What is Apraxia?
According to the National Institute of Health, Apraxia of speech (AOS) is a speech sound disorder in which an individual has “trouble saying what he or she wants to say correctly and consistently.” This neurological disorder affects the brain’s ability send messages to the mouth to produce speech and sequence speech sounds.
There are misconceptions about Apraxia, but it is important to know that a child with Apraxia knows what they want to say, but there is a problem with how the brain tells the muscles of the mouth to move.
What are Some Signs of Apraxia?
Not all children with apraxia are the same. Your child may show some or all of the signs below. You should contact a Speech-Language Pathologist if your child is over 3 years old and exhibits the following signs:
- Does not always say words the same way every time
- Tends to put the stress on the wrong syllable or word
- Distorts or changes sound
- Can say shorter words more clearly than longer words
Children with Apraxia may have other problems, including difficulty with fine motor skills; delayed language; or problems with reading, spelling, and writing.
