Apraxia of speech is a motor speech disorder, an impairment of the motor planning for articulation (Plante, 90). Children who are showing signs of apraxia, might be emphasizing vowel sounds and some consonant sounds to communicate. Apraxia can be noticed by a few different signs, the inconsistency of sounds and or words, only saying approximately three words, difficulty expressing thoughts, and becoming frustrated when unable to communicate, these are only a few clues leading to a diagnosis of apraxia. There are two different types of apraxia, acquired and developed. Apraxia does not only affect children, but adults as well. Three separate etiology classifications of aparixa, according to Damico, in The handbook of language and speech disorders;…show more content… Small children learn how to sign for what they are wanting at the time, commonly raise their arms up to be picked up and held. Some parents may teach their children signs for more, done, and please. Parents typically wave to communicate hello and/or goodbye to their children. Signing gives young children a way to communicate before they can actually speak, inspiring them to expand communication skills more rapidly (Lathey, 49). Signing is a great way to start communication with children, allowing them to have opportunities to express how they are feeling at any given…show more content… As teachers, specialists, and families begin a journey together, to have a successful year, working as a team is a beneficial way to follow through with the best plan for the child. Teams of parents, teachers, and therapists (speech, occupational, physical) work together to create goals for the child on their Individualized Education Plan/Program, or IEP. Creating teamwork will help determine treatment options, and treatment intensity. After reviewing Janie’s IEP, she can greatly benefit from receiving speech therapy at least twice a week. She is showing signs of being significantly behind in expressive language. While working on speech, Janie can learn more signs to communicate her needs. ‘Research into language development has shown that signs and gestures are easier to learn than spoken words’ (Lathey,
