DDPE Module 8: Dynamic Assessment: Nonword Repetition, Syllable and Sentence Repetition

Differential Diagnosis in Preschool Evaluations: A Case Study

Module 8: Dynamic Assessment: Nonword Repetition, Syllable and Sentence Repetition

In this section of the evaluation, Cate moves onto dynamic assessment tasks including repeating nonwords (Dollaghan & Campbell, 1998), sentences and syllables. Cate reminds us that we are beginning to think that Alex’s diagnosis should actually be developmental apraxia. Alex’s variable productions and distortion during non-word repetition indicate that apraxia is indeed the likely diagnosis. Cate considered other possible diagnoses (selective mutism and second language acquisition) before confirming apraxia as the source of Alex’s communication difficulty. As with previous modules, Cate indicates where the information gathered would go in the final evaluation.

Critical Questions on LEADERS:

Dollaghan, C., & Campbell, T. F. (1998). Nonword repetition and child language
impairment. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 41(5), 1136-
1146.

Harris, H. F. (1996). Elective mutism: A tutorial. Language, Speech, and
Hearing Services in Schools, 27, 10-15.

Preston, K. (2014). When a child goes silent. The ASHA Leader, 19, 34-38.

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In the 9 years since this video was produced, there have been advances in the diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech. The work of Overby, Caspari, and Schreiber (2019) describes the early indicators that are seen in young children who are later diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech. Please consider updating this video and consider using the Mayo 10+1 checklist to document signs of apraxia across multiple tasks.