Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:[b]It is often over diagnosed. And it is best to wait til after 3 to officially label it. But absolutely start therapy before then if there are concerns! Even if it's just articulation problems and not actually apraxia, therapy can help.
Source? And why is it' best' to wait until after three to 'label' it?
From ASHA:
PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589935338§ion=Assessment#Diagnosing_CAS
Diagnosing CAS
Diagnosis Under 3 Years Of Age
Diagnosis of CAS in children under 3 is challenging for a variety of reasons, including
the potential presence of developmental disabilities and/or comorbid conditions;
the lack of a single validated list of diagnostic features that differentiates CAS from other types of childhood speech sound disorders (e.g., those due to phonological-level deficits or neuromuscular disorder);
the fact that some primary characteristics of CAS (e.g., word inconsistency, a predominant error pattern of omission, etc.) are characteristic of emerging speech in typically developing children under the age of 3 years;
the lack of a sufficient speech sample size for making a more definitive diagnosis;
the challenge of sorting out inability versus unwillingness to provide a speech sample or to attempt a speech target;
the possibility that changes occurring prior to age 3 (e.g., developmental maturation, social and linguistic peer exposure, and beneficial effects of therapy) may alter the diagnostic label.
Preliminary research using retrospective analyses of home videos suggests some early indicators of CAS below the age of 3 (Overby & Caspari, 2012, 2013). However, given the preliminary nature of these data and the need for more research (e.g., longitudinal studies from infancy), diagnosis below age 3 is best categorized under a provisional diagnostic classification, such as "CAS cannot be ruled out," "signs are consistent with problems in planning the movements required for speech," or "suspected to have CAS."