What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a motor speech disorder that impacts a child’s ability to say sounds and words. People with Childhood Apraxia of Speech have difficulty with motor movements in the absence of muscle weakness. Childhood Apraxia of Speech can occur alongside other speech sound disorders.

What are the signs of Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

• Limited babbling as a baby
• Inconsistent sound errors
• Difficulty imitating speech
• Speaks more clearly in single words than in longer phrases
• Delayed language development
  

How will you assess for Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

A speech-language pathologist can help you to determine if your child’s speech sound disorder is characteristic of Childhood Apraxia of Speech. The SLP will take a close look at your child’s: vowel production, articulatory movements, and prosody using the following methods:

• A standardized assessment which involves repeating words of increased length
• Listening to your child in connected speech
• A screening of oral structures and functions (looking in the child’s mouth, asking the child to say certain words quickly, etc).