In the Spring of 2021 the Carruth Center was approached by SLPs and research scientists to take part in a scientific study examining the effectiveness of the Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol (K-SLP). The K-SLP was developed by Nancy Kaufman MA, CCC-SLP and founder of the Kaufman Children’s Center in West Bloomfield, Michigan. The K-SLP is widely used by speech-language pathologists and highly regarded as being an effective and preferred intervention methodology for the treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech. SLPs at The Carruth Center have received ongoing mentorship and training from Nancy Kaufman for the last 12 years and are proficient in these methodologies.
Dr. Aravind Namasivayam from the University of Toronto and Dr. Vikas Grover from New York Medical School met with the Carruth Center’s Clinic Director, Mimi Branham, and Nancy Kaufman to begin laying the groundwork for this study. Once the research proposal completed the IRB process, the Carruth Center enrolled two of our current clients receiving individual speech-therapy services from our highly trained SLPs in the study. In the summer of 2022 we enrolled an additional 6 participants who were enrolled in The Carruth Center’s Kaufman-Apraxia Bootcamp (K-ABC). Vigorous pre- and post-intervention testing protocols were completed with all participants to obtain baseline data and to measure progress. In addition a list of “probe words” was developed for each participant based on their specific speech goals. The participants repeated these “probe words” at regular intervals during the study to help measure the effects of their ongoing speech intervention. All of this data was shared with the research team who analyzed it based on protocols established when the study began.
We hope the information obtained during the study will increase the evidence base for the efficacy of the Kaufman-Speech to Language Protocol for the treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech. The Carruth Center, along with other members of the research team, presented the findings from the Kaufman-Apraxia Boot Camp portion of the study at the Apraxia Kids National Conference in Plano, TX in July, 2023, and will present it again at the American Speech-Language Hearing Association convention in November, 2023. Thank you to the families who participated in the study – it makes such a difference in the field of speech-language pathology! Thanks also goes to the professionals at The Carruth Center who helped with data collection and to the research team who helped us keep the research on track.
