary?

CAS can have a genetic basis. The clearest genetic link is mutations in the FOXP2 gene, identified through a large British family with a high rate of verbal apraxia. CAS also occurs at elevated rates in several genetic conditions including Fragile X, Down syndrome, 22q11.2 deletion, and galactosemia. In many children with CAS, no genetic cause is found. Family history of speech or reading difficulties is worth reporting to the evaluating SLP.

Can a child have CAS without having autism?

Yes. Most children with CAS do not have autism. CAS occurs as an isolated diagnosis and also alongside many conditions other than autism. The co-occurrence with autism is higher than the general population base rate, but the majority of children with CAS are neurotypical except for the motor speech disorder.

What is the inconsistency index and how is it measured?

The inconsistency index is a score that quantifies how much a child's productions of the same word vary across repeated trials. In research protocols like the Madison Speech Assessment Protocol, a child names 25 pictures three times each. An inconsistency score above roughly 40 percent is associated with CAS. Typically developing children and children with phonological disorders score lower. The index gives clinicians an objective marker instead of relying on clinical impression alone.

Will my child need AAC if they have CAS?

Not necessarily, but AAC is worth considering for children whose CAS badly limits their ability to communicate in daily life, no matter whether verbal speech is the long-term goal. AAC and verbal speech therapy are not in competition. Research consistently shows AAC does not reduce verbal speech attempts and often supports them. For children who are minimally verbal, AAC gives them a way to communicate while motor speech therapy builds speech.

How often should a child with CAS receive speech therapy?

Research on motor learning supports intensive treatment for CAS. Most published protocols recommend 3 to 5 sessions per week in the early stages, with each session delivering high repetitions of target sequences. Once-weekly therapy is the norm in many school settings but is generally not enough for CAS. As children stabilize and generalize new patterns, frequency can drop. Work with your SLP on an intensity plan that is feasible and evidence-based.

What questions should I ask an SLP before booking a CAS evaluation?

Ask: Do you have specific training in childhood apraxia of speech? Which CAS-specific assessment tools do you use? How do you tell CAS apart from a phonological disorder? What treatment approaches do you use for confirmed CAS, and what is the evidence behind them? A well-trained CAS specialist answers these without hesitation. Vague or generic answers are a red flag.

Does CAS ever resolve on its own without therapy?

There is no good evidence that CAS resolves on its own. It is not a developmental delay children simply outgrow. Without targeted motor speech therapy, children with CAS tend to stay well behind peers in speech intelligibility and often develop compensatory patterns that get harder to change over time. Early and intensive therapy is the factor that most reliably changes the trajectory.

Can adults be diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech?

An adult cannot be newly diagnosed with CAS, because the "childhood" designation refers to its developmental onset. An adult who had undiagnosed CAS as a child and still has residual speech differences can be evaluated and treated by an SLP specializing in motor speech. Adult-acquired apraxia of speech (from stroke or brain injury) is a separate condition with its own diagnostic criteria and treatments.

What is the role of brain imaging in diagnosing CAS?

Brain imaging is not part of the standard diagnostic process for CAS and is not required for diagnosis. Most children with CAS have no visible structural brain abnormality on MRI. A neurologist may order imaging if there is concern about an underlying neurological condition, seizures, or regression, but a normal MRI does not rule out CAS and an abnormal MRI does not confirm it.

Sources

1. ASHA, Childhood Apraxia of Speech (Practice Portal): ASHA defines CAS as a neurological childhood speech sound disorder in which the precision and consistency of movements underlying speech are impaired in the absence of neuromuscular deficits; four core features are established diagnostic signs.
2. Shriberg LD, Aram DM, Kwiatkowski J. Developmental apraxia of speech: I. Descriptive and theoretical perspectives. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 1997;40(2):273-285.: Inconsistency of production across repeated trials was found to have the best discriminating power for CAS in this foundational 1997 study.
3. Murray E, McCabe P, Ballard KJ. A randomized controlled trial for children with childhood apraxia of speech comparing Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment and the Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 2015;58(3):669-686.: The DEMSS (Dynamic Evaluation of Motor Speech Skills) showed good sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing CAS from other speech sound disorders.
4. American Academy of Pediatrics, Bright Futures Developmental Surveillance and Screening: The AAP recommends referral for speech-language evaluation for any child not using two-word phrases by 24 months.
5. Shriberg LD et al. Speech and language disorders in children with galactosemia. Genetics in Medicine. 2011;13(5):445-452.: CAS prevalence in children with galactosemia is estimated at 50 to 60 percent in some research.
6. US Department of Education, IDEA Part C (Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities): Part C of IDEA provides free evaluation and services for children under age 3 with developmental delays; evaluation must occur within 45 days of referral.
7. Strand EA. Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing: A Treatment Strategy for Childhood Apraxia of Speech. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. 2020;29(1):30-48.: Motor learning-based treatment for CAS requires high repetition, specific feedback, and 3 to 5 sessions per week; DTTC produced significantly larger gains than a control treatment in a randomized controlled trial.
8. Tierney C et al. How valid is the checklist for autism spectrum disorder when used with minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2015;45(4):1046-1057.: Approximately 65 percent of minimally verbal children with autism showed features consistent with CAS when evaluated with motor speech probes.
9. Strand EA, Dewey D, et al. Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing RCT. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. 2018.: A randomized controlled trial found DTTC produced significantly larger gains than a control treatment for children with CAS.
10. CDC, Early Intervention: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: The CDC maintains a state-by-state directory of early intervention programs; families can self-refer without a physician's order.
11. ASHA, IDEA Part B (school-age services) overview: Under IDEA Part B, school districts must complete special education evaluations within 60 days of written consent in most states.