FAQ

Is CAS (Childhood Apraxia of Speech) often misdiagnosed? Does it frequently go undiagnosed?

In both cases, the short answer is yes. CAS is often overlooked as a possible cause of speech difficulty in children, and requires careful and thorough evaluation by a Speech-Language Pathologist. Here, they’ll  determine whether the following features are present in the planning and programming of your child’s speech: 

• inconsistent errors when producing consonants and vowels in repeated syllable or word productions,
• awkward/abnormal transitions between sounds and syllables, and
• inconsistent/abnormal prosody (e.g. the patterns of stress and intonation) in their speech. 

How do I know if/when my child needs help from a speech/language pathologist?

Some of the primary indicators that your child may need help include:

• Exhibiting frustration during attempts at communication
• Using limited sounds, or experiencing more sound errors than his peers
• First words have not been used by age 16 months
• Inconsistent sound errors
• Difficulty understanding your child when they talk
• Your child has difficulty understanding what others are saying
• Your child has difficulty telling you what they want or need
• Difficulty engaging your child in play
• Lack of imitation skills
• Decrease in, or avoidance of, eye contact
• Repetitive behaviors
• Difficulty with transitions in speech
• Difficulty following direction at home or in school
• Difficulty staying on task
• Picky eater or food aversions

What insurance companies is SCT contracted with?

Although SCT will submit claims to all insurance companies, we are specifically contracted with the following carriers:

• Blue Cross/ Blue Shield
• Regence
• Premera
• United Health Care
• Group Health
• Lifewise
• HMA
• First Choice

What happens during my child’s evaluation?

Once your child’s evaluation has been scheduled, you will receive a confirmation email from us detailing your appointment date and time, your therapist’s information, all necessary intake paperwork, and even directions.

On evaluation day, we will make every attempt to ensure your child is as comfortable as possible, including keeping a parental presence in the room during the evaluation, so that you can answer questions while supporting your child. At this time, both standardized assessments and informal measures will be carefully chosen and implemented in order to obtain a detailed picture of your child’s communication development, and to help address your concerns.

When should my child begin saying their first words?

Although they can’t speak, children begin communicating at birth. For example, they communicate discomfort with cries, happiness with coos and smiles, and engage with their environment through eye contact and vocalization.

With this said, first words are initially approximations of what they will later sound like (e.g. a child will typically say “nana” before saying “banana”), which will typically occur between 12 and 14 months of age.

When should /r, s, th/ come in? When is it appropriate to begin therapy related to these sounds?

Like any other skills, speech sounds arrive at varying ages, and some sounds will take more time to master than others. However, for the speech sounds “s” and “th,” we typically begin therapy around 4 years of age, although for the “r” sound, we typically wait until the child is at least 6 years old to begin therapy.

How can my child benefit from a social skills/friendship group?

SCT social groups and friendship pairs provide children a supportive place to learn and practice social skills in a small group environment, with a professional speech/language pathologist facilitating. During these groups, we follow much of the Michelle Winner-Garcia Social Thinking curriculum, as well as add our own lessons based on a specific group’s needs and dynamics.

My child is a picky eater. Will speech therapy help with that? When do picky eating habits constitute a feeding disorder?

To appropriately answer these questions, the first step is to identify whether a child is simply particular with their food preferences, or whether they have sensory deficits that prevent him/her from tolerating different foods and food textures.

In order to determine which factors are preventing your child from eating different foods and food textures, SCT’s speech therapists will evaluate their oral motor functions, along with their sensory defensiveness. Depending on the results, feeding therapy can target strategies that increase food tolerances, and incorporating oral motor exercises and techniques can reduce their sensory deficits.

Regardless of their diagnosis, it’s important to address your child’s eating habits early so that they do not negatively impact their healthy growth and development. 

How long will my child need speech therapy?

Just like with any other learning environment, each child will progress through therapy at their own rate, although overall length depends largely on the skill your child is developing.

Whatever your child’s needs may be though, SCT is dedicated to providing family training so children will progress through speech therapy as quickly as possible.

How to do I obtain a referral?

If you need a therapy referral, please speak with your pediatrician, who can then fax their referral to SCT at (425) 557-4409.

How old should my child be to benefit from SCT’s speech therapy?

SCT provides evaluations and treatment for children from birth through age 18.