How Often Should My Child with Apraxia Attend Therapy?

There are many factors that go into determining frequency of therapy sessions for children with apraxia of speech. Research indicates that shorter, more frequent therapy sessions, with some recommendations of 4-5x/week, are most beneficial. However, is that realistic for most families living in this day and age? Frequency of therapy should be determined by multiple different factors and shouldn't be given as a blanket recommendation just because a child has apraxia. Let's break down how frequency of therapy is determined!

• How severe is the child's apraxia? For more severe cases, it may be more beneficial to receive therapy more frequently during the week to improve motor planning faster and then consider fading to less days per week as the child progresses.

• How old is the child? Young children with suspected CAS may not be ready for high frequency appointments. If your child is still working on emerging communication skills, it may be better to receive therapy less frequently with more parent coaching embedded into sessions to carryover at home during day to day routines.

• What is the child's temperament like? Are they frustrated easily by therapy tasks? Do they lack confidence in the ability to "try" to fix errors? Does your child burn out easily? One "bad" session can happen, but if there becomes a pattern of multiple "bad" sessions, it may be time for a break or may indicate frequency is too intense.

• Consider stress factors for the child..

• What is the child's family routine like? Is it even realistic for the family to attend multiple sessions per week?

• What is the current therapy goal?

• Consider intensive therapy in short bursts (3-4 weeks of 4-5 days per week followed by a break in therapy then re-starting 1-2x/week).

Overall, there are SO many factors that should be considered when determining frequency of apraxia therapy. There is no one sized fits all and every child is different. Even though it's what the research recommends, not all children will benefit from highly intensive speech therapy. The overall well being of the child should be considered carefully when making recommendations to avoid speech therapy burn out and placing too much pressure on a child.