Childhood Apraxia of Speech Therapy in Haddonfield, NJ
If your child has been diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech — or you suspect it — you need a therapist with specialized training.
Ellen McSpadden, MA, CCC-SLP, CAS, has formal, specialized training in the evaluation and treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech, including DTTC and PROMPT.
She has over 20 years of experience and is named in the directories of Apraxia Kids and Child Apraxia Treatment.
We use DTTC as our primary approach due to its strong evidence base and child-friendly strategies. Every plan is individualized and based on a thorough evaluation — not a checklist.
Specialized Apraxia Therapy from a Certified CAS Therapist
What Is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?
Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a neurological, motor-speech disorder that impacts a person’s ability to plan and program the motor movements needed to produce speech. In other words, despite the person knowing what they want to say, the brain can’t tell the mouth what to do, when to do it, or the order to do it in.
Symptoms include:
Difficulty with vowel sounds
An inconsistent ability to say a word clearly
Awkward pauses in the middle of words and sentences
Unusual patterns of intonation or choppy-sounding speech
Increasing difficulty as sentences get longer.
Early, well-planned services from a therapist with advanced training in apraxia are critical — and with the right support, children with CAS can make tremendous progress.
How We Treat Childhood Apraxia of Speech
DTTC Therapy
Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC) — is a strong, evidence-based approach designed specifically for children with apraxia of speech. Guided by the principles of motor learning, it helps the brain learn how to plan, program, and refine the motor movements needed for clear speech.
The therapy plan focuses on movement into and between sounds. This approach has allowed countless children and teens to experience significant progress.
PROMPT Therapy
Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT) — is a therapy approach for children with CAS and other speech sound disorders. Speech is supported using physical touch and varying amounts of pressure to guide the mouth through correct movements.
Because PROMPT relies on physical contact, it requires the child to be comfortable with touch around the face and mouth. It can be effective for some children, but it is not the best fit for every child or every setting.
At Cheerful Chatter
We prefer to use DTTC as our primary approach due to its larger body of evidence and more person-friendly strategies. It also works beautifully in both in-person and teletherapy sessions, which gives families more flexibility.
If you're interested in PROMPT, we can discuss the pros and cons of both approaches and proceed with the one best suited for your child. The right approach is always the one that fits your child — not a one-size-fits-all method.
Real Results from South Jersey Families
Common Questions About Childhood Apraxia of Speech
-
Every child's path is different, so there's no one-size-fits-all timeline.
What we can tell you is that our goal is to use an apraxia-specific approach to address the problem at its roots, build a high quality motor learning plan to address it, and get your child to clear speech as quickly as possible.
-
Speech and reading development are closely connected. Some children who struggle with speech clarity also need support with phonological awareness, reading, or spelling.
Our therapy for speech clarity includes embedded support to prevent the consequential delays often seen in reading and spelling.
Ellen doesn’t wait for new problems to come up… she understands the patterns of development seen in those with CAS and prevents potential weaknesses from ever laying down roots.
Learn more about our reading and literacy support for school-age kids →
-
Yes — and for many families, it works just as well as in-person sessions. Since our primary approach is DTTC, which focuses on movement planning rather than physical touch, it translates naturally to a virtual setting. Close camera work lets us model and observe mouth movements in detail, and real-time parent coaching means the strategies carry over into everyday life.
Speech teletherapy also eliminates travel time and makes scheduling easier — which means more consistency, and consistency drives progress.
-
It’s possible. Apraxia is one of the most misunderstood speech sound disorders, so many are inaccurately diagnosed with it while others spend years receiving therapy designed for a different type of speech sound disorder — and the approach matters.
At Cheerful Chatter, we take our time to thoroughly evaluate each child’s speech to determine the root cause of their challenges.
If your child's challenges turn out to be related to speech sound errors rather than motor planning, our speech clarity therapy may be a better fit.
-
Cheerful Chatter specializes in children aged 5 to 18, but we welcome all children, teens, and young adults — we know that therapists with advanced CAS training are hard to find.
Apraxia Therapy for Older Kids and Teens in Haddonfield, NJ
Many families come to us after years of speech therapy that didn't address the underlying motor planning challenges of CAS. We specialize in helping school-age children and teens with apraxia make meaningful progress — even when previous therapy has plateaued.