This line of research has examined speech production in children with typical development (TD), childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), and other speech sound disorders (SSD). These studies have engaged a range of methodologies including facial motion tracking, acoustic analyses, and narrow phonetic transcription. One body of research has examined speech motor learning in children with CAS and TD within the context of a novel word learning task (Case & Grigos, 2016; Grigos & Case, 2018). A second line of work has presented a framework of motoric complexity and examined how varied levels of complexity impacted speech production (Case & Grigos, 2020). We are continuing to explore how factors related to motor learning and stimulus design impact speech production and potential implications to clinical practice.

Clinical Management of CAS

Our laboratory specializes in the clinical management of CAS with regard to the use of dynamic assessment for the differential diagnosis of CAS and motor-based intervention. In collaboration with the Motor Speech Laboratory of New York University, we are currently examining the effect of Dynamic Temporal Tactile Cuing (DTTC) on young children with CAS. Related to this body of research, we are also exploring motor-based protocols for the treatment of children with CAS and approaches towards bridging this line of research with everyday clinical practice. 

Language Development in CAS

A number of works have reported developmental cascades related to early speech production deficits in CAS and the subsequent impact on language production (e.g., Lewis et at al., 2004; Miller et al., 2019). We are currently performing in-depth analyses of language skills in children with CAS to better understand the complex interaction between speech production deficits and language development. This work is being conducted in collaboration with Anna Eva Hallin, speech-language pathologist and researcher at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.