What Is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

Have you ever had something on the tip of your tongue and you just couldn’t get it out?
You know, like when you’re trying to think of that actor’s name in the movie you just saw.
Or the name of your cousin’s new boyfriend you just saw a Christmas.
Or the place where you saw your coworker outside of work.
You know it’s in there, and you wanna tell someone about it, but for some reason you just can’t get it out.

Now imagine if that was your experience every time you tried to speak.
You try to think of the word, maybe you make some sort of gesture to help you, or think of other words that are similar but not exactly what you wanted to say.
All the while the listener is sitting and staring at you, wondering what the heck is going on with you and why can’t you just say it already…
Ugh… how frustrating would that be??

While this isn’t exactly what’s going on when it comes to childhood apraxia of speech, those feelings of frustration can be very similar.

Many children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (or CAS for short) have an idea of what they want to communicate and there’s a breakdown between their brain and their mouth to get the words out.

What exactly is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

Well…. Over the years, it kinda depended on who you asked, unfortunately 🙁 Some people believed it was a language issue. Others believed it all had to do with motor control. And some people even thought that it was BOTH language and motor. How confusing is that?!?

Gratefully, nowadays most sources agree that the main issue when it comes to childhood apraxia of speech is a problem with speech motor control. On top of that, the speech problems that children with apraxia face are not caused by weakness or paralysis in the speech muscles. Sometimes we forget about how much goes into speech production, including all the muscles and body systems. Here’s a quick breakdown to check out in case you need a refresher 🙂

Just knowing that info can be super helpful when it comes to finding the right speech-language pathologist to work with your little one. Apraxia is not a very common disorder (we’re talking 3-5% of all children with speech impairments have CAS), so many speech therapists just don’t have a lot of experience or knowledge on what to do. Keeping that in mind, if you think your kiddo could be struggling with childhood apraxia of speech or you already have an official diagnosis, be on the lookout for someone who has worked with clients with CAS before.