A 911 call had reported the avalanche had buried 15 skiers – six of the group have since been found alive

Advertisement

Eight skiers have been killed in California in the deadliest US avalanche in over 40 years.

One skier is still missing following the deadly avalanche took place near Lake Tahoe today (Wednesday). The skiers’ families have been told that the mission is now a recovery one rather then rescue, Nevada County Sheriff confirmed at a news conference today.

Search and rescue crews rushed to Castle Peak of California’s Sierra Nevada where they began to search in horrendous conditions. Rescue efforts have been hampered by the heavy snow and threat of further collapses, reported the Mirror.

A 911 call had reported the avalanche had buried 15 skiers – six of the group have since been found alive. The area near Donner Summit is one of the snowiest places in the Western Hemisphere and until just a few years ago was closed to the public.

Ashley Quadros, of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office confirmed two of the rescued skiers have been taken to a hospital for treatment. The Sierra Avalanche Center warned that the risk of avalanche remains high and warned people to stay away from the area.

The group had been on the trail as a huge winter storm hit the West Coast. The Truckee Donner Land Trust highlighted that the area can have nearly 10m (35ft) of snow a year.

Blackbird Mountain Guides, the group leading the expedition, and the skiers’ emergency beacons alerted the authorities to the emergency, Nevada County Sheriff Capt. Russell Greene said. Fifteen backcountry skiers had been on the trip, not 16 as initially believed.

The skiers were on the last day of a backcountry skiing trip where they had spent two nights in the huts, said Steve Reynaud, an avalanche forecaster with the Sierra Avalanche Center.

“Our thoughts are with the missing individuals, their families, and first responders in the field,” Blackbird Mountain Guides said in a statement.

The group, including four guides, were returning to the trailhead after they spent two nights in the huts. The company said it is helping authorities in the search for the skiers.

Donner Summit, where the tragedy occurred, is known for the infamous Donner Party, a group of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after getting trapped there in the winter of 1846-1847. This avalanche could be the biggest collapse since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier, in Washington state.

Each winter, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the US, according to figures from the National Avalanche Center.

Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source.

The week will also see special episodes from Sir David’s most-loved series including Planet Earth II; Seven Worlds, One Planet; Blue Planet II; Planet Earth III; Frozen Planet II; and his most recent film Wild London, along with a dedicated collection of 40 of Sir David’s most-loved programmes on iPlayer.

Teesside Crown Court heard today (February 18), how the victim was bundled into a van with his hands and feet bound with cable ties.

He also had tape covering his eyes and mouth while he was taken to a caravan located on a field near to Sandy Lane in Stockton.

Mark Pearce, 52, and Donald Hammond, 43, both denied being involved in the crime.

Today, a jury found them both guilty of conspiracy to kidnap following a two-week trial. They will both return to Teesside Crown Court on Tuesday, April 7 to be sentenced.

Donald Hammond (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

During the trial, the court heard how the victim was stripped naked, beaten and then forced to film a video for his family to pay a ransom.

Footage played to the court, showed a black Mercedes, hired from London following Pearce’s Land Rover onto the field where the caravan was located.

Hammond, of Papermill Place in London, denied that it was him travelling from London to Stockton, despite mobile phone data obtained by police showing his mobile phone was connecting to masts in that area.

Pearce, of Honeycomb Avenue in Stockton, also denied being in the Land Rover and claimed he was busy racing pigeons at his allotment.

Mark Pearce (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

Cleveland Police detectives obtained CCTV and mobile phone data during their investigation, which led to the men being arrested and charged.

Detective Constable Jonathan Pain, from Stockton CID, said: “Firstly, I want to recognise the courage that has been shown by the victim throughout this process following the unimaginable ordeal he was put through by these men.

“I hope this verdict can provide him some comfort going forward.

“During the trial, Pearce claimed he was merely racing his pigeons. Yet there was a considerable amount of material presented to the jury that disputed this, including CCTV and mobile phone data.

“Thankfully, they saw through the smokescreen of his pigeon defence and found him guilty by a unanimous verdict.

“Hammond travelled up from London in a Mercedes that was seen on CCTV throughout the day, with Pearce’s vehicle going to and from the location where the victim was held. The jury also did not believe his account on how his DNA came to be on items left at the scene.

“This was a highly sophisticated plot with national and international elements.

“I take this opportunity to encourage anyone who has any further information about others involved in this to either contact Crimestoppers anonymously or Cleveland Police on 101.

“Please be assured that any information received will be treated confidentially.”

Arsenal winger Noni Madueke was the target of the Wolves boo boys during Wednesday’s clash between top and bottom in the Premier League.

The England international might appear an unusual player for the Molineux faithful to single out, but the 23-year-old has a bit of history with the relegation threatened club.

Ahead of Chelsea’s game at the same venue last season, Madueke committed social media gaffe by publishing a story on Instagram that read ‘Everything about this place is s***’.

Upon realising his mistake, Madueke published a clarification that did little to appease those of a Wolves persuasion.

He said: ‘Damnn wrong Instagram account.. You lot are too fast [laughing emoji, face palm emoji].’ 

Madueke’s every touch was subsequently booed by the home fans, but they clearly had little impact on the then Blues forward who scored a hat-trick in a thumping 6-2 win on that occasion.

The former PSV Eindhoven star moved from west to north London in the summer and has begun to win over the Arsenal supporters who were not keen on their club sanctioning a £50million transfer.

Madueke had started Arsenal’s previous six games in all competitions prior to Wednesday night, in part down to Bukayo Saka’s unavailability.

And even though Saka returned to the visitors’ XI at Molineux, he continued in the No.10 position behind Viktor Gyokeres, with Madueke given the nod on the right flank.

Mikel Arteta made no secret of the fact he could use Saka more centrally after experimenting with the England international in the same role in Arsenal’s FA Cup win over Wigan on Sunday.

‘Yeah, that’s something that’s a possibility and I wanted to try it,’ Arteta told reporters after the Gunners booked their place in the fifth round.

‘We might use it in the future.

‘There’s still so many games, competitions and different scenarios to play from now until the end of the season.

‘That’s a possibility that we have, yeah.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MORE: Chelsea and Man Utd urged to avoid £82m transfer mistake in bid to catch Arsenal

MORE: RB Leipzig set price for Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal transfer target Yan Diomande

MORE: ‘The Secret Footballer’ finally revealed as former Premier League star

It is the only one from Northern Ireland to feature in the top 100

A Co Fermanagh golf resort has been named one of the top 100 in the world for 2026.

Lough Erne Resort has been recognised as one of the world’s finest golfing destinations, climbing eleven places since last year to secure 65th position in Golf World’s ‘Top 100 Golf Resorts’ ranking.

The list is compiled by an expert international panel who consider course quality, facilities, setting and overall experience and Lough Erne was the only resort in Northern Ireland to rank this year.

READ MORE: Rory McIlroy prize money as he records his best round at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-amREAD MORE: NI golf course gets Top 10 ranking in best 100 parkland courses list

Golf World praised Lough Erne Resort for its exceptional blend of championship golf and luxury hospitality.

They said: “There are 36 holes here, with Castle Hume backing up Sir Nick Faldo’s course, which is characterised by dramatic loughside holes and has been in the GB&I Courses Top 100.

“This is a big jump for this Northern Irish resort, but justified as the golf is more than matched by a 5-star hotel, which sits within a distinctive, ancient building. The lough-edge setting is beautiful and tranquil.”

Last year, The Faldo Course, designed by Sir Nick Faldo, secured a Top 10 position in Golf World’s Top 100 Parkland Courses in Great Britain and Ireland.

Barry McCauley, Director of Golf at Lough Erne Resort, said: “Everyone at Lough Erne Resort is absolutely thrilled to see us climb 11 places in this ranking. This recognition is a tremendous endorsement of the quality, condition and character of our two championship courses.

“This achievement also reflects the dedication and passion of our entire team, from course maintenance to front-of-house, who work tirelessly all year round to deliver exceptional standards.”

Mark Ward and Jeff Mahan of TRU Hotels and Resorts LLC, the US-based operators of Lough Erne Resort, added: “This latest recognition in Golf World’s Top 100 Golf Resorts is a significant achievement and a true reflection of the commitment and excellence shown by the team at Lough Erne Resort.

“Securing this position in such a competitive global ranking highlights the strength of the Resort as a true, premier golfing destination.”

Want to see more of the stories you love from Belfast Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Belfast Live as a preferred source, simply click here

Psychopaths might account for only about 1% of the general population, but
they account for a disproportionate share of violent crime.

Distinct from other conditions like sociopathy and antisocial personality disorder, psychopaths tend to show traits such as an absence of remorse or guilt, a lack of empathy and a charming and manipulative interpersonal style.

You may find it hard to imagine how someone without much empathy can change. And early psychological treatments were not successful. But advances in research are showing that a deeper understanding of psychopathy may help to create more effective interventions.

People with psychopathy typically show problems in responding to other people’s suffering, including difficulty recognising facial expressions of fear and sadness. If you have ever seen someone badly hurt themselves, then you probably had an averse response.

Your brain will have reacted to their pain and your body will probably have shown signs of physiological arousal. Your heart rate might have gone up, or you might have sweated.

These are common signs of physiological arousal in response to someone else’s suffering. But they are often lacking in psychopaths.

When my colleagues and I asked people in prison with a history of violence to view pictures of others’ emotional facial expressions, those who reported more of the characteristic features of psychopathy also showed blunted physiological arousal. Our 2019 study found that the pupil (the small black hole in the centre of the eye that lets in light but also increases in size during physiological arousal) did not change much in size among people higher in psychopathic traits when they looked at pictures of people who were afraid.

These differences mean that some people with these traits might struggle to learn about how their actions cause other people to feel distressed or afraid.

Prisons and secure forensic hospitals are where people with psychopathic traits are often entered into treatment programmes designed to reduce their risk of reoffending. Modest reductions in general reoffending have been reported following cognitive behavioural programmes that are offered to people in prison with or without psychopathy or another personality disorder.

But not all criminal behaviour programs have been marked by success. For
example, in the UK in 2017 the failure of the Core Sexual Offender Treatment Programme designed by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and approved for use in 1992, to lower reoffending was highly publicised.

HMPPS has since introduced a new programme, Building Choices. It adopts a strengths-based, skill focused approach to improve emotion management, healthy relationships and sense of purpose. Unlike the previous course, the programme is not designed to address particular offence types, and it has shown some signs of promise.

Historically, researchers have considered such programmes less effective at reducing reoffending when offered to people with psychopathy. Indeed, some studies even suggest that people with psychopathy worsened following treatment.

One of these programmes, offered from around 1965 to 1978 at the maximum-security Oak Ridge Division of the Mental Health Centre in Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada, made use of a so called “total encounter capsule.”

These results made for a high degree of pessimism among scientists and practitioners alike. But that pessimism might be misplaced.

It is perhaps unsurprising that the “total encounter capsule” did not prove effective. The capsule was “a tiny self-contained chamber where sustenance was supplied through tubes in the walls and from which no group members would leave during sessions that lasted up to two weeks”.

Participants were reported to be nude and did not participate voluntarily. There were few professional therapists, and the use of force and humiliation was permitted.

Historically, there has been a lot of pessimism around treatment for other personality disorders, too.

This is in part a reflection of stigma attached to these disorders. But it is also because personality difficulties can make it harder for people to build relationships, including with the people responsible for their treatment.

Yet a form of therapy known as dialectical behaviour therapy has shown success in reducing self-harm in people with borderline personality disorder. This type of therapy is designed to help people cope with intense emotions and to learn interpersonal skills.

In another recent study, mentalisation-based treatment, which targets the person’s ability to understand and regulate the negative effects of thoughts and feelings, led to reductions in aggressive behaviour in people with antisocial personality disorder. Findings like these suggest tailored interventions are more effective when it comes to personality disorders.

Capable of empathy?

One important consideration when treating psychopaths is that they are often assumed to be incapable of empathy. But this assumption has been challenged by some intriguing studies, which suggests that they might instead lack the motivation for empathy.

In a 2013 brain scanning study, a group of scientists at the university of Groningen, the Netherlands, showed that although criminal psychopaths did not automatically feel empathy for other people’s pain depicted in videos, their brains did generate an empathic response similar to that of non-psychopaths when instructed to feel what the people in the videos were feeling.

It could be an important step toward helping people with psychopathy if they could better understand how their actions can hurt other people.

Perhaps the most promising work that suggests people with psychopathy can
change has been conducted with young people. Although children and young people under the age of 18 cannot be diagnosed as psychopathic, features of psychopathy referred to as callous unemotional traits can be reliably assessed in children as young as two years of age.

A 2018 study adapted parenting interventions to be more effective for this high-risk group of children, aged three to six years old. Afterwards, the children showed significant reductions in behavioural problems, callous unemotional traits and aggression. The researchers coached parents to show more warmth, sensitivity and responsiveness. Parents were also asked to focus on reward-based rather than punishment-based strategies to encourage the child participants to be more responsive to distress in others.

A 2022 study also reported positive outcomes, showing improvements in behaviour and personal relationships in adolescents after an intervention with a focus on strength-based (helping children understand what they’re good at) rather than punishment-based parenting strategies.

So recent work is offering a glimpse of a more optimistic future for reducing aggressive and antisocial behaviour associated with psychopathy. Perhaps the question is not can psychopaths change now, but can we get better at helping them to change.

Harrogate, which sits just outside of the Yorkshire Dales and is less than an hour’s drive from York, was named in Booking.com’s 14th annual Traveller Review Awards.

It comes just months after the area was revealed as one of the best places to live for 2026.

You can read more about that in our previous article.

This time, Harrogate featured alongside the likes of Montepulciano in Italy, known for its hilltop beauty, as well as Pirenópolis in Brazil.

See all of the top 10 most welcoming places in the world on our map below:

The awards are based on more than 370 million verified reviews from travellers across the world and the ‘Most Welcoming Places on Earth’ category celebrates destinations where guests feel genuinely cared for, with personal touches, warm interactions, and hosts who go the extra mile to make trips memorable. 

James Waters, chief business officer at Booking.com, commented: “From welcoming hosts who go above and beyond for guest stays to expert taxi drivers sharing ‘local-only’ tips, these personal touches can make a trip truly special for travellers.

“The Traveller Review Awards continue to shine a well-deserved spotlight on our partners who help create lifelong memories for travellers.

“It’s one of our ways of saying ‘thank you’ from all of us at Booking.com and the hundreds of millions of travellers around the world.”

Why is Harrogate among the world’s most welcoming places?

Among the global winners is Harrogate which was the only UK location to make it on this year’s top 10.

Booking.com shared: “Renowned for its elegant spa heritage, leafy gardens, and beautifully kept streets, the town offers a relaxed yet refined atmosphere, complemented by friendly independent shops, cafés, and a strong sense of community that makes visitors feel at home.

“Some of the recognised accommodation showing remarkable hospitality includes Hotel du Vin & Bistro, and Rudding Park.”

Hotel du Vin & Bistro is a “Yorkshire gem” situated close to the town centre of Harrogate and reveals guests can experience the “allure of Victorian charm infused with modern luxury”.

With 48 rooms and suites, it describes itself as a “distinctive hideaway” nestled in the heart of the picturesque spa town.

Its website continues: “Luxuriate in our spacious, custom-made beds, adorned with hand-sprung mattresses and soft Egyptian bed linen.

Hotel du Vin & Bistro says it’s a ‘Yorkshire gem’ (Image: Tripadvisor)

“Unwind amidst fluffy robes and towels, and choose to indulge in the refreshing bliss of a monsoon shower or a soothing soak in a deep roll-top bath.

“As the sun graces the Yorkshire sky, step into our outdoor bar area, the perfect spot to sip on an enticing aperitif, a delicious crafted cocktail, or a glass of sparkling bubbly.

“Inside, our fabulous bistro, abounding in warm leather sofas, crafts a cosy haven for sharing delectable seasonal dishes and exploring an extensive range of wines with the guidance of our expert sommelier.”

Additionally, being named of the world’s most welcoming destinations isn’t the only praise Harrogate has received recently, as The Independent highlighted it for being one of the UK’s best spa towns too.

Recommended reading:

In 2025, the publisher wrote: “The elegant North Yorkshire town has a long history as a spa town, dating back to 1571 when sulphuric waters were first discovered in several natural springs.

“Now you can sip those waters at the Royal Pump Room Museum and bathe like a Victorian at the heritage Turkish Baths.”

Have you stayed in or visited Harrogate recently? Let us know in the comments below if you have any favourite spots to recommend.

A total of 258 officers were deployed in the day of action tackling serious and organised crime across the region.

In total 23 men linked to an Organised Crime Group in Greater Manchester were arrested.

Police from across the units and departments in Greater Manchester worked together today alongside Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson.

A briefing was held at Clayton Brook complex at 5:30am.

258 officers worked together (Image: GMP)

In total 22 warrants were executed where a total of 23 suspects were arrested.

Seventeen men, between the ages of 18 and 55, and six boys between the ages of 13 and 17 were arrested on suspicion of a range of offences.

This included conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs modern day slavery offences and robbery.

Eleven of these arrests were made across the City of Manchester, with one in Bolton and one in Bury.

Four were made in Salford, two in Wigan and one in Rochdale.

Eleven of these arrests were made across the City of Manchester. (Image: GMP)

Another two arrests were made in Merseyside and one in South Wales.

Several weapons have been seized, including two imitation firearms, bladed articles and tasers, along with Class A and Class B drugs – cocaine and ketamine – £3,000 of cash, eight Rolex watches, valuables in excess of £40,000, and a caravan, all believed to be related to the group’s criminal activity. 

Detective Superintendent Joe Harrop, who leads GMP’s Serious Organised Crime Division, said: “Today’s operation has been a powerful example of our continued, determined effort to dismantle organised crime in our region. 

“We now have 23 people in custody; all linked to a family-run organised crime group that have been causing widespread harm across our communities. Their criminal enterprise has been significantly disrupted and today marks a major step towards completely dismantling their operation. 

Several weapons have been seized along with class A and class B drugs (Image: GMP)

“During the execution of 22 warrants across Greater Manchester and Liverpool this morning, officers weapons, drugs, suspected criminally gained cash, and even a caravan believed to have been used as the headquarters of their operation. 

“The exploitation of children and the supply of drugs will never be tolerated. The individuals we have arrested today we believe have brought significant harm, particularly to the City of Manchester and Salford. 

“Our job isn’t over, and while this operation has been six months in the planning, we will carry on with our relentless action for as long as is necessary, and until organised crime groups are dismantled. 

“We still have persons of interest that we want to lock up, so let this be a message to you: we will come for you, and we will find you.”

Eight skiers have been found dead, and one is still missing, after an avalanche in the northern California mountains, authorities have said.

The avalanche hit the Castle Peak area of Truckee in California about 10 miles (16km) north of Lake Tahoe, at around 11.30am local time on Tuesday.

The cascade engulfed a group of backcountry skiers, with six people being rescued after they became trapped.

Authorities were still searching for nine missing people on Wednesday morning local time, but have now confirmed eight fatalities and one unaccounted for.

“Eight of the additional nine skiers have been located deceased,” Nevada County sheriff Shannan Moon said.

“We are still looking for one of the members at this time.”

Ms Moon said the difficult conditions and the risk of further avalanches had hampered rescue efforts, with the operation still ongoing.

The group of 15 backcountry skiers – who were outside ski resort boundaries – were returning from a three-day excursion when the avalanche struck, the organising tour company Blackbird Mountain Guides said.

The rescued skiers – including one guide and five clients – had taken refuge in a makeshift shelter made from tarpaulin sheets and communicated with authorities using a radio beacon and text messaging.

Two of them were unable to walk because of their injuries and were taken to hospital, Ms Moon said.

One person’s condition had been stabilised and released on Tuesday night, while another person remained in hospital.

The survivors include five women and one man, authorities said.

Ms Moon said it was initially believed that 16 people had been on the tour, but the number was revised to 15 after it was confirmed that one person had pulled out at the last minute.

California has been hit by a powerful storm this week, bringing heavy snow, high winds and severe thunderstorms to the mountainous region.

The Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning for the area in the Central Sierra Nevada, starting on Tuesday at 5am local time, with large slides expected into Wednesday.

The rapid accumulation of snow in unstable layers, coupled with gale-force winds had produced the dangerous conditions.

The area near Donner Summit has one of the highest snowfalls in the Western Hemisphere, with an average of nearly 35 feet (10 meters) of snow a year.

The area is named after the infamous Donner Party, a group of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after becoming trapped in the winter of 1846 to 1847.

The incident marks the deadliest avalanche in the US since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier in Washington.

Each winter, between 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the US, according to the National Avalanche Center.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Talking is one of the most complex actions the human body performs, yet the process of turning thoughts into speech is coordinated on millisecond timescales. For some children, the brain struggles to plan the movements needed for speech, turning everyday conversation into hard work. Even forming a single word can affect learning, friendships and confidence.

UK guidance suggests around one in ten children experience some form of speech, language or communication difficulty, including speech sound disorders. These conditions can influence educational progress, emotional wellbeing and social development. Communication underpins not only learning, but also how children express feelings and connect with others.

As a speech scientist specialising in clinical phonetics and speech acquisition, I am currently researching a less common speech motor disorder: childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). This is a speech motor disorder, meaning the difficulty lies in the brain’s ability to plan and coordinate the movements needed to produce speech.

CAS is estimated to affect roughly one in 1,000 children, though figures vary. Many children improve with specialist speech and language therapy and regular practice. Without this support, speech difficulties are more likely to persist and some children may remain difficult to understand, even to close family members. Families and teachers also play an important role in reinforcing therapy and supporting everyday communication.

Understanding how speech is produced helps explain why these conditions occur and how they can be treated. Speech and language therapists receive extensive training in phonetics, the science of how speech sounds are created, transmitted and heard. Caregivers and teachers can also benefit from a basic understanding of just how complex speech production really is.

Moving parts

Producing even a single sound involves a carefully timed sequence of movements known as a speech motor plan, which the brain must assemble before the sound is spoken. For English speech, the lungs first generate a steady stream of air, usually by exhaling more slowly than during normal breathing.

As this air passes through the voice box, also called the larynx, it moves across the vocal folds. These small folds of tissue can behave in several ways. They can close tightly and release to produce a glottal stop, the brief catch in the throat heard in the middle of “uh-oh”. They can remain open so air flows through freely, creating voiceless sounds such as “s”. Or they can vibrate to produce “voicing”, the low buzzing sound you can feel in your throat when saying sounds like “z” or “b”. Each option depends on fine control of vocal fold position and tension.

À lire aussi :
Common myths about speech problems in children

After leaving the larynx, air travels either through the mouth alone or through both the mouth and nose. This pathway is controlled by the velum, the soft part at the back of the roof of the mouth. The velum lifts to block the nasal passage when air needs to stay in the mouth. When air reaches the mouth, the articulators, including the tongue, lips and teeth, shape it into recognisable speech sounds by creating narrow gaps or brief closures.

Take the first sound in the word “sat”, the /s/ sound. The tip of the tongue moves close to the roof of the mouth just behind the upper teeth, forming a narrow channel. Air rushing through this gap creates friction, producing the familiar hissing sound. At the same time, the velum lifts to stop air entering the nose and the vocal folds stay open so the sound remains voiceless.

Small changes in timing or position can create entirely different sounds. If the vocal folds vibrate, the /z/ sound in “zoo” is produced instead of /s/. If the tongue presses fully against the roof of the mouth, the sound becomes /t/, as in “two”.

Speech becomes even more complex in words and sentences, where sounds overlap and influence each other. The shape of the lips for one sound may be adjusted in advance for the next. When saying “seat”, the lips spread wide, but in “soup” they round in anticipation of the following vowel. Real-time imaging of the vocal tract during speech, including MRI and ultrasound studies, shows how intricate and rapid these adjustments are.

Therapy can help

Because speech relies on so many coordinated actions, the brain must assemble detailed movement plans and send them to the muscles with precise timing. In speech motor disorders such as CAS, this planning process is disrupted. The result is speech that may sound inconsistent, effortful and difficult to understand, with words sometimes produced differently each time, even for people who know the child well.

Therapy grounded in motor skill learning principles has been shown to help some children practise and stabilise these movement patterns. Support may also include augmentative and alternative communication, which refers to tools and strategies that help children communicate while their speech skills develop. These can range from picture boards to speech generating devices.

No single approach fits every child, but progress is possible. Specialist therapy, classroom support and tools such as augmentative and alternative communication can all help. The goal is not perfection, but participation. Being able to share ideas, ask for help and connect with others is what matters most for a child’s development.