Speech Therapy Consulting
Speech Therapy Consulting
Pediatric Speech Therapy · Dixon, CA
Intensive, specialized motor speech therapy. ASHA recommends 3-5 sessions per week.
ASHA CCC-SLP | 20+ Years Experience | 300+ Families | Insurance Accepted
No obligation. We respond within one business day.
CAS is a motor speech disorder requiring specialized, intensive treatment. Understanding the nature of this condition is the first step toward effective intervention.
Childhood apraxia of speech is a neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to plan and coordinate the precise movements needed for speech. Unlike dysarthria (muscle weakness), children with CAS have adequate muscle strength but difficulty programming the sequences of movements required to produce clear speech. The child knows what they want to say -- the challenge is in the motor execution.
The same word may be produced differently each time. "Banana" might be said as "nana," "bana," or "naba" across different attempts -- a hallmark of motor planning difficulty.
Difficulty transitioning smoothly between sounds and syllables. Speech may sound choppy or segmented, with noticeable effort between sounds within a word.
Unusual rhythm, stress, or intonation patterns. Speech may sound robotic, monotone, or have inappropriate emphasis on syllables or words.
Reference: ASHA Technical Report on Childhood Apraxia of Speech. CAS affects approximately 1-2 per 1,000 children.
We use treatment approaches supported by peer-reviewed research, selected based on your child's age, severity, and specific motor speech needs.
Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing. A motor-based approach using systematic cueing hierarchies to help children achieve accurate speech movements. The clinician provides tactile, visual, and auditory cues that are gradually faded as the child gains independence.
Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets. Uses tactile-kinesthetic cues applied to the face and jaw to guide correct articulatory movements. Particularly effective for children who benefit from physical guidance in motor planning.
Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment. Targets the smooth transition between syllables using nonsense words, then transfers skills to real words. Designed specifically for the coarticulatory challenges characteristic of CAS.
CAS requires intensive, specialized therapy. ASHA recommends 3-5 sessions per week for optimal progress, because motor learning depends on frequent, distributed practice.
"Our son was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 4. The first services we received was speech therapy as he was unable to express himself. We were lucky enough to have been paired with Stacey. Our son has been in speech therapy for almost a year now and has improved so much. He is always excited to go see Mrs. Stacey. We are forever grateful."-- Lopez Family, Dixon, CA
"STC helped me ease my daughter into attending sessions independently instead of needing me to accompany her to every session, which has given her more confidence. My daughter looks forward to her therapy every week. We've experienced other speech therapy service providers and STC is by far our favorite. It feels like a second home."-- Ann & Rose, Vacaville, CA
Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder. The brain has difficulty planning and coordinating the precise movements needed for speech. It is not caused by muscle weakness but by disrupted motor planning. CAS affects approximately 1-2 per 1,000 children.
CAS is a motor planning disorder, not a developmental delay. Children with CAS know what they want to say but their brain has difficulty coordinating the movements to produce the sounds. Key features include inconsistent errors on the same words, difficulty combining sounds smoothly, and unusual prosody.
CAS is a motor learning disorder, and motor learning requires frequent, intensive practice. Research shows that children with CAS make significantly more progress with high-frequency sessions compared to 1-2 per week. The goal is to build and strengthen the neural pathways for motor speech planning.
Evidence-based treatments include DTTC (Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing), PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets), and ReST (Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment). Each provides structured, intensive motor speech practice with systematic cueing.
We accept Sutter HMO, Kaiser, Cigna, Blue Shield PPO, Western Health Advantage, and North Bay Regional Center for children ages 0-3.
Schedule a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your child's motor speech needs.
Or call (707) 366-5246