Apraxia: What's all the talk about?

Apraxia Awareness Month is a campaign that takes place annually during the month of May. The goal is to raise awareness about apraxia, a motor speech disorder that affects a person’s ability to speak. During Apraxia Awareness Month, organizations and individuals around the world work to educate the public about the condition, its symptoms and the impact it can have on those affected by it. 

‍

Apraxia is a motor speech disorder that affects a person’s ability to plan and execute the movements necessary for speech. People with apraxia may know what they want to say but have difficulty coordinating the muscle movement needed to produce speech sounds.  This can result in errors in speech sounds, word order, and rhythm, making it difficult for the person to produce speech that is clear and understandable. The brain has difficulty coordinating the complex oral movements needed to create sounds into syllables, syllables into words, and words into phrases. Typically, muscle weakness is not to blame for this speech disorder.

‍

Apraxia can occur in adults as a result of a stroke, brain injury or degenerative neurological disorder. However, apraxia can also occur in childhood. The cause of Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is unknown. CAS is not a disorder that can be “outgrown,” but children do make progress with their speech development when provided with appropriate treatment. An accurate diagnosis of Childhood Apraxia of Speech requires a comprehensive speech and language evaluation by a speech-language pathologist (SLP). The SLP will evaluate your child's speech skills and expressive and receptive language abilities, while gathering information from your family about how your child communicates at home and in other situations. 

‍

A child with CAS should work with an SLP. Your child may begin with therapy 3–5 times per week. As speech improves, treatment may be less often. The goal of treatment is to help your child say sounds, words, and sentences more clearly. Your child will learn how to plan the movements needed to say sounds and make those movements the right way at the right time and in the right order. In some instances your child might need a speech generating device or an augmentative or alternative form of communication. This might be something as simple as sign language or a picture board or even an iPad. An AAC device is not meant to replace the verbal production of speech but rather is a system to support communication and help your child as they work on their speech with the SLP

‍

It’s important to note that apraxia is a complex condition and treatment can vary depending on the individual and the underlying cause of their apraxia. A Speech Language pathologist can provide more specific information and guidance on the treatment options. If you have concerns regarding your child’s speech development, schedule an evaluation today. 

‍