Apraxia of Speech

What Causes Apraxia of Speech?

The majority of causes of developmental apraxia of speech are unknown. In some cases, your child may have brain damage or a genetic disorder or syndrome that causes brain damage resulting in apraxia. Acquired apraxia of speech may be the result of a stroke or head injury. It is important to note that apraxia is due to poor motor planning in the signals from the brain to the mouth and is not a result of oral musculature weakness.

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What are Early Signs of Apraxia of Speech?

 

• Does not coo or babble as an infant
• Omission of essential sounds
• Difficulty imitating words on request
• Inconsistency in sound production
• Oral groping during attempted speech production
• Understands what others say but has difficulty expressing 

themselves
• More difficulty producing longer words
• Puts emphasis on the wrong syllables

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Key features of CAS include:

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1. Inconsistent Speech Errors: Children may produce sounds and words correctly at one time but struggle to do so consistently.

2. Difficulty with Longer Words: Children often find it harder to say longer or more complex words than shorter, simpler ones.

3. Groping Movements: They may exhibit visible struggle or groping movements when trying to say words.

4. Delayed Speech Development: Many children with CAS begin to speak later than their peers and may have a limited vocabulary.

5. Increased Effort: Speaking can require significant effort and concentration, leading to frustration.

 

Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial, and speech therapy tailored to the child's specific needs can help improve their communication skills.

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What is the Treatment for Apraxia of Speech?

 

A speech-language pathologist will work on improving the  coordination of muscle movements through repetition of syllables, words, and phrases. The speech-language pathologist will also work to shape the child’s muscle movements into correct productions and clearer speech rather than slow and effortful speech production. This process often involves isolating the movements of the tongue and lips, imitating sustained vowels and consonants, and pairing tactile cues to facilitate  improved motor planning skills.