Research Priorities for Childhood Apraxia of Speech: A Long View.

This article introduces the Special Issue: Selected Papers From the 2022 Apraxia Kids Research Symposium. The field of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) has developed significantly in the past 15 years, with key improvements in understanding of basic biology including genetics, neuroscience, and computational modelling; development of diagnostic tools and methods; diversity of evidence-based interventions with increasingly rigorous experimental designs; and understanding of impacts beyond impairment-level measures. Papers in this special issue not only review and synthesize the some of the substantial progress to date but also present novel findings addressing critical research gaps and adding to the overall body of knowledge.

Speech-language therapy services for children with cleft palate: A scoping review on continuity of care.

Background: Children with a cleft palate (with or without a cleft of the lip) often require speech-language therapy (SLT) services to achieve age-appropriate speech. For many children, this involves attending SLT services delivered by both specialised cleft team speech-language therapists (SLTs) and a local, community or school-based SLT. Given that these two different SLTs are typically involved in the child's care, it is important to ensure that effective communication, coordination and collaboration occur between them.

A systematic scoping review of the literacy skills of children with childhood apraxia of speech: Recommendations for best practice and further research.

Purpose: Little is known about the literacy skills of children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) or effective methods for teaching them to read. This systematic scoping review aimed to synthesise what is known about this issue.

Method: Nine databases were searched to identify relevant articles.

A single case experimental design study using an operationalised version of the Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol for children with childhood apraxia of speech.

Purpose: A Phase I study was conducted to examine the treatment effectiveness of the Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol using a research-operationalised protocol. It was hypothesised that articulatory accuracy would improve as a result of the treatment and that these improvements would be maintained after treatment was discontinued.

Method: A single case experimental design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol.

Speech and swallowing intervention following oral cancer treatment: A survey of speech-language pathologists in Australia and New Zealand.

Purpose: Treatment for oral cancer has debilitating effects on speech and swallowing, however, little is known about current speech-language pathology practice.

Method: An online survey of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) was disseminated via emails to speech pathology departments, social media platforms, and professional online forums. Survey questions captured demographics, service delivery, type and timing of speech and swallowing interventions, and influences and barriers to practice.

Weekly Treatment for Childhood Apraxia of Speech With Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment: A Single-Case Experimental Design Study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to pilot the efficacy of rapid syllable transition (ReST) treatment when provided once per week for a 50-min treatment session for 12 weeks with five children with childhood apraxia of speech. Of central importance was the children's retention and generalization of gains from treatment as indicators of speech motor learning.

Method: A multiple-baseline across-participant design was employed to investigate (a) treatment effect on the 20 treated pseudowords, (b) generalization to 40 untreated real words and 10 untreated polysyllabic word sentences, and (c) maintenance of any treatment and generalization goals to up to 4 months posttreatment.

The Effectiveness of Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment in Improving Communication in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a movement disorder and majority of children with CP have communication impairments which impact participation with this population. Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment (ReST) is a motor speech intervention primarily for children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). A recent pilot study in which ReST was trialed with children with CP showed improved speech performance.

A Pilot Randomized Control Trial of Motor-Based Treatments for Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment and Ultrasound Biofeedback.

Purpose: Both Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment (ReST) and ultrasound biofeedback are effective approaches to treating childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). The purpose of the study was to compare outcomes from these two motor-based treatment approaches for school-age children with CAS.

Method: In a single site, single blind randomized control trial, 14 children with CAS ages 6-13 years were randomly assigned to 12 sessions over 6 weeks of either of ultrasound biofeedback treatment (with a speech motor chaining practice structure) or ReST.

Motor Speech Interventions for Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: Dysarthria is common among children with cerebral palsy (CP) and results in poor speech intelligibility and subsequently low communicative participation. Neuroplasticity evidence suggests that adherence to principles of motor learning (PML) improves motor speech intervention outcomes. Motor speech interventions aim to improve speech intelligibility and ultimately facilitate participation, but the effectiveness of these interventions and their inclusion of PML are not clear.

Effect of a Nursing Research Council on System-Wide Practice Changes: An Evidence-Based Practice Process Improvement.

Ensuring that evidence-based practice is adopted across hospital systems is difficult. A system-wide Nursing Research Council in a large academic health care system in Maryland implemented a unique strategy to support the evidence-based practice process by collaborating with other system-wide councils. As a result, new system-wide evidence-based practices were adopted and improved organizational outcomes were seen.

A cost analysis of a 5-day simulation-based learning program for speech-language pathology student training.

: There is poor reporting of the cost of simulation and greater transparency is needed. The primary study aim was to conduct a financial analysis of the university/training institution costs associated with a 5-day simulation-based learning program for speech-language pathology students. The secondary aim was to consider the economic costs of the model.

Language and early literacy professional development: A complex intervention for early childhood educators and speech-language pathologists.

: Improving language and literacy skills in preschoolers can lead to better life outcomes. One way speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can improve these skills in preschoolers is by supporting educators through professional development (PD). However, PD in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings is a complex intervention.

Unpacking the black box of voice therapy: A clinical application and revision of the Motor Learning Classification Framework (MLCF).

Purpose: Voice therapy is a complex behavioural intervention. Understanding its components is integral for continued advancement of voice therapy research, translation of evidence into the clinical setting and improved client care. The Motor Learning Classification Framework (MLCF) offers an excellent opportunity for increasing such knowledge, specifically in relation to identifying variables that affect motor learning (ML), an important mechanism hypothesised to bring about voice change during voice therapy.

Evaluating the dose-response relationship of the number of sessions of "It Takes Two to Talk®" in young children with language delay.

Purpose: To evaluate the dose-response relationship between the number of It Takes Two to Talk (ITTT) sessions attended and the language outcomes of young children with language delay and their parent's responsivity in a multicultural clinical population.

Method: A clinical caseload of 273 early language delayed children (mean age 29.2 months, SD 7.

Changes in variability during intervention for childhood apraxia of speech: implications for therapy.

Typically developing children are variable in their speech production with decreasing variability indicating mastery of speech. Excessive variability which does not change over time may be an indication of unstable motor plans as often seen in children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Dynamic Systems Theory (DST) provides a framework for understanding the role of variability in speech development and disorder.

Similarities and differences across patient completed voice case history questionnaires - A scoping review.

Background: Case history assessments are ubiquitously performed across various health professions for diagnostic purposes. Questionnaires are considered a valuable tool within this process. There is currently no standardized tool available to collect such information in the assessment of voice disorders.

Outcomes of a novel single case study incorporating Rapid Syllable Transition treatment, AAC and blended intervention in children with cerebral palsy: a pilot study.

Purpose: Motor speech and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions are commonly used with children with cerebral palsy (CP) but there is limited literature comparing the effectiveness of these interventions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of intensive AAC, Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment (ReST), and blended intervention, a combination of motor-speech and AAC, on speech accuracy and sentence length and complexity.

Methods: A single case experimental design across participants with repeated measurements across phases (ABACADA design) was used.

Predicting Treatment Outcomes in Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment: An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify predictors of treatment outcomes in Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment (ReST) for childhood apraxia of speech through an individual participant data meta-analysis.

Method: A systematic literature search identified nine ReST studies for inclusion. Individual participant data were obtained, and studies were coded for methodological design, baseline participant characteristics, service delivery factors, and treatment outcomes.

Speech Development Across Subgroups of Autistic Children: A Longitudinal Study.

Subgroups of children with different speech profiles have been described however, little is known about the trajectories of speech development or stability of subgroups over time. This longitudinal study described both speech trajectories and subgroup stability of 22 autistic children, aged 2;0-6;11 years, over 12 months. Independent and relational speech analyses, vocabulary size and nonverbal communication were used in clustering.

Acoustic characteristics of fricatives, amplitude of formants and clarity of speech produced without and with a medical mask.

Background: Previous research has found that high-frequency energy of speech signals decreased while wearing face masks. However, no study has examined the specific spectral characteristics of fricative consonants and vowels and the perception of clarity of speech in mask wearing.

Aims: To investigate acoustic-phonetic characteristics of fricative consonants and vowels and auditory perceptual rating of clarity of speech produced with and without wearing a face mask.

A survey of the clinical management of childhood apraxia of speech in the United States and Canada.

Purpose: Limited information is available about the current practices of generalist speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in relation to their management of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). This study was designed to investigate four primary questions separately for the US and Canada; 1. What treatment approaches are used by SLP clinicians to treat CAS? 2.

"I still have issues with pronunciation of words": A mixed methods investigation of the psychosocial and speech effects of Childhood Apraxia of Speech in adults.

Purpose: Adolescents with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) are likely to have persistent speech errors compared to non-CAS peers (Lewis et al., 2018) and may have ongoing psychosocial issues (e.g.

A survey of interventions used by speech-language pathologists for children with speech sound disorders in the Middle East.

Purpose: While many examples of speech pathology intervention approaches for children with speech sound disorders (SSDs) exist in English and some other European languages, approaches with children in other languages are largely unknown. The aim was to determine current speech-language pathologists (SLPs) intervention practices with children with SSDs in the ME, and to then compare these with international practices.

Methods: Data were collected by online questionnaire using Qualtrics.

An Automated Lexical Stress Classification Tool for Assessing Dysprosody in Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) commonly affects the production of lexical stress contrast in polysyllabic words. Automated classification tools have the potential to increase reliability and efficiency in measuring lexical stress. Here, factors affecting the accuracy of a custom-built deep neural network (DNN)-based classification tool are evaluated.