What Is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?
2 min read
If your child understands what you are saying but struggles to talk, you may wonder why speaking seems so difficult. One possible reason is Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), a motor planning speech disorder that affects a child’s ability to produce clear speech.
Childhood Apraxia of Speech is not a language disorder. Children with apraxia often know what they want to say and may understand language very well. Instead, the difficulty lies in planning the movements needed for speech. The brain has trouble sending the correct messages to the lips, tongue, jaw, and vocal cords so they can work together to produce sounds and words.
A simple way to think about it is this: The child knows the words. The muscles are strong enough to speak. But the brain has difficulty planning the movements needed to say those words clearly.
What Are the Signs? #
Children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech do not all look the same, but there are several common characteristics.
A child with apraxia may say the same word differently each time they try to say it. They often have difficulty combining sounds into words or moving smoothly from one sound or syllable to the next. Longer words are usually much harder than shorter words.
Speech may sound slow, choppy, or effortful. A child may pause between sounds or syllables while trying to figure out how to move their mouth. Because speaking requires so much effort, they may become frustrated when others cannot understand them.
Many children with apraxia understand far more than they can express. They may follow directions, point to pictures, and show they know what is being said, yet struggle to communicate verbally.
How Is Apraxia Different from a Speech Delay? #
Many parents hear the term “speech delay,” but childhood apraxia of speech is much more than simply talking late.
A child with a developmental speech delay usually learns speech sounds in the typical order, just more slowly. A child with apraxia has difficulty planning and coordinating the movements for speech, so errors are often inconsistent. One attempt at a word may sound very different from the next.
Because the underlying problem is motor planning, children with apraxia need specialized speech therapy designed specifically for this disorder.
What Causes Childhood Apraxia of Speech? #
For many children, the exact cause is unknown. Researchers believe Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a neurological disorder that affects how the brain plans speech movements. It is not caused by muscle weakness, poor parenting, or a lack of practice.
Some children have apraxia by itself, while others may have additional developmental or genetic conditions. Every child is unique, which is why a comprehensive evaluation is so important.
How Is It Diagnosed? #
Childhood Apraxia of Speech should be diagnosed by a speech-language pathologist with experience evaluating motor speech disorders. During the evaluation, the therapist looks at much more than whether a child can say individual sounds.
The evaluation examines how consistently the child produces words, how smoothly they move from one sound to another, speech rhythm and stress, oral-motor movements, and overall communication abilities. Sometimes very young children need to be evaluated more than once before a clear diagnosis can be made.
Can Children Improve? #
Yes. With early, frequent, and individualized speech therapy, children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech can make significant progress. Therapy focuses on helping the brain develop accurate motor plans for speech through repeated practice of sounds, syllables, words, and phrases.
Progress is different for every child. Some children improve quickly, while others need therapy over several years. Family involvement and regular practice at home are important parts of success.
There Is Hope #
A diagnosis of Childhood Apraxia of Speech can feel overwhelming, but there is every reason to be hopeful. Children with apraxia are capable of learning to communicate, and many become highly successful speakers with the right therapy and support.
At Bridge Disability Network, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to find their voice. We help connect families with speech-language evaluations, therapy, resources, and financial assistance so children with communication disorders can reach their fullest potential.