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Apraxia activities: few words, many repetitions
Childhood apraxia of speech needs the opposite of a big word list. A handful of targets, produced dozens of times, at the child's own pace, with no timer pushing them into a rushed attempt.
These activities are built around that: you can set a small target set and a high repetition count, and nothing on screen counts down or takes the turn away.
Who this is for
- Children with a diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS)
- Children working on syllable sequencing and multisyllabic words
- Any child who needs massed practice on a very small set of targets
- Sessions where the child sets the pace and the adult judges each attempt
Goals these target
- Produce a target word accurately across 20 or more consecutive trials
- Sequence two, three, four and five syllable words with correct syllable count and stress
- Move from imitated to spontaneous production of a small target set
- Attempt a repair after an unsuccessful production without adult modelling
The games
Syllable Practice
The syllable banks run 2, 3, 4 and 5 syllables as their own sets, so you can hold syllable length constant while everything else varies. This is the closest thing here to a pure sequencing task.
Open Syllable Practice →
Little Speech Train
Short stops with a word at each one and a small gift between. The structure gives a natural rest between blocks of repetitions, which matters for a child who fatigues.
Open Little Speech Train →
Construction Crew
Say the word, a machine drives over, one brick of the house goes up. Six to nine repetitions per build with an obvious, physical result. Preschool-friendly.
Open Construction Crew →
Robot Repair Shop
Six repairs per robot, one word each. Set 5 or 8 reps and a single robot for a tight block of massed practice on very few words.
Open Robot Repair Shop →
Picture Spin Adventure
Custom words can be typed in, so you can load the child's own five targets rather than working from the bank.
Open Picture Spin Adventure →
Movie Studio
For older children with CAS: the same handful of words recur across the scenes of a film, so repetition arrives inside a story rather than as a list.
Open Movie Studio →Running the session
- Cut the list, not the repsFive words at 20 reps beats 20 words at 5 reps. Most of these games let you type custom words or pick a short bank — use it.
- No timers, everNothing here counts down during a production. If a game offers a speed mode, leave it off for a child with apraxia; rushing the attempt is the opposite of what motor learning needs.
- Model, then fadeRun the first block with a model before every attempt, then fade to a model every third attempt, then to none. Keep the word set identical while you fade.
- Watch stress, not just soundsOn multisyllabic targets, mark an attempt as Try Again if the syllable count or stress is wrong even when every sound is correct.
- Same targets, different gameWhen a child tires of a game, keep the word list and change the game rather than the other way round.
Questions
Why is there no timer or speed round?
Speed pressure works against motor learning for apraxia. Games that do have speed modes make them optional, and every core practice screen waits for the child.
Can I use the child's own target words?
Yes, in the games with a custom word box, including Picture Spin Adventure and several of the articulation games — type the list and the game uses it instead of the bank.
How many repetitions should a session get?
Research on motor learning points to high numbers — 60 to 100 productions in a session is a reasonable aim for a child who can tolerate it. These games count the trials for you.
Are the multisyllabic words real sequencing practice?
The syllable banks are grouped by syllable count (2, 3, 4 and 5), so a session can hold length constant. That is what makes them useful for sequencing rather than just long words.
Related activities
Built and used by a practicing speech-language pathologist. Nothing here records audio or collects information about a child — see the privacy notice. Games run in any modern browser on a tablet or computer.