Implementation science: Training community speech therapists to conduct evidence-based treatment for children with childhood apraxia of speech

Abstract

<p><strong>Introduction</strong></p><p>Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a pediatric motor speech disorder requiring specialized assessment and treatment. Identifying CAS in Cantonese speakers is challenging, and local speech therapists (STs) may struggle to implement research-based treatments despite their training, which is typically based on the English literature. This project aims to provide intensive training to local STs on research-based assessment and treatment, and to evaluate its effectiveness.</p><p><strong>Methods</strong></p><p>Six clinicians (five practicing STs and one student ST) participated in pre-clinical and clinical training. Pre-clinical training included 8 hours of online tutorials and a one-day workshop, requiring completion of five modules with quizzes. The workshop involved practical exercises, submission of videos, and reflective essays. Clinical training focused on assessment and DTTC treatment for children with CAS, with outcome measures including quiz scores, pre-/post-workshop surveys, and treatment fidelity.</p><p><strong>Results</strong></p><p>The project is ongoing. All participants have passed the pre-clinical training, and the ST student has completed the clinical training. The whole group of STs averaged 11.6 total attempts across the six quizzes. The ST student has finished treatment with one participant, with 90% fidelity. On the pre- and post-workshop surveys, the six participants’ average confidence ratings for implementing DTTC treatment were 2.5 and 3.0 (out of 4), respectively. Additionally, participants provided more detailed lists of important components of the treatment in the post-workshop survey compared to the pre-workshop one.</p><p><strong>Discussion</strong></p><p>This project offers an effective protocol for training local STs in CAS assessment and DTTC treatment. Preliminary fidelity measures indicate that the training has aided clinicians in applying research-based assessment and treatment. Future studies could explore using this protocol in other ST-related treatment programs.</p>