What is childhood apraxia of speech?

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder where the brain has difficulty planning and coordinating the precise movements of the lips, tongue, and jaw needed for speech. The child knows what they want to say, but their brain struggles to direct the movements to produce the sounds correctly.

How is apraxia different from a speech delay?

In a typical speech delay, a child follows the normal pattern of development but at a slower pace. With apraxia, the difficulty is specifically with motor planning — the child may be inconsistent in their errors, struggle more with longer words, and have difficulty imitating sounds on demand.

How is apraxia treated?

Apraxia is treated with frequent, intensive speech therapy that focuses on practising the motor movements of speech. Research supports approaches like Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC) and the Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme. Frequent, shorter sessions tend to produce better results than infrequent longer ones.

Apraxia of Speech in Vancouver, BC

Apraxia of Speech

What Is Apraxia of Speech?

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a neurological motor speech disorder. Children with apraxia understand language and know what they want to say, but their brains have difficulty coordinating the muscle movements needed to form words. It is not caused by muscle weakness; the challenge is in the planning and sequencing of speech movements.

Signs of Apraxia

Limited babbling as an infant
First words are late and may be missing sounds
Inconsistent errors (the same word may sound different each time)
Difficulty imitating words or sounds on request
Greater difficulty with longer words or phrases
Groping movements of the mouth when trying to speak
Can understand much more than they can express

How Is Apraxia Diagnosed?

Apraxia is diagnosed by a speech-language pathologist through a thorough assessment that looks at oral motor skills, speech sound production, prosody (rhythm and stress in speech), and the consistency of errors. There is no single test; diagnosis involves observing patterns across multiple tasks.

How Speech Therapy Helps

Treatment for apraxia requires frequent, intensive practice focused on the motor planning of speech. Evidence-based approaches include:

Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC): a method that uses touch cues and modelling to help the child learn movement sequences
Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme: a structured program that builds from simple to complex speech movements
PROMPT: a tactile-kinesthetic approach that uses physical cues to guide jaw, lip, and tongue movements

Research shows that children with apraxia benefit most from frequent, shorter sessions (3–5 times per week) rather than occasional longer ones. With the right support, children with apraxia can make real progress in their ability to communicate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is childhood apraxia of speech?: Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder where the brain has difficulty planning and coordinating the precise movements of the lips, tongue, and jaw needed for speech. The child knows what they want to say, but their brain struggles to direct the movements to produce the sounds correctly.
How is apraxia different from a speech delay?: In a typical speech delay, a child follows the normal pattern of development but at a slower pace. With apraxia, the difficulty is specifically with motor planning — the child may be inconsistent in their errors, struggle more with longer words, and have difficulty imitating sounds on demand.
How is apraxia treated?: Apraxia is treated with frequent, intensive speech therapy that focuses on practising the motor movements of speech. Research supports approaches like Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC) and the Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme. Frequent, shorter sessions tend to produce better results than infrequent longer ones.