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Purpose A number of justification have examined the effects of speech interventions on outcomes in childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). The findings have been summarized in the form of systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses, which are used to support evidence-based clinical practice decisions. Yet without acceptable rigor, SRs/meta-analyses may be biased in their recommendations. We appraised the quality of existing SRs for CAS treatment using a tool developed within epidemiology, the AMSTAR-2 (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews). Method A search of five databases to identify published SRs that coalesced treatment research for CAS revealed six systematic reviews that met inclusion criteria. Two examiners coded each article with the AMSTAR-2 to rate the methodologic rigor of the SRs and extracted summary data. Results One rigorous systematic review included only one randomized controlled trial. A second moderately rigorous review examined multiple single participant research designs. The weight of high-quality evidence supported the positive effects of motor programming treatments for children with CAS. Conclusions Findings of six systematic reviews, two of which were conducted with relative rigor, suggest that motor programming treatments have the best evidence base for treatment decisions pertaining to CAS. Clinicians are referred to online resources to implement these treatments according to published protocols.

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Purpose The impact of visual- and movement-specific intervention techniques for developing grammatical morphemes in the spoken language of two 6-year-old female children with language impairment was measured. Method An adapted alternating treatment single-subject study examined the grammar outcomes from the use of Shape Coding (i.e., using shapes, colors, and arrows to teach grammatical rules; Ebbels, van der Lely, & Dockrell, 2007 ) and an equivalent researcher-designed kinesthetic-/movement-based set of cues. Results Interventions were successfully provided by novice clinicians with limited training. Results indicated improvement across both students and were differentiated between students and intervention techniques. Conclusion These positive findings support the use of Shape Coding and movement-based interventions targeting language improvement. School-based clinicians should consider multiple modalities for therapeutic instruction with children with language impairment. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.9454127