Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-2025
Publisher
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
Source Publication
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
Source ISSN
1058-0360
Original Item ID
DOI: 10.1044/2025_AJSLP-24-00239
Abstract
Purpose: Mounting research supports the use of motor-based intervention (e.g., Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing [DTTC]) for children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), but large randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed to better understand optimal treatment conditions. Partnering with community clinicians may help support recruitment and data collection for large groups of participants with CAS. However, to achieve this, rigorous training is needed to ensure high-fidelity treatment and adherence to research protocols. This work presents a multiphase process for training community clinicians to implement high-fidelity DTTC. We then examined whether clinician factors predicted their performance on assessment tasks used to determine eligibility to be hired as research clinicians and DTTC treatment fidelity.
Method: Community clinicians underwent a multiphase process of application, training, and assessment tasks to determine their eligibility as research clinicians for an RCT on DTTC dose frequency. Throughout the RCT, DTTC treatment fidelity was monitored across 20% of all treatment sessions. Linear regressions were performed to determine if clinician factors predicted performance on (a) eligibility assessment tasks and (b) DTTC fidelity with the first RCT participant.
Results: DTTC fidelity during the eligibility assessment phase was predicted by clinicians' prior DTTC experience, but not years of overall clinician experience or CAS-specific experience. No clinician factors predicted DTTC fidelity within the RCT.
Conclusions: Results suggest that this multiphase process was successful in preparing community clinicians to provide research-reliable DTTC treatment, even when prior clinical experience varied. We posit that multiple and varied learning opportunities, combined with individualized feedback, mentorship, and self-reflection, contributed to these results.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Case, Julia; Grigos, Maria I.; Velleman, Shelley L.; Murray, Elizabeth; Thomas, Donna C.; Anumandla, Shelby; and Iuzzini-Seigel, Jenya, "A Pathway to Research-Reliable Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing for Children With Childhood Apraxia of Speech: A Multiphase Process for Training Community Clinicians" (2025). Speech Pathology and Audiology Faculty Research and Publications. 78.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/spaud_fac/78
ADA Accessible Version
Comments
Accepted version. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, Vol. 34, No. 4S (July 2025): 2359-2382. DOI. © 2025 The Authors. Used with permission.