Eficiența metodei DTTC în apraxia de vorbire la copii cu comorbidități neurologice complexe

asttlr 2026, Vol XII, Nr. 1

Eficiența metodei DTTC în apraxia de vorbire la copii cu comorbidități neurologice complexe

The Effectiveness of DTTC in Childhood Apraxia of Speech with Complex Neurological Comorbidities/a>

Eva FRANKEL
Abstract

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a neurological disorder of speech motor planning and programming, often co-occurring with complex developmental and neurological conditions. In children with neonatal seizures, early-onset ataxia and intellectual disability, the clinical profile is highly vulnerable and intervention requires intensive, motor-learning–based approaches. This paper presents a single-case clinical study of a 6-year-old girl with severe CAS secondary to neonatal seizures and early-onset ataxia, associated with moderate intellectual disability. An adapted Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC) programme was implemented as the first 12-month stage of a planned 2-year intervention (two 50-minute sessions per week), with systematic modification of the standard hierarchy (starting from simultaneous production, reduced advancement criterion of 5–8 accurate productions, and enhanced visual, tactile and gestural cueing). Complementary orofacial myofunctional therapy, imitation-based play and augmentative and alternative communication were integrated. Results after approximately 6 months showed a 300–400% increase in functional active vocabulary (from 4–5 to 15–20 words), clinically relevant gains on a communicative Matrix scale and improvements in attention, fine motor skills and communicative engagement. These findings support the clinical usefulness of an individually adapted DTTC approach for children with CAS in atypical neurological contexts and highlight the importance of treatment intensity, multisensory input and flexible application of motor learning principles


Keywords: childhood apraxia of speech; Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing; motor learning; neonatal seizures; early-onset ataxia
pdf

DOI:10.26744/rrttlc.2026.12.1.06
Published on line: 03/31/2026

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