Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder. Children with CAS have problems saying sounds, syllables, and words. This is not because of muscle weakness or paralysis. The brain has problems planning the movement of the body parts (e.g., lips, jaw, tongue) needed for speech. The child knows what he or she wants to say, but his/her brain has difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words. Isolated exercises designed to “strengthen” the oral muscles will not help with speech for individuals with CAS. CAS is a disorder of speech coordination, not strength.

Common Symptoms of Childhood Apraxia of Speech:

In very young children:

In an older child:

Treatment for Childhood Apraxia of Speech:

The most effective treatment approaches involve those which include principles of “motor learning” which include a high degree of practice and repetition, correction and feedback, slowed rate, and a focus on targeted motor placement and productions.  Increased sensory input for control of the movement sequences and sensory cuing such as visual, tactile, and kinesthetic cuing; touch cuing; verbal cuing are also incorporated. The use of rhythm and melody can also support speech production. Apraxia therapy differs from traditional articulation therapy in that it focuses on speech sequences versus individual sounds.

Many experienced speech-language pathologists use multiple methods and approaches rather than a “one approach fits all” notion, combining some/all the methods mentioned above and using them based on the individual child’s needs.