Results of the Sensory Profile in Children with Suspected Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Abstract

Speech-sound disorders are common in preschool-age children, and are characterized by difficulty in the planning and production of speech sounds and their combination into words and sentences. The objective of this study was to review and compare the results of the Sensory Profile () in children with a specific type of speech-sound disorder, childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), and to explore the relationship between sensory processing and sound-production deficits. Participants were identified prospectively through an interdisciplinary apraxia clinic at a tertiary care pediatric hospital, and results of the Sensory Profile were compiled and reviewed. Thirty-eight children aged 3 to 10 years with suspected CAS were evaluated from July 2003 to July 2005. The results of the Sensory Profile indicated a difference for these children in several factor clusters when compared to typical peers from the normative population of the Sensory Profile. These findings imply that children with suspected CAS may present with differences in sensory processing in addition to speech impairment. When present, these differences in sensory processing could be addressed with specific therapeutic approaches through occupational therapy or consultation with an occupational therapist.

KEYWORDS:

• Sensory integration disorder
• sensory processing
• speech-sound disorder