By Heather Amman and Michelle Phillips

What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

"No one can understand my child."

"It looks like he is trying to say the word, but can't get it out."

"She said that word one time, and then I never heard it again."

These are common descriptions of children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), a motor speech disorder that makes it hard to speak and be understood. Most kids with apraxia have age-appropriate receptive language, which means they can understand just the same as their age-matched peers.

The root of the word apraxia is “praxis,” which means planned movement. Children with apraxia have difficulty carrying out the precise timing and complex movements of speech that most of us take for granted. It can take a lot of work to learn to say sounds and words better. "A child with CAS knows what they want to say. The problem is not how the child thinks but how the brain tells the mouth muscles to move." (Childhood Apraxia of Speech)

Check out this video from the Mayo Clinic to learn more about Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

Is it Apraxia?

Not all children with apraxia are the same. Your child may show some or all of the signs below:

does not always say words the same way every time
tends to put the stress on the wrong syllable or word
distorts or changes sounds
can say shorter words more clearly than longer words

Children with apraxia may have other problems related to motor (movement) planning, including:

difficulty with fine motor skills
delayed language
problems with reading, spelling, and writing
messy eating or limited food ranges

What does Apraxia testing look like?

To evaluate your child's condition, your child's speech-language pathologist (SLP) will review your child's symptoms and medical history, conduct an examination of the muscles used for speech, and examine how your child produces speech sounds, words, and phrases. Your child's speech-language pathologist will also assess your child's language skills, such as his or her vocabulary, sentence structure, and ability to understand speech.

Diagnosis of apraxia isn't based on any single test or observation. It depends on the pattern of problems that are seen. The specific tests conducted during the evaluation will depend on your child's age, ability to cooperate, and the severity of the speech problem. Fill out this simple form to schedule an evaluation with us.

What is the treatment and outlook for Apraxia?

In most cases, the cause is unknown and the challenges their children face can seem very perplexing to parents. Apraxia is not a disorder that can be “outgrown,” rather children with apraxia will not make progress without treatment. The good news is that with proper treatment children with apraxia can improve significantly. Your child may begin with speech therapy several times per week. To learn more about what speech therapy sessions might include, visit: What makes Speech Therapy Different for Children with Apraxia?

Because speech practice is very important, your child's speech-language pathologist may encourage you to be involved in your child's speech therapy sessions and practice at home. Your child must practice speaking to get better at it and they will benefit greatly from your collaboration! Family support is a key part of treatment for a child with apraxia of speech.

Children with apraxia who have movement difficulties in their arms or legs may need physical therapy or occupational therapy in addition to speech therapy. The interdisciplinary team at Better Learning Therapies can collaborate to provide your child with a customized treatment plan.

5 Things To Do At Home When Your Child Is First Diagnosed

Find an SLP Who Understands Apraxia

An important first step is finding an SLP who is familiar with motor speech disorders like apraxia and will use a motor speech approach to treatment. The difficulty for these children is moving between sounds and syllables rather than just with specific speech sounds so the therapy approach will be different than with other communication difficulties. Some specific training programs include PROMPT© therapy, The K-SLP Method, and orofacial myofunctional training. Our clinic offers specific therapies to treat speech sound disorders.

Visit Apraxia-Kids.org

Bookmark apraxia-kids.org and visit their parent portal. They are the most trusted source outside of your speech therapist for information and answers to your questions. The website provides evidence-based advice on how you can best help your child.

The Parent Portal provides parents who are just hearing the words “childhood apraxia of speech” for the first time with the critical information needed to understand the diagnosis and answer those initial questions. Apraxia Kids also has an app guide!

Encourage Your Child to Take Risks

One of the biggest challenges is convincing a child with Apraxia to try to talk. Help your child become a “risk-taker.” This article gives several great ideas for parents to try.

Start Using Visual Supports Right Away

Visual supports will help reduce frustration by helping your child be understood. These can be in the form of communication boards, signs, a high-tech device, etc. Research shows that when children use an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) device, their verbal language, natural speech, and AAC use all increase simultaneously.

“Some parents are afraid that their child will only want to use AAC systems and not try to talk. There is no evidence to support this idea. AAC systems support communication and help your child as they work on their speech with the SLP.” (Childhood Apraxia of Speech) Parents and therapists can use AAC and keep working on children's ability to say words. This method can help children develop speech because AAC encourages children to make more communication attempts because they have an alternative method. Check out this blog post for more information about AAC.

Recognize and Acknowledge All Your Child’s Communication Methods

Recognize when your child is trying to communicate with you, through signs, pointing, gestures, leading, etc. These all count! Model the word or phrase for your child and celebrate any attempt to verbally communicate. Remember, your child’s mental health matters more than their speech. Prioritize successful communication and authentic connection.

Ready to learn more? Call us at 801-217-3390 to schedule an evaluation with a speech-language pathologist!

May 13 Childhood Apraxia of Speech: 5 Things To Do At Home When Your Child Is First Diagnosed