Children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) and other motor speech disorders benefit from therapy approaches that focus on speech motor planning, coordination, and execution. Two of the most effective evidence-based methods for treating motor speech difficulties are PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets) and DTTC (Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing). Both approaches use structured, hands-on techniques to help children gain control over their speech movements, but they do so in different ways. Some children may benefit from one approach, while others may need a combination of both to make meaningful progress in their speech production.
What is PROMPT?
PROMPT therapy is a specialized, tactile-kinesthetic approach that helps individuals with speech and communication challenges by focusing on motor control and proprioception. In this method, therapists use hands-on cues, applying gentle touch to specific areas of the face, lips, jaw, and neck to guide the production of sounds and words. These tactile cues provide direct motor and sensory feedback, helping the child learn how to properly sequence and coordinate speech movements.
At Sensory Kids, we integrate PROMPT therapy into individualized sessions that also target expressive, receptive, and social language skills. During 1:1 therapy sessions, PROMPT-trained speech-language pathologists use these physical cues to, improve speech clarity and motor control, support accurate sound production, develop expressive language (sentence formation, vocabulary growth), strengthen receptive language (following directions, understanding concepts), and enhance social language skills (turn-taking, conversational flow, joint attention).
What is DTTC?
Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC) is another evidence-based motor speech approach designed specifically for children with CAS and severe speech motor planning difficulties. Unlike PROMPT, which focuses on tactile cues to support speech motor control, DTTC emphasizes repetitive speech practice with gradually faded cueing to improve a child’s ability to plan, sequence, and produce speech movements independently.
A DTTC-trained speech therapist at Sensory Kids begins with a thorough evaluation to assess a child’s ability to coordinate and sequence speech movements. If DTTC is deemed appropriate, therapy sessions are structured around, simultaneous production, where the therapist and child say words together to establish accurate movements, direct imitation, encouraging independent speech with therapist feedback, tactile and gestural cues, guiding speech movements for accuracy, and gradual fading of cues, promoting independent and natural speech.
How PROMPT and DTTC Work Together for Apraxia
While PROMPT and DTTC are distinct approaches, they can be used together to provide a comprehensive treatment plan for children with CAS and other motor speech disorders. PROMPT gives children the physical guidance and sensory input needed to shape and support accurate speech movements, while DTTC focuses on repetitive speech practice, cueing hierarchies, and movement sequencing to help children refine their speech accuracy over time.
Using both methods in a coordinated therapy plan allows therapists to provide precise, individualized support that strengthens a child’s speech motor control, sequencing, and overall communication skills. By integrating these approaches, therapy sessions ensure that children gain the skills needed for clear, confident speech in both structured and natural settings.
Getting Started with PROMPT and DTTC
A motor speech-trained speech-language pathologist at Sensory Kids will conduct a comprehensive evaluation to determine whether your child would benefit from PROMPT, DTTC, or a combination of both approaches. Based on the assessment, the therapist will develop an individualized treatment plan, outlining the frequency of therapy sessions and specific goals for your child.
For more information about PROMPT and DTTC, please follow the links below: