From a developmental point of view, the first years of a child’s life are critical as they begin to develop the skills they’ll need throughout life. One of the most important of these skills is the ability to communicate.
If a child has childhood apraxia of speech, a motor speech disorder that affects 1-2 children out of 1,000, communication can be challenging. And this challenge can create a cascade of related issues, such as poor socialization skills and mental health issues like anxiety.
The team of speech-language pathologists at Celebrations Speech Group has no small amount of experience helping kids with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). This work extends well beyond the simple mechanics of speech therapy and extends to their social and emotional needs as well.
For kids with CAS, communication can be frustrating, to say the least. They know what they want to say, but there’s a neurological disconnect between the brain and the mouth, and they’re unable to voice their thoughts clearly. Another way to describe it is that kids with CAS have difficulty planning or sequencing the speech sound movements required for effective verbal communication.
There are different degrees of CAS, but common symptoms include:
Whether mild or severe, CAS can have an impact on a child’s development and not just on language/speech development, but also on social, mental, and cognitive development, too.
If you enter any room full of children, you’re typically greeted by a boisterous and loud crowd. The sounds you hear are kids learning to communicate, which opens the door to socialization, cooperation, planning, and other skills important in life.
For kids with childhood apraxia of speech, this same room can be daunting and downright scary. As a result, that child feels unable to participate and withdraws instead.
Humans are social creatures, and we work best when we interact and cooperate within communities. So, if your child’s CAS is causing them to isolate because they’re afraid to speak up and use their voice, it can impede critical socialization skills. In fact, studies show that kids with CAS often have co-occurring psychosocial issues, such as poor social skills and behavioral issues.
From your child’s point of view, not feeling confident enough in their speech to socialize can affect them emotionally, and they might feel isolated and lonely, which can bring on symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.
Given what we know about the social and emotional side effects of childhood apraxia of speech, our team pays close attention to these areas.
As we work with kids to improve the motor skills they need to improve their speech and speech patterns, we’re also on the lookout for any psychosocial issues we touched on earlier. If we spot any social, emotional, or behavioral side effects of CAS, we might recommend including social skills training in their overall treatment protocol.
After all, it’s all well and good to improve speech during one-on-one speech therapy sessions, but putting these new skills into practice is just as important. Through social skills building, we can help your child integrate what they’ve learned and encourage them to test-drive their new skills in a controlled, encouraging environment.
Gradually, once they build confidence in their ability to communicate, your child can practice out in the wider world.
We also want to point out that, if we find that your child is showing signs of poor emotional or mental health due to their CAS, we might also recommend that you work with a mental health professional. And we can also work with this team to ensure your child has all the support they need to move forward successfully in life.
If you have more questions about CAS and its effects on your child, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our offices in Brentwood, Stockton, or Elk Grove, California, to schedule an appointment today.
