ASHA Learning Pass

Acquired apraxia of speech (AOS) typically occurs alongside aphasia. Clinicians are often challenged with questions such as, “What should I work on first, and why/how?” and “How can I deliver intensive therapy in today’s healthcare system?” While there are a number of treatment approaches available for AOS, there are very few large-scale investigations of treatment efficacy to inform practice and limited studies that tackle the issues around intensity and concomitant disorders.

This course summarizes the pros, cons, and similarities of impairment-based approaches to treatment for individuals with AOS plus aphasia. The outcomes from our latest Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences systematic review on treatment for AOS will be discussed along with more recent work. The course will provide demonstrations and detailed discussion of the rationale and procedures for those approaches with the strongest evidence to support clinical use, so that participants can immediately begin implementing these techniques in the clinic.

This webinar is the second in a two-part series on assessing and treating acquired apraxia of speech. Each webinar stands alone, but together they provide a more complete picture. Learn about part one, Assessing Acquired Apraxia of Speech: Practical Solutions to Common Challenges, available through the ASHA Learning Pass subscription or as an a la carte purchase.

Learning Objectives:
You will be able to:

• Select an appropriate intervention protocol(s) for your case(s) with AOS
• Develop and justify intervention goals that follow principles of motor learning and neuroplasticity
• Identify ways intervention methods may change when cognition is affected

Presenter Information

Kirrie Ballard, PhD, CCC-SLP, has dedicated her career to studying the nature, diagnosis, and treatment of acquired apraxia of speech (AOS) and childhood apraxia of speech. She completed her professional training in Australia in 1983. Spurred by the lack of evidence to guide treatment, she completed a PhD (1997) at Northwestern University and a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Center for Voice and Speech, University of Iowa. She has published more than 80 research articles and book chapters and presented more than 30 workshops while holding academic positions at Indiana University, University of Iowa, and University of Sydney and honorary appointments at Neuroscience Research Australia and the Australian Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders. At the University of Sydney, she has served as head of speech pathology and director of the master’s program. She is currently chair of the ANCDS committee for evidence-based practice guidelines for AOS and editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. She has attracted funding for her research from NIH in the U.S., the NHMRC and ARC in Australia, and Qatar National Research Foundation in Qatar, as well as professional groups such as ASHF and the National Stroke Foundation in Australia.

Disclosures:

• Professor at the University of Sydney 
• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation 
• Grant funding from NHMRC and ARC
• Editor of the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology for Speech Pathology Association of Australia 
• Chair of the Writing Committee for Acquired and Childhood Apraxia of Speech and member of the Writing Committee for Progressive Neurological Communication Disorders at ANCDS 
• Member of ASHA 
• Member of the Speech Pathology Association of Australia

Assessment Type

Self-assessment—Think about what you learned and report on the Completion Form how you will use your new knowledge.

To earn continuing education credit, you must complete the learning assessment by 11:59 p.m. ET on the end date below.

Program History and CE Information

Content origination date: September 20, 2017
End date: November 15, 2028

This course is offered for 0.2 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level, Professional area).