A systematic scoping review of the literacy skills of children with childhood apraxia of speech: Recommendations for best practice and further research.

Abstract

Purpose: Little is known about the literacy skills of children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) or effective methods for teaching them to read. This systematic scoping review aimed to synthesise what is known about this issue.

Method: Nine databases were searched to identify relevant articles. Included articles were categorised by study design, quality, and confidence of CAS diagnosis.

Result: Twenty-three articles were included, 17 described literacy skills of children with CAS and six trialled literacy interventions. Children with CAS had early skills deficits that manifest as literacy difficulties in the later school years and beyond. They frequently had poorer outcomes compared with both typical readers and children with other speech disorders. Both the extent of literacy impairment and responsiveness to intervention appear to be related to the severity of speech impairment. Four literacy interventions for children with CAS were identified.

Conclusions: Children with CAS are at high risk of literacy difficulty and may require early literacy intervention to help them attain academic success. Further research is warranted to determine the longer-term literacy outcomes of children with CAS, appropriate means of assessment, and whether a systematic synthetic phonics approach is an effective form of literacy instruction for this population.