CEU Course Review: Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS): Defining the Territory

Over the past few months I've had some extra time for myself. (Woo!) How did I spend some of that time? Taking some of what I call "Student non-CEUs Courses" (since I can't get CEU credits being and undergrad)! I have finished quite a few and have more pending in my speechpathology.com account. So within the next weeks to months you'll be sure to get more reviews. You can see other reviews I've done here.This time I "attended" the text-based course entitled "Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS): Defining the Territory" presented by Peter Flipsen, Ph.D. Jr., S-LP(C), SLP-CCC.

I think this is a splendid course that gives thorough information on defining CAS, as well as giving perspective on diagnosis and assessment of this disorder. He discusses the issues that are faced when figuring out what all is unique to this disorder, differential diagnosis, long-term risks existent with CAS and how we can go about  diagnosing/ assessing this disorder in children compared to adult Apraxia of Speech and other Speech Sound Disorders.With that said, it only touches base on treatment in the last paragraph. This isn't much of a surprise, though, as the title says it is only describing the scope of what CAS entails, not how to treat or manage it.

One of the major components of CAS that this course pinpoints are the unique characteristics that are presented in this disorder and how they can affect differential diagnosis. These are very important concepts to keep in mind when diagnosing a child with Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Some of them are as follows ¹:

1. Inconsistent Output- There are varying definitions of 'inconsistent', and he specifically states that in the case of CAS it is a lack of consistency when uttering the same word over multiple attempts. It does not mean pronouncing a sound correctly in one position and not in another or correctly in some words and not others.
2. Transition Issues- This can be presented in a few ways, but entails issues with unnecessary disruptions or lengthening between consonants, vowels or syllables.
3. Distorted Prosody- When a child has excessive and equal stress placed on syllables that don't need them. An example he gives is when a one half of an utterance/word has stress but the child places equal stress on both halves.

He also mentions differences and similarities between CAS and the adult version (Apraxia of Speech) and also between CAS and other speech sound disorders. Some of them I was surprised by, simply because I hadn't thought of those before, but they make sense. There are often issues with diagnosing CAS, especially with children younger than three. Some "characteristics" can often be viewed as relevant to CAS when they may be actually pertain to (a possibly co-existing) oral apraxia or dysarithria. It also is difficult to assess and diagnose since all tests were created before ASHA created their position statement for Childhood Apraxia of Speech, lending each test to only screen for 1 or 2 of the 3 unique characteristics listed above. He does list them and give other examples of possible ways to test each trait for a more full diagnosis. Flipsen also notes that diagnosis may be correct, but treatment plans are not fully comprehensive or tackle issues more pertinent to language, phonetic or articulatory disorders. 

For more information and details on his views of the background/genetics, possibly co-existing genetic/speech disorders, diagnosis and assessment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech, please read his text-based course. It provides a wealth of information on a disorder that hasn't been readily defined until the past decade. 

*Disclaimer: All statements are my own opinion and not those of the presenter or host website. These statement are also not a paid endorsement, solely my views on the material from the course.

References:

1. Flipsen, Peter, Ph.D. Jr., S-LP(C), SLP-CCC. "Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS): Defining the Territory." Lecture. SLP Course Details. SpeechPathology.com, 26 Mar. 2013. Web. 2 Sept. 2013.

CEU Course Review: Tips For A Good (School) CFY

*Disclaimer: All statements are my own opinion and not those of the presenter or host website. These statement are also not a paid endorsement, solely my views on the material from the course.


As I mentioned a few days ago, I completed my first class on a Continuing Education Unit (CEU) website. It was so exciting! I guess that's partially because I'm a nerd and enjoy learning. The course I decided to begin with was " Launching Your School SLP Career With a Great CF Experience" presented by : Jean Blosser, Ed.D., CCC-SLP. Despite the title exclusively stating "school", she iterates that these same principles can be applied to those in the medical-side of SLP as well. You might have to change a student for a client or recess duty for other responsibilities while she talks, but Jean makes it very clear that you can transfer these ideas to different settings.

Over all, I was thoroughly pleased with the course. Jean was able to delve into some of the key components of having a good CFY experience, particularly dealing with the mentor- mentee relationship. She actually created this seminar to be aimed at both parties, so aspiring/current mentors and future mentees could benefit from the information. I'm glad she did, as this relationship often makes or breaks the CFY. She delves into what could be considered the key parts of this partnership: finding the ideal mentor, important steps/goals for the experience, why the school setting may be challenging, what the mentor can help with, tips for creating and fostering an enriching partnership, communication strategies and benefits of mentoring. All of these are superb points to tackle, some I wouldn't even have thought of! Jean also includes several examples of students and their mentoring journey, which help bring her lecture to a higher level of connectivity with the person taking the course.

http://lookwhoslp.blogspot.com/2013/06/tips-for-good-school-cfy.html

I'll provide some of the helpful hints she discussed in her seminar ¹:

- Communicating doesn't require that the mentor always be commenting/ constructively criticizing the mentee. Rather, both can partake in training sessions together and discuss their opinions, or the mentee can teach the mentor the material. They can discuss scenarios and ask for advice on what to do. They can role model or demonstrate an assessment or treatment technique or therapy scenario for discussion...

-Find/provide helpful resources for effective therapy services. The mentor can suggest different media that the mentee can utilize for therapy plans, such as: delivery philosophies, state/federal/local regulations and guidelines, school curriculum, and websites. The mentee can show the mentor some as well, or ask for advice on a source or technique.

- Non-ASHA mentor qualifications. ASHA does lay out the requirements that a student should look for in a mentor, but Jean also lists some additional, creative and insightful "requirements" as well. For example, sharing the same interests or backgrounds may be helpful, especially if the mentee has a specific career goal he/she wishes to achieve. Along the same lines, having similar personality and learning styles will aid the partnership. Willingness to communicate on multiple platforms is also ideal, as well as flexibility, as one form of communication may not always work or schedules may change.

-Mentee responsibilities are also a key aspect of this joint partnership. The mentee must recognize that mentor comments shouldn't be taken defensively, rather constructively. If the mentee feels that goals aren't being met, he/she should try to discuss/reconsider previous approaches with the mentor. One item I think that is worth highlighting is the idea that the mentee should write down what the mentor says and paraphrase it when talking to the mentor to make sure it is correct.

There are also several supplemental papers that she included with the course. These are helpful for both mentor and mentee in building an ideal relationship and therapy environment. I know I'll be keeping them handy for when I head into clincal sessions as a graduate student and when beginning my journey finding a CFY mentor.

I'm very pleased I chose this course, and I'm excited to begin my next one!


References:
1. Blosser, Jean, , Ed.D., CCC-SLP. "Launching Your School SLP Career With a Great CF Experience." SLP Course Details. SpeechPathology.com, 6 July 2010. Web. 22 June 2013.

Student "non-CEU" Classes

Remember how I mentioned that I registered for an online CEU company? Well, As of yesterday, I have now completed my first 'non-CEU' class. It is technically a CEU (Continuing Education Unit) course, but as I am not a professional Speech-Language Pathologist (yet), it doesn't count for credit. But I still get a certificate of completion if I receive an 80% or above on the test that follows! And guess  what? This girl got a 90%! I'm so happy! If you aren't on this bandwagon yet, I suggest you do so. Yes, it costs about $49/year for a student account, but there's plenty of other aspects that make it worth the while:

-Applications- Grad school applications, that is. These classes are extremely great assets to have in your educational arsenal when applying to grad school. They will show that you are not just dedicated to this field, but you are really, truly dedicated to it. You are not only interested in learning within the school system, but you want to learn more on your free time. That should get some of those admissions officers eyebrows raised.

-Knowledge- It's always important to maintain and expand your knowledge-- especially when it comes to the field you work in. Our field  has become so vast in the past years that there's much to know, almost too much. Taking these classes will assist you in this never-ending, but fun, endeavor. Say you read something in the news about Autism or Animal-Assisted Therapy and you want to learn more about those issues within Speech-Language Pathology, you can look up some courses about that and take them! There's plenty to choose from.

-Education- On a similar note, these classes can act as fillers (possibly, not guaranteed) that provide extra information on topics you learning in school. Perhaps you're behind or confused about a subject and want a different perspective, or you want to know some information before taking a class the upcoming semester. One way to accomplish those could be taking related classes through companies like these. Just make sure you get some sort of recognition at the end and ASHA approves of the company. One way to do that is by looking for classes on this site: http://www.asha.org/eweb/csdynamicpage.aspx?webcode=coursesearch

-Variety of Methods- At least the website I use has a variety of means through which the learner may view the material. So, whether you are a visual, auditory, or text-based learner, there are  classes for you. In fact, the same class may be available in all three mediums, which is great. There are also live Webinars you may partake in, where you can ask the presenter questions while he/she teaches the material. I've also seen virtual conferences are available!

-Extra Material- Many classes also have supplemental information for your benefit. You can save and print them out as you deem necessary. These are great to have for future reference and to jog your memory if you forget something later down the road. Of course, if you want to use them for therapy or handing out to clients, then you'll have to ask permission from the presenter.

Those are just a few reasons to take some CEU classes for no credit as a student. I'm sure there are plenty more!

*I use www.speechpathology.com . This was not an endorsement or an expression of their opinions. These are solely my opinions.