Verbal Apraxia in Autism from a Therapeutic Clinical Perspective

Description

Verbal apraxia is rarely just a speech problem. Yet intervention is often confined to the oral mechanism—missing the broader sensory, postural, regulatory, and relational foundations that make motor planning possible. This one-day advanced virtual workshop invites experienced occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists to re-examine childhood verbal apraxia through a whole-body, sensory–motor, and neurodevelopmental lens. Grounded in current motor learning theory, sensory integration, and relationship-based practice, this workshop explores how regulation, praxis, posture, and affect shape a child’s capacity to organize speech. Participants will move beyond technique-driven approaches to develop integrated, collaborative intervention frameworks that honor neurodiversity, reduce performance pressure, and support meaningful communication. This workshop is ideal for clinicians seeking deeper clinical reasoning, refined collaboration, and practical strategies that align nervous system readiness with speech motor learning.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Analyze verbal apraxia through a sensory–motor and praxis-based framework
• Identify regulation and sensory processing factors impacting speech motor planning
• Apply motor learning principles using whole-body and relational strategies
• Define OT and SLP roles in collaborative, ethical intervention
• Design integrated session plans that support speech without isolating the mouth

Outline / Agenda:

9.00 to 10.30                          Understanding Verbal Apraxia as a Whole-Body Motor Planning Disorder

10.30 to 11.00                       Morning Break

11.00 to 12.30                       Regulation, Sensory Processing & the Preconditions for Speech

12.30 to 12.45                       Lunch

12.45 to 2.15                          Praxis, Posture and Motor Learning – Supporting Speech Through Movement

2.15 to 2.30                            Afternoon Break

2.30 to 4.00                            Integration, Collaboration and Clinical Application

Learning Objectives:

Session 1: Understanding Verbal Apraxia as a Whole-Body Motor Planning Disorder

Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Differentiate childhood verbal apraxia from phonological, language-based, and neuromotor speech disorders by analyzing motor planning, sequencing, and consistency characteristics relevant to occupational therapy practice
2. Explain the contribution of global praxis, sensory–motor integration, and neural motor planning systems to speech organization in children with verbal apraxia

Session 2: Regulation, Sensory Processing & the Preconditions for Speech

Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify sensory processing patterns and regulation states that influence speech motor planning and verbal output in children with verbal apraxia
2. Select sensory–motor and regulation-based intervention strategies that support nervous system readiness for speech within clinical collaboration

Session 3: Praxis, Posture & Motor Learning – Supporting Speech Through Movement

Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Analyze the impact of postural control, proximal stability, and global motor sequencing on speech production in children with verbal apraxia
2. Apply motor learning principles using whole-body, multisensory strategies to support speech motor planning during occupational therapy intervention

Session 4: Integration, Collaboration & Clinical Application

Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Develop collaborative intervention plans that align occupational therapy and speech-language pathology roles when supporting children with verbal apraxia
2. Design integrated, neuro-affirming occupational therapy session structures that support speech goals while prioritizing regulation, participation, and relational safety

Presenter: Maude Le Roux, OTR/L, SIPT, ADHD-RSP, DIR Champion and Expert Training Leader

Bio: Maude Le Roux is a global trainer in multiple methodologies and a mentor to therapists from multidisciplinary teams. She opened her practice, A Total Approach in Glen Mills, PA, USA in 2001. Maude started her training career in 2007 and opened her online academy in 2019. She has designed the Developmental Pathways Model (DPM), which she applies to her own unique assessment and intervention protocol for major diagnosis such as Dyspraxia, ADHD and Executive Functions, Autism, Reading and Writing Disorders, and Trauma and Attachment. Maude served 9 years on the Board of Directors for ATTACh and currently serves on their Advisory Board. She also serves on the Advisory Board for LSWorks (Neuralign program). She is a co-author of two books and more recently wrote a chapter on Trauma and the Body in “Healing Connections” which launched in September 2024. Maude received an award for “Continued child advocacy” through the ATTACh organization in September 2024. She also received the Champion Award through ICDL in November 2024. Maude has a “whole child” approach to care and intervention and equipping the child, while empowering the parent is at the core of who she is as a clinician and trainer.

Target Audience: Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Physical Therapists, Social Workers, Psychologists, Educators

Educational Level: Advanced

Instructional Methods: PowerPoint, Group Discussion, Video

Contact Hours: 6 hours

Contact: [email protected]