CAS Clinic

CAS Clinic
Our CAS Clinic is run by Speech Pathologist, Samantha Malfitano. We offer:
- Comprehensive Assessment
- Differential diagnosis of Childhood Apraxia of Speech
- Second-opinion diagnosis
- Consultative services for other speech pathologists
- Intensive intervention using evidence-based treatment approaches for effective therapy outcomes.
What is CAS?
Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a neurodevelopmental motor speech disorder that affects a child’s ability to program, plan and coordinate the movements needed for speech.
Signs to watch for:
- Difficulty with Speech Movements: Children with CAS know what they want to say, but their brain has trouble coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words.
- Inconsistent Errors: The same word might be pronounced differently each time the child attempts to say it.
- Groping Movements: Children may exhibit visible struggle or “groping” movements with their mouth as they try to form words.
- Difficulty with Longer Words: Shorter words might be easier to say than longer, multisyllabic words
- Inappropriate Prosody: Inappropriate stress and intonation patterns in words and sentences.
Most children with CAS have an unknown cause, however CAS can co‐occur with all other developmental conditions including other communication disorders. In some cases, CAS may be linked to genetic disorders or syndromes.
Treatment
- An accurate diagnosis of Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is the first and most important step. This is because the treatment approaches which are used for CAS are specific and differ from the treatment approaches that are used for other more common speech sound disorders. Using the correct treatment approaches and treatment intensity is crucial for effective treatment outcomes.
- Intensive Speech Therapy: Evidence consistently highlights that children with CAS require intensive speech therapy to improve their speech skills. Sessions can be scheduled 2 – 5 times per week with a planned therapy break.
- Motor Learning Principles: Therapy focuses on practicing the movements needed for speech, often using repetition and specific feedback. Errorless learning is emphasised, therefore appropriate goal setting and target selection is important.
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC): In some instances, AAC may be used to support communication while speech skills are still highly unintelligible.
Samantha has extensive training on the following evidence-based treatment approaches:
- Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC)
- Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme – 3rd Edition (NDP3)
- Rapid Syllable Transition (ReST)
Many children with CAS can make significant improvements in their speech with the appropriate supports.
Funding
At Kids and Cubs Clinic we accept the following funding options:

NDIS
- Self-managed funding
- Plan-managed funding

Private Health Insurance
- Please consult your private health provider to determine eligibility and rebate amounts.

Medicare
- Chronic Disease Management plan (previously known as Enhanced Primary Care plan)
- Please discuss Medicare funding options with your GP