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Childhood Apraxia
of Speech
Developmental (Childhood) apraxia of speech is a disorder of the
nervous system that affects the ability to sequence and say sounds,
syllables, and words. It is not due to muscular weakness or paralysis.
The problem is in the brain's planning to move the body parts needed
for speech (e.g., lips, jaw, tongue). The child knows what he or she
wants to say, but the brain is not sending the correct instructions to
move the body parts of speech the way they need to be moved. There is
no known cause of the disorder.
Signs of Developmental Apraxia of Speech In Very Young Children
The child...
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does not coo or babble
as an infant
-
produces first words
after some delay, but these words are missing sounds
-
produces only a few
different consonant sounds
-
is unsuccessful at
combining sounds
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simplifies words by
replacing difficult sounds with easier ones or by deleting difficult
sounds (Although all children do this, the child with developmental
apraxia of speech does so more often).
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may have feeding
problems.
Signs of
Developmental Apraxia of Speech In Older Children
The child...
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makes inconsistent
sound errors that are not the result of immaturity
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can understand
language much better than he or she can produce it
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has difficulty
imitating speech
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may appear to be
groping when attempting to produce sounds or to coordinate the lips,
tongue, and jaw for purposeful movement
-
has more difficulty
saying longer phrases than shorter ones
-
appears to be worse
when he or she is anxious
-
is hard for listeners
to understand.
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Some children may have
other developmental and communication problems as well. These problems
can include weakness of the lips, jaw, or tongue; delayed language
development; other expressive language problems; difficulties with
fine motor movement; and problems with oral-sensory perception
(identifying an object in the mouth through the sense of touch).
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