Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) can be difficult to identify and even harder to treat without a clear, systematic process. In this practical, high-energy six-hour course, Jennie Bjorem guides participants through defining and differentiating CAS from childhood dysarthria and motor speech delay while building clinical confidence in assessment and intervention.

Filled with real therapy videos to support learning and application, participants will learn how to conduct an informal dynamic motor speech assessment, identify discriminative versus non-discriminative characteristics of CAS, and analyze assessment data with clarity. An overview of coarticulation is included, emphasizing how movement sequences and sound transitions support accurate motor planning and programming.

Attendees will explore evidence-based, play-centered treatment approaches rooted in movement and coarticulation principles. Through interactive learning, including a CAS simulation, participants will actively experience how motor planning challenges impact performance and how cueing and practice variables influence outcomes.

Clinicians will leave empowered to select meaningful, functional targets using the VITAL model, apply DTTC cueing hierarchies effectively, and design therapy plans grounded in the principles of motor learning. Emphasis is placed on high-repetition, feedback-informed practice delivered through motivating, play-based intervention.

This course bridges research and real-world clinical application, ensuring every SLP walks away with clear tools, renewed confidence, and practical strategies to make measurable progress with children diagnosed with CAS.

Engaging. Practical. Research-driven. High energy. You will not leave bored, you will leave ready to treat.

• Define childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) using clear, family-friendly language to support effective communication with caregivers and interdisciplinary teams.
• Differentiate CAS from other speech sound disorders by identifying hallmark motor planning and programming characteristics that distinguish it from dysarthria, phonological or articulation disorders.
• Apply diagnostic criteria by conducting and interpreting an informal dynamic motor speech assessment, demonstrating understanding of how to observe and document key clinical markers necessary for a CAS diagnosis.
• Explain the purpose of the cueing hierarchy in Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC) and identify appropriate cueing levels based on a child’s performance.
• Describe the core components of the VITAL model for target selection in childhood apraxia of speech.
• Apply the ABCD goal-writing framework to write at least one motor-based speech goal for a child with Childhood Apraxia of Speech that reflects principles of motor learning and supports generalization.(Case, Caspari, Aggarwal, & Stoeckel, 2024)
• Identify key principles of motor learning relevant to CAS intervention and select at least two strategies to support motor learning during therapy activities.