Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder seen in children that have trouble planning and performing the muscle movements necessary to create speech sounds. Different from other speech disorders, CAS is not due to muscle weakness but a difficulty in sending messages from the brain to the tongue, lips, and jaw. Unfortunately, the cause of this disorder is unknown in most cases. It is crucial to remember that children with CAS know what they want to say! Even though it is challenging to get the right speech positions, the message is there, and they just need a little more practice and effort to form those shapes with the tongue, lips, and jaw. Sometimes CAS is also called developmental apraxia, verbal apraxia, or speech apraxia.

CAS looks different on everyone, but some symptoms that may be associated with CAS include:

Groping movements of the mouth (trying to find the correct position for words)
Does not say words the same way every time
Only able to form a few consonants or vowels
Difficulty moving smoothly from one sound or word to the next

If your child exhibits one or more of the above symptoms, ask your physician or speech-language pathologist about it. These characteristics are similar to those of other speech disorders, so it normally takes a full comprehensive assessment and multiple sessions to officially diagnose CAS. Along with speech, your child may benefit from occupational therapy as well! It is common for children with CAS to have other motor difficulties, and an occupational therapist can help with skills such as grasping, writing, or zipping up their jacket. Practicing the correct movements and positions for speech sounds (and other movements) will help children with CAS speak and live more confidently!