Treatment Approaches for Neurological Disorders

Neurological disorders are disorders that affect the spine, brain, and nerves that connect them. There is a wide range of neurological disorders and more than 600 disorders that affect the nervous system. As a result, the treatment of neurological disorders has attracted significant attention and been the subject of numerous studies. The studies have focused on various issues relating to these disorders, particularly the development and use of various methods for treatment of these diseases. An example of a study that has been carried out towards the treatment of neurological disorders is a study by E. Maas, C.E. Gildersleeve-Neumann, K.J. Jakielski, and R. Stoeckel. This group of researchers conducted a study that examined the use of motor-based intervention protocols to treat childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), which is one of the speech sound disorders affecting children.

The researchers commenced the study through identification of the various categories of speech sound disorders (SSD), which is classified on the basis of descriptive linguistic typologies (Maas et al., 2014). They identified apraxia of speech (CAS) as one of the three subtypes of Motor Speech Disorder (MSD), which is one of the classifications of speech sound disorders. The study states that CAS is associated with speech motor preparation deficits like planning and programming deficits, which differentiates it from other SSD categories and MSD subtypes. Some of the symptoms of CAS include inconsistent mistakes on consonants and vowels, prosodic abnormalities, and coarticulation difficulties.

The study discusses interventions that are geared towards treatment of CAS with a specific focus on motor-based interventions. During this process, the researchers excluded motor-based intervention approaches that do not primarily focus on production of speech. The first step towards evaluation of these interventions entailed conducting a review of concepts relating to speech motor control and learning. Based on the review of these concepts, the study found that there are certain practice conditions that promote motor learning. The study then examined the extent with which the practice conditions could promote speech motor learning among children suffering from apraxia of speech. The reviewed motor-based treatment approaches or practice conditions in the study include Target Selection, Integral Stimulation Approaches, Rapid Syllable Transition (ReST), Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme, 3rd Edition (NDP3), Physically Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT), and Biofeedback Treatment (Mass et al., 2014).
Following the review of the concepts and practice conditions, the researcher concluded that available evidence shows that a series of motor-based intervention protocols enhance speech motor skills of children with CAS (Maas et al., 2014). These protocols contribute to enhance motor skills among children suffering from CAS through several ingredients. Some of the ingredients in most of these effective approaches include a high amount of practice, use of other feedback modalities, a small number of treatment targets, delivery of knowledge of outcomes and knowledge of performance feedback, and a homework component. Despite contributing towards enhanced motor skills among children with CAS, the reviewed approaches have numerous differences among them. These differences relate to practice schedule, elicitation technique, target selection criteria, frequency of feedback, and distribution of practice. The Integral Stimulation Approach has the strongest evidence in existing literature while ReST has the fewest number of studies to support it. Despite demonstrating that these treatment approaches help in enhancing motor skills among children with CAS, the study concludes that further studies should be carried out to identify the optimal ingredients and situations to realize maximal enhancements in children with this condition.
Treatment Efficacy
The study suggests that motor-based intervention protocols or treatment approaches are suitable in addressing apraxia of speech since they enhance motor skills of these children. In my opinion, Integral Stimulation Therapy is the most effective motor-based intervention for this condition as show in existing evidence-based literature. The efficacy of this treatment approach is evident in the fact that it’s a motor-based, speech-centered intervention that incorporates the concepts of cognitive motor learning. In addition to this approach, the other motor based intervention protocols are effective for treatment of apraxia of speech among children because of their basis on the principles of cognitive motor learning. These approaches are suitable in enhancing the motor skills of children with apraxia of speech because they focus on specific and repeated practice of the targeted motor task. The motor learning principles and practice highlight the treatment efficacy of motor based intervention protocols since children with CAS practice the desired speech sounds in several experimental contexts that are akin to real life situations.
Based on existing evidence-based literature, the efficacy of motor based intervention protocols or treatment approaches is centered on practicing the desired or targeted speech sounds in contexts that are akin to real life situations. As children practice the targeted speech sounds, their motor learning skills enhances, which in turn plays a critical role in addressing the speech sound disorder. In essence, the most necessary and effective approach in addressing apraxia of speech among children is development of motor learning skills. Motor based intervention protocols have proven effective in treatment of the condition since they enhance the motor learning skills of children suffering from CAS through specific and repeated practice of the targeted speech sounds. Therefore, I concur with the study’s findings that motor based interventions are effective in treatment of CAS.
Reference
Maas, E., Gildersleeve-Neumann, C.E., Jakielski, K.J. & Stoeckel, R. (2014, April 17). Motor-Based Intervention Protocols in Treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). Current Developmental Disorders Reports, 1(3), 197-206.