Can a Child with Apraxia Improve Speech?

Apraxia is a neurological condition that is often poorly understood. Although a child’s muscles are normal, they will find it difficult or impossible to make certain motor movements. Childhood apraxia of speech can range from mild to severe.

Concerning apraxia of speech, a child may find it difficult or impossible to move his or her mouth and tongue to speak. The muscles can form words, and the child may have a desire to speak, but nothing will come out. Childhood apraxia of speech is a motor speech disorder. The upside is that with the right treatment, a child will improve speech significantly and possibly make a complete recovery.

Signs and symptoms

Children with apraxia might have difficulty expressing themselves with words. It’s important to note that it doesn’t describe a problem with language comprehension. Apraxia refers to the difficulty someone has initiating and performing the movements needed to make speech. Childhood apraxia of speech is all about coordination. A few of the signs or symptoms of apraxia of speech to be on the lookout for include:

• Difficulty stringing syllables together in the appropriate order to make words or inability to do so.
• Minimal babbling during infancy
• Difficulty saying long or complex words
• Repeated attempts at the pronunciation of words
• Speech inconsistencies, such as being able to say a sound or word properly at certain times but not others.
• Excessive use of nonverbal forms of communication
• Distorting of vowel sounds
• Omitting consonants at the beginnings and ends of words

Diagnosing apraxia

A first step in determining if your child has apraxia is to have your child see an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor. You’ll want to check if your child is experiencing any hearing loss. If he or she isn’t able to hear sounds, your child would have trouble speaking. Assuming there is no hearing loss, you should have your child meet with a speech-language pathologist to evaluate the speech difficulties. The speech-language pathologist will likely interact with your child to understand which sounds, syllables and words the child can make and understand. As it stands currently, there isn’t a single test to diagnose childhood apraxia of speech.

Treatments for apraxia of speech

Childhood apraxia of speech will not go away without treatment. However, a child with apraxia can improve speech over time with the correct treatment and intervention. Since there are multiple treatment options and approaches, you need to experiment and see which one works best for your child.

Treatment selection depends on factors such as the severity of the disorder and the communication needs of the child. Most children with apraxia of speech will benefit from meeting one on one with a speech-language pathologist at least three to five times a week. Research finds that the frequency of sessions seems to help the child do better. It’s also important for parents to work with their kids at home on the skills they’re developing. Group therapy sessions are also a suitable option that may be useful for making progress.

Improving speech

While a child with apraxia can improve speech over time, they must have the support of family and access to treatment options and other resources to succeed. As speech improves, you may be able to attend treatment less frequently. With the proper treatment, your child should be able to plan the movements needed to say sounds and make those movements the right way at the right time. Your child must practice speaking regularly to get better at it and make progress.

Treatments take time, and your child is going to need your support along the way. You can contribute by helping your child to practice at home what they learn with the speech-language pathologist. Make practicing fun and recognize when they may need a break, so they don’t become frustrated. While there is no cure and a child will not outgrow it on their own, children with childhood apraxia of speech can make great progress with lots of hard work and support.

Next steps

Educating yourself about apraxia is an excellent way to understand what it is and gather possible treatment options for your child. You should be hopeful that with hard work, your child can improve his or her speech. If you suspect your child may have apraxia, then it’s important to make an appointment with a specialist and gather more insights and information around their condition. Learn more about ENT Physicians Inc. and how we can help by giving us a call today at (419) 318-4987.