Apraxia of Speech or a Phonological Disorder?

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder that is not due to muscle weakness. The brain has difficulty planning the movements that need to be executed by the mouth structures to result in speech. This results in difficulty with making voluntary speech sounds and sequencing or stringing them together in the correct order to make words. The child knows what he/she wants to say, but his/her brain has problems with coordinating the muscle movements necessary to produce those words.

Characteristics of CAS include:

Early Development

·         slow and late development of speech skills

·         limited early sound development; most vocal communication is in vowels only

·         limited ability to imitate speech

·         frustration with communication skills

·         use of grunting and pointing as a main mode of communication beyond 18 months of age

·         words used a few times and then never heard again

     Speech Characteristics

·         unintelligible speech

·         difficulty positioning the mouth structures for speech sound production (“groping”)

·         inconsistency of speech productions

·         difficulty speaking “on demand”

·         unusual and atypical error patterns

Phonological Disorders:

A phonological disorder is difficulty with the patterns for combining sounds clearly into speech. Find a description of phonological processes here.

Important Differences

1.    Language Skills

Although their receptive language or understanding is generally intact, children with apraxia usually have delayed expressive language skills. Children with phonological disorders may have expressive language skills closer to or within the normal range. While their speech is mostly unintelligible, they use lots of words and try to combine them into phrases and sentences.

2.    Copying Abilities

Children with apraxia usually have severe difficulties imitating speech sounds or mouth movements, while children with phonological disorders can copy movements, sounds or words, although their words might not be produced accurately.

3.    Consistency of Errors

Children with phonological disorders are generally consistent with their errors and exhibit patterns of errors, while children with apraxia are very inconsistent. They could say a word correctly once and then incorrectly a short while after.

4.    Vowel Sounds

Both children with phonological disorders and apraxia have difficulties with consonant sounds, but children with apraxia also substitute or sometimes omit vowel sounds too.

5.    Groping

Children with apraxia often look like they are searching for the correct way to position their mouths to form speech sounds.

It is important to contact a speech- and language therapist if you are at all concerned about your child’s speech development and –intelligibility.

For more information check out the following links:

The Source for Childhood Apraxia of Speech (LinguiSystems)

http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/childhoodapraxia.htm

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Childhood_apraxia_of_speech

http://www.pammarshalla.com/blog/2011/08/differentiating-between-apraxia-and-severe-phonological-deficit/

http://teachmetotalk.com/2008/03/16/is-it-apraxia-or-a-phonological-processing-disorder-sorting-out-the-differences-in-toddlers-preschoolers-2/

http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-is-childhood-apraxia-of-speech-and.html

http://www.webmd.com/brain/apraxia-symptoms-causes-tests-treatments

Post by Elmien Truter