What is DTTC?

• Dynamic motor-based treatment developed by Dr. Edythe Strand (2020) and based on Integral Stimulation
• Designed for children with moderate to severe CAS
• Focuses on the refinement of speech movements and shaping of accurate movement gestures
• Incorporates Principles of Motor Learning at all stages

What is the Goal of DTTC?

Improve the efficiency of neural processing to:

• Develop and refine motor planning and programming, especially the specification of movement parameters
• Provide strategies to enhance generalization and habituation

How does it work?

Through repeated practice, DTTC aims to develop and refine speech motor programs by:

• providing clear and accurate auditory and visual models
• shaping movements through slowed rate, visual and tactile cues
• adding and fading cues, as needed
• providing specific feedback about the movement early on (Knowledge of Performance, KP), then fading to Knowledge of Results (KR) to facilitate learning and retention.

How do you organize your sessions to maximize your client’s potential?

To Consider:

• Practice Amount: How much is enough?
• Length of Sessions: shorter vs. longer
• Random vs. Blocked practice
• Mass vs. Distributed practice

To Remember:

• DTTC is a treatment designed for moderate to severe CAS adhering to this paradigm shift of focusing attention on movement rather than the sound in treatment.
• Prosody should be practiced from the start of therapy—it is not an afterthought.
• The focus should be on positive not negative practice—once a child begins to produce a target incorrectly-the therapist immediately intervenes.

*It is essential to have conscious awareness of how you move your jaw, lips and tongue as you model words.