What is Apraxia of Speech?

  • A speech sound disorder in which a person has difficulty coordinating, sequencing and executing the movements needed to produce connected speech 
  • Errors are usually inconsistent and vary based on the motor planning needed for a given word or sentence structure
  • An individual knows what he/she is trying to say, but a breakdown occurs in the brain sending the signals to the motor planning articulators of the mouth 
I know more than I say, I think more than I speak, I notice more than you think.

​Don't underestimate me.

what are some characteristics of apraxia?

Apraxia of speech requires differential diagnosis and attention to detail when ruling out other speech sound disorders or language disorders. Some characteristics of apraxia help to distinguish it from other types of disorders. Markers of apraxia can be noted in
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  • difficulty moving smoothly across sounds, syllables or words
  • inconsistent error patterns (i.e., the same word may be said differently across trials)
  • difficulty with voicing of sounds (such as /p & b/ and saying "pig" instead of "big")
  • difficulty with rhythm and intonation of speech
  • facial groping noticed when trying to produce connected speech
  • using incorrect stress or equal emphasis in a word (such as emphasizing "COM-pu-ter" versus "com-PU-ter")
  • distortions with vowel sounds
  • limited inventory of consonants and vowels in speech repertoire 

Benefits of treatment

  • Based on Principles of Motor Planning to maximize client outcomes and success
  • Follows Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC) approach
  • Intensive frequency of sessions allows for max practice and quicker progress 
  • Individual services allow for more direct attention between provider and child
  • Virtual delivery of sessions allows for easy access to intensives 
  • Incorporates multi-modal cueing systems, such as a combination of visual-verbal-gestural-tactile cues
  • Prioritizes functional vocabulary words to promote success in everyday environments 
  • Collaborates with the family to develop home programs for max practice 
For more information on childhood apraxia of speech, click this link here.