The Apraxia Preschool Program

Eligibility 

• Children born in 2022 or 2023 are eligible to apply for the upcoming year. Children born in the Fall of 2021 may also be eligible, if they have not yet accessed 2 years of PUF funding.
• Priority will be given to children with a confirmed diagnosis of apraxia. 
  
• If spaces remain, consideration will also be given to children with suspected apraxia, developmental dysarthria, speech motor delay, and/or severe phonological delays.
  
• Children’s receptive language (their understanding of language) must be within normal limits/age-appropriate.
  
• We welcome applications for children who have more than one diagnosis (ex: hearing loss, autism, cerebral palsy, etc). Because our programming is highly focused on speech and pre-literacy, we require that speech be the child’s primary area of communication need at this point in time.
• Children must have sufficient imitation and attention skills to engage in direct therapy focusing on speech movements.

The application form will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete, and will require you to submit information about:

• Personal and contact information for your child and family
• Program that your child will attend
• Any previous assessments your child has completed
• Languages spoken in your home
• What concerns you have about your child’s development

If you have questions about our TAPP program, please contact us at: 780-902-6575 or via email: TAPP@communityoptions.ab.ca

Important: While we strongly encourage families to apply early, registration in the program is not first-come, first-served. Priority is given to children with a confirmed diagnosis of apraxia, and age-appropriate receptive language.

APPLY FOR TAPP

Once we receive your application form, a member of our assessment team will be in touch with you within 7 business days to discuss the next steps for your child.

This may include:

• Obtaining additional documentation if your child has seen other health professionals
• Completing an assessment with your child
• Attending a TAPP Screening or Open House event

This information is gathered to determine whether your child is eligible for PUF services through Alberta Education, and to ensure that TAPP is the best program fit for your child.

If we determine your child is eligible for TAPP services, we will contact you to complete a registration form.

Registering with us means that you are choosing Community Options: TAPP as your Program unit funding (PUF) provider. In order to complete your registration:

• You must complete the registration form we send you (online or paper copy available)
• You must provide a copy of your child’s Birth Certificate

You will then receive confirmation of your registration. You will receive information from your child’s Program Director and Classroom Teacher over the summer, about the provision of services for the school year.

What is Apraxia?
Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a rare speech sound disorder that impacts approximately 1–2 out of every 1,000 children. People with apraxia of speech have difficulty coordinating the movements of the tongue, lips, jaw and palate that are needed to produce clear speech. While the diagnosis is considered lifelong, children often experience significant improvement in the clarity of their speech when they have access to the appropriate supports.

Diagnosing Apraxia
Childhood Apraxia of Speech is best diagnosed by a Speech-Language Pathologist who has specialized training in motor speech disorders. The assessment process can be lengthy and should include a parent interview, a series of formal and informal speech tasks for the child, and an oral-mechanism exam.

Treating Apraxia
Children with apraxia need frequent, intensive practice to improve their speech. Current research suggests that children with this diagnosis should be seen for treatment at least 3 times per week to make the best possible gains. Because children with apraxia are also at increased risk for literacy difficulties (reading and writing), it is best to work on their early literacy skills from a young age (e.g. awareness of rhyme, syllables, sounds, and letters).

At TAPP, we are proud to offer evidence-based treatment for apraxia that includes frequent 1-on-1 sessions with the SLP, enhanced pre-literacy programming, and a classroom environment specifically tailored to celebrate the strengths and support the challenges of children with apraxia. We offer small class sizes and play-based programming that allows each child to build their confidence while using their voices in new and exciting ways.