Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a speech disorder that involves the motor planning of the speech production. Children with apraxia of speech experience difficulty planning and coordinating the many movements required for comprehensible speech. A series of well-coordinated movements of the articulators (tongue, lips, jaw, soft palate) coupled with controlled speech breathing, and adduction and abduction of the vocal folds must be precisely coordinated to form intelligible speech. Apraxia of speech is the inability to form and execute such a plan in all its complexity
Speech production is the most complex motor process we produce. Simply speaking, when the intention to communicate is formed the brain must send impulses to the respiratory system, the larynx and the muscles of the articulators in the exact order and timing of movement so that the message is properly conveyed. This means that each sound, word, and sentence must be produced accurately, within fractions of a second in order to send a clear message. Finally, the systems must function with enough strength and range of motion to produce understandable speech.
It is believed that children with Childhood Apraxia are not able to connect the motor plan with the actual movements required for precise speech production. CAS is often characterized by:
- Inconsistent production of sounds
- Frequent groping for words and sounds
- Hesitations in speech production
- Effortful speech with frequent and inconsistent phonological errors
- Unintelligible, jargon-like speech
As with all speech and language impairments, if you feel that your child is experiencing difficulties in their development of speech and language, contact your pediatrician or a qualified Speech Language Pathologist for an evaluation.
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