Seattle Speech Therapy

Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a motor speech disorder where a child has difficulty coordinating the movements needed for clear speech. Unlike speech delays caused by muscle weakness, CAS results from the brain struggling to send the correct signals to the speech muscles.

Children with CAS may:

• Has or had a limited number of sounds and babbling as a baby and toddler
• Struggle to pronounce words correctly, even when they understand them
• Say words differently each time they attempt to speak
• Have difficulty imitating speech sounds
• Show visible “groping” movements with their mouth when trying to talk
• Struggle more with longer words or phrases
• Experience frustration when they are not understood
• Frequently uses gestures instead of speech

If you notice these signs, a comprehensive speech evaluation can help determine if your child has CAS.

CAS is a motor planning disorder, meaning that a child knows what they want to say but has trouble coordinating the movements needed for speech. Other speech delays often involve difficulty forming sounds due to articulation or phonological challenges, which are different from the connected movement-based nature of CAS.

At Swanson Speech Therapy, we use specialized, evidence-based approaches tailored to children with CAS, including:

• Dynamic and Temporal Tactile Cueing
• Principles of motor learning
• PROMPT Therapy – A hands-on technique where therapists guide the child’s jaw, lips, and tongue to produce speech sound movements correctly.
• Multisensory Cueing – Using verbal, visual, and tactile cues to help children plan and execute speech movements.
• Repetitive Speech Practice – Engaging in structured activities that help strengthen motor planning for speech.
• Auditory Feedback – Helping children hear and adjust their speech production for better clarity.

With that being said, all of our therapies are tailored to each individual child’s needs. We recognize that a one size fits all approach is not the answer, and what is most effective looks different for each child and family.

While children with CAS may improve significantly with therapy, they do not “outgrow” the disorder on their own. With early and targeted intervention, many children develop clear and confident speech, but progress varies depending on the severity of CAS and consistency of therapy.

Yes! We provide virtual speech therapy throughout Washington, allowing children to receive expert treatment from home. While in-person PROMPT therapy provides hands-on guidance, virtual sessions focus on a treatment approach rooted in principles of motor learning while providing a target word set, feedback, and verbal and visual cueing techniques that can be just as effective.

1. Click here to complete our inquiry form and/or email us to set up a 15-minute consultation call.
2. After you have completed the inquiry form, we will reach back out to you with a therapist that best fits your needs and preferences
3. Schedule an evaluation and complete intake forms
4. Start your speech therapy journey!

We provide a variety of different treatment settings including our clinic space, virtual, your home, and/or community settings such as your child’s school or daycare (in limited neighborhoods in Seattle).

The frequency of sessions is dependent on your child’s needs and is determined case by case. However, research has shown high frequency of sessions for initial CAS treatment is most effective, typically 2-5 sessions per week .

We accept Premera insurance and are considered an in-network provider for Premera. For all other insurance companies, we are considered an out-of-network provider and families pay directly after each session. Many families that we work with are able to bill insurance themselves with the invoice we provide.

We ask that you play an active role in your child’s speech and language therapy, although that may look different for different clients. Ways that parents have engaged in their child’s therapy in the past include: getting on the floor and playing with the SLP and their child, actively observing and trying strategies used in the session at home, helping their child to play speech “games” at home that have been discussed and played during therapy. If it works out best for your family to have therapy provided at a school or daycare setting, we will put a plan in place to have open communication about strategies used during each session.