Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia and phonetic-phonological deficit: Evaluation for the purposes of devising «specific» treatment plans
Letizia Sabbadini, Letizia Michelazzo
The evaluation phase of Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia (DVD) is crucial for the professional to make an informed choice about treatment options in cases where a serious verbal expression deficit, often accompanied by a phonetic-phonological disorder, is diagnosed in a child. Clearly, in cases of DVD, and especially in DVD with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), we deem therapeutic interventions on the speech apparatus to be of paramount importance. With this paper, however, we would like to highlight the fact that a specific ability to evaluate phonetic/phonological aspects is also needed. The evaluation in question should be targeted and comprehensive, and should be performed by speech therapists with expertise both in the field of DVD and in that of phonetic-phonological deficit. In this context, we will thus address several aspects of the evaluation of children with either no verbal communication or unintelligible speech, and illustrate, in both cases, how correct evaluation is fundamental for a targeted and specific treatment plan.
Keywords
Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Phonetic-phonological evaluation.