The Madison Center uses an Integral Stimulation approach with a focus on the principles of motor learning to treat children diagnosed with CAS. This approach to treatment focuses on movement patterns and requires the client to imitate utterances modeled by the clinician, with attention focused on both the auditory model and visual attention to the clinician's face (Strand & Skinder, 1999). In addition, gestural, tactile and prosodic cues are also emphasized to achieve correct movement gestures for speech.
The Madison Center utilizes a variety of evidence-based approaches and programs, including minimal pairs, cycles, and multiple oppositions, among others, depending on the client’ individual needs and goals. Sounds are selected based on individual need, developmental norms, and impact on intelligibility. A hierarchy approach is used to treat sounds in isolation, through syllables, words, phrases, sentences, reading, and connected speech. Speech sound cue cards and gestures are used to pair sounds with visuals.
Our therapists utilize an interactive, individualized, play and strength-based approach to develop functional speech and language skills. The therapists prioritize collaboration with team members from the child's school and work closely with the parents to develop carry over of skills to the home and school environments.
Due to the nature of stuttering being so variable, we try to assess each child's speech in a variety of situations. We believe in treating the child who stutters using two evidence-based approaches: stuttering modification (modifying the moments of stuttering) and fluency shaping (establishing fluency across different settings and using smooth speech skills). The intervention strategies our therapists choose are based solely on the individual's needs. These needs can be influenced by what triggers the individual's disfluent speech, what we are trying to accomplish long term, and what behaviors need modification. Ultimately by the end of therapy services, our goal is for the client who stutters to have access to a variety of tools to achieve and maintain their fluent speech in all environments.
Our goal is to improve a child's ability to communicate meaningfully and successfully with others. We implement role playing and conversations to teach children how to engage and relate to others appropriately in given social situations. Emphasis is placed on a variety of social skill areas, such as body space, non verbal communication, asking questions to gain more information, topic initiation, and conversational exchanges and maintaining a topic.
