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Communicative Disorder

Student’s Name

Institution

Course

Professor

Date
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Communicative Disorder

Step One

The communicative disorder is a broad area that covers a range of impairments related to

communication (Plante & Beeson, 2022). A specific disorder within this area is Childhood Apraxia of

Speech (CAS), a neurological disorder characterized by difficulty producing sounds, syllables, and

words. This disorder affects the ability to plan and sequence the motor movements necessary for

speech. This essay will discuss a hypothetical child with CAS. This child is a five-year-old boy named

Jimmy. Jimmy is the youngest of three children in a middle-class family. He has two older sisters, one

of whom is a typically developing child, while the other has mild autism.

Jimmy needs help producing speech sounds and forming words. He can produce a few words,

but they often need to be clarified. He needs help following verbal instructions, and his speech often

sounds choppy. When he attempts to say a word, he often pauses or stops mid-word as if he cannot

remember what comes next. He also needs help imitating words and sounds. Jimmy's language

development is delayed. He has difficulty understanding what others say to him, and he often

responds with unrelated words or gestures. He has difficulty understanding and following directions

and often becomes frustrated when he does not understand what is being said. Jimmy has difficulty

with social skills. He often does not understand social cues and has difficulty interacting with other

children his age. He is easily frustrated and often withdraws when he is overwhelmed. He is

nonverbal and has difficulty expressing his feelings and needs. Jimmy's parents have sought

assistance from a speech-language pathologist to help him with his communication difficulties. He is

building his expressive language and improving his understanding of spoken language. Through

augmentative communication, Jimmy can communicate his needs and wants. Jimmy's progress has

been slow but steady. With the help of his family, speech-language pathologist, and other

professionals, he has made progress in his communication skills. He is now able to express his wants

and needs, as well as understand and follow directions. He is beginning to interact with other children

his age, and he is learning to express his feelings in appropriate ways. Jimmy's story is a reminder of
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the importance of early intervention for communicative disorders. With the proper support and

intervention, Jimmy has made progress in his communication skills.

Step Two

Jimmy may display a variety of language behaviors, including difficulty producing and

sequencing sounds, difficulty understanding and following directions, difficulty with expressive

language, difficulty understanding and producing words and phrases, difficulty with imitation,

difficulty with social skills and understanding social cues, difficulty understanding and expressing

feelings, and difficulty with augmentative communication. Jimmy may have difficulty producing and

sequencing sounds, which is common for children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (Iuzzini-Seigel,

Allison, & Stoeckel, 2022). He may have difficulty producing individual sounds and words and pause

or stop mid-word as if he cannot remember what comes next. He may also need help imitating, and

sequencing sounds to form words and phrases. This difficulty can make it hard for Jimmy to

communicate his wants and needs. Jimmy may also have difficulty understanding and following

directions, which can be a common difficulty for children with CAS. He may have difficulty

understanding and comprehending what is being said to him, and he may respond with unrelated

words or gestures. This can make it difficult for Jimmy to follow directions and understand what is

expected of him. Jimmy may also have difficulty with expressive language, which is the ability to

express oneself verbally. He may have difficulty producing words and phrases and expressing his

wants and needs. This can make it hard for Jimmy to communicate effectively. Jimmy may also need

help with social skills and understanding social cues. He may need help understanding how to interact

with other children his age and may be easily overwhelmed. This can make it difficult for him to form

relationships with peers. Finally, Jimmy may have difficulty understanding and expressing his

feelings. He may not be able to verbalize his feelings, and he may not understand how to express

himself appropriately. This can make it difficult for him to communicate his feelings and needs.

Step Three

I will enhance language development of Jimmy by creating a positive and nurturing

classroom environment. A positive classroom environment is beneficial in helping children with

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communicative disorders develop their language skills (Murray et al., 2021). I would create an

atmosphere that accepts Jimmy's communication needs and provide him with the necessary

accommodations to ensure his success. I would also use visual supports such as pictures and symbols

to help him better understand the expectations and activities within the classroom. Additionally, I

would create a schedule that includes consistent and predictable activities. This will help Jimmy to

feel more comfortable and secure in the classroom and allow him to focus on his language

development. I would also provide Jimmy with individualized instruction tailored to his specific

needs. I would use various activities and strategies such as verbal prompting, modeling, and repetition

to help him develop his language skills. I would also use augmentative communication devices and

strategies to help him effectively communicate his needs and wants.

Additionally, I would provide him with opportunities to practice his language skills in various

contexts, such as circle time, small group activities, and one-on-one activities. I would also use a

variety of activities and games to help Jimmy develop his language skills. I would include listening,

speaking, reading, and writing activities. I would use a variety of activities, such as word-matching

games, picture-matching games, and sporting activities, to help him identify and recognize words. I

would also use activities such as filling in missing words or completing sentences to help him practice

his expressive language. I would also use songs and stories to help him develop his language

understanding. Finally, I would include Jimmy's parents in his language development plan. I would

work closely with them to ensure he is progressing and provide them with resources and strategies to

help him at home. This will help ensure that he receives the necessary support and intervention to help

him develop his language skills. I am confident that he will make progress in his language

development by providing Jimmy with a supportive and nurturing classroom environment,

individualized instruction, and activities and games to help him develop his language skills.
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References

Iuzzini-Seigel, J., Allison, K. M., & Stoeckel, R. (2022). A tool for differential diagnosis of childhood

apraxia of speech and dysarthria in children: A tutorial. Language, Speech, and Hearing

Services in Schools, 53(4), 926-946.

Murray, E., Iuzzini-Seigel, J., Maas, E., Terband, H., & Ballard, K. J. (2021). Differential diagnosis of

childhood apraxia of speech compared to other speech sound disorders: A systematic

review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(1), 279-300.

Plante, E., & Beeson, P. M. (2022). Communication and communication disorders. Pearson College

Division.