What is childhood apraxia of speech?

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 to move 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. A Very Young Child

Does not coo or babble as an infant First words are late, and they may be missing sounds Only a few different consonant and vowel sounds Problems combining sounds; may show long pauses between sounds Simplifies words by replacing difficult sounds with easier ones or by deleting difficult sounds (although all children do this, the child with apraxia of speech does so more often) May have problems eating Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder. There is something in the child's brain that is not allowing messages to get to the mouth muscles to produce speech correctly. In most cases, the cause is unknown. However, some possible causes include:

Genetic disorders or syndromes Stroke or brain injury It is important to note that while CAS may be referred to as "developmental apraxia," it is not a disorder that children simply "outgrow." For many developmental speech disorders, children learn sounds in a typical order, just at a slower pace. In CAS, children do not follow typical patterns and will not make progress without treatment. There is no cure, but with appropriate, intensive intervention, significant progress can be made. An Older Child

Makes inconsistent sound errors that are not the result of immaturity Can understand language much better than he or she can talk Has difficulty imitating speech, but imitated speech is more clear than spontaneous speech 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 words or phrases clearly than shorter ones Appears to have more difficulty when he or she is anxious Is hard to understand, especially for an unfamiliar listener Sounds choppy, monotonous, or stresses the wrong syllable or word

Apraxia: Symptoms, Causes, Tests, Treatments

What Is Apraxia? Apraxia is a poorly understood neurological condition. People who have it find it difficult or impossible to make certain motor movements, even though their muscles are normal. Milder forms of apraxia are known as dyspraxia. Apraxia can occur in a number of different forms. One form is orofacial apraxia. People with orofacial apraxia are unable to voluntarily perform certain movements involving facial muscles. For instance, they may not be able to lick their lips or wink. Another form of apraxia affects a person's ability to intentionally move arms and legs.

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With apraxia of speech a person finds it difficult or impossible to move his or her mouth and tongue to speak. This happens, even though the person has the desire to speak and the mouth and tongue muscles are physically able to form words. Are There Different Types of Apraxia of Speech? There are two forms of apraxia of speech -- acquired apraxia and developmental apraxia. Acquired apraxia can occur in people of all ages. Typically, though, it is found in adults. This condition causes people to lose the speech-making abilities they once possessed. Developmental apraxia of speech is also known as childhood apraxia of speech. This condition is present from birth, and it affects a child's ability to form sounds and words. Children with speech apraxia often have far greater abilities to understand speech than to express themselves with spoken words. The majority of children with developmental apraxia will experience significant improvement, if not complete recovery, with the correct treatment. What Is the Difference Between Apraxia of Speech and Aphasia? Apraxia is sometimes confused with aphasia, another communication disorder. That confusion can be complicated by the fact that the two conditions can occur together. People with apraxia and aphasia might both have difficulty expressing themselves with words. There are, though, distinct differences between the two. Aphasia describes a problem in a person's ability to understand or use words in and of themselves. This may make it hard for someone with the condition to speak, read, or write. But apraxia does not describe a problem with language comprehension. Apraxia refers to the difficulty someone has initiating and performing the movements needed to make speech. This difficulty arises despite the fact that there is no weakness in the necessary muscles. What Are the Symptoms of Apraxia of Speech? There are a variety of speech-related symptoms that can be associated with apraxia, including: Difficulty stringing syllables together in the appropriate order to make words, or inability to do so Minimal babbling during infancy Difficulty saying long or complex words Repeated attempts at pronunciation of words Speech inconsistencies, such as being able to say a sound or word properly at certain times but not others Incorrect inflections or stresses on certain sounds or words Excessive use of nonverbal forms of communication Distorting of vowel sounds Omitting consonants at the beginnings and ends of words Seeming to grope or struggle to make words Childhood apraxia of speech rarely occurs alone. It is often accompanied by other language or cognitive deficits, which may cause: Limited vocabulary Grammatical problems

Problems with coordination and fine motor skills Difficulties chewing and swallowing Clumsiness