As Apraxia is a motor based deficit, one of the most important treatment strategies is REPETITION. Therefore, it is very important for families to be an active part of their child's therapy and be able to incorporate strategies into their daily routines. Apraxia can impact many areas of your child's development, such as motor skills, safety awareness, speech and language skills, social skills, and academic skills. Below are some stratgies that you may incorporate into your daily activities to facilitate progress:
- Break down tasks into smaller tasks; seeing/hearing the 'big' task may appear overwhelming
- Incorporate imitation activities
- Incorporate multi-sensory activities (for example, when teaching the concepts over/under, it may help your child to physically go over and under objects to grasp these concepts)
- Use of rhythm can assist with timing of speech and motor movements (songs, familiar rhymes, making up your own rhythm/rhyme to assist with a new skill)
- Encourage new play schemes; getting your child to play with the same toy in a variety of ways
- Encourage assistance with familiar repetitive activities (helping set the table for dinner, independently getting ready for the day, etc.)
- Use simple langauge and be consistent in the langauge that you use when teaching tasks
- Introduce visual schedules when needed
- Encourage peer interactions
- When at parks, assist your child as they move through the playground
- Encourage participation in sports activities; individual and/or team