What are the signs of apraxia of speech?

Question

My almost 3 year old is still very speech delayed although he has come along way, it's been slow, we are looking into apraxia of speech. For the record we had him tested for autism and he is not autistic.

Answer 1

People with either form of apraxia of speech may have a number of different speech characteristics, or symptoms. One of the most notable symptoms is difficulty putting sounds and syllables together in the correct order to form words. Longer or more complex words are usually harder to say than shorter or simpler words. People with apraxia of speech also tend to make inconsistent mistakes when speaking. For example, they may say a difficult word correctly but then have trouble repeating it, or they may be able to say a particular sound one day and have trouble with the same sound the next day. People with apraxia of speech often appear to be groping for the right sound or word, and may try saying a word several times before they say it correctly. Another common characteristic of apraxia of speech is the incorrect use of "prosody" -- that is, the varying rhythms, stresses, and inflections of speech that are used to help express meaning.

Children with developmental apraxia of speech generally can understand language much better than they are able to use language to express themselves. Some children with the disorder may also have other problems. These can include other speech problems, such as dysarthria; language problems such as poor vocabulary, incorrect grammar, and difficulty in clearly organizing spoken information; problems with reading, writing, spelling, or math; coordination or "motor-skill" problems; and chewing and swallowing difficulties.

The severity of both acquired and developmental apraxia of speech varies from person to person. Apraxia can be so mild that a person has trouble with very few speech sounds or only has occasional problems pronouncing words with many syllables. In the most severe cases, a person may not be able to communicate effectively with speech, and may need the help of alternative or additional communication methods.

Answer 2

Early signs & symptoms:

Limited or little babbling as an infant (void of many consonants).  First words may not appear at all, pointing and “grunting” may be all that is heard.

The child is able to open and close mouth, l**k lips, protrude, retract and lateralize tongue while eating, but not when directed  to do so.

First word approximations occurring beyond the age of 18 months, without developing into understandable simple vocabulary words by age 2.  

Oral scanning or groping may occur with attempts at speaking.

Continuous grunting and pointing beyond age 2.

Lack of a significant consonant repertoire:  child may only use / b , m , p , t , d , h /.

All phonemes (consonants and vowels) may be imitated well in isolation, but any attempts to combine phonemes are unsuccessful.

Words may be simplified by deleting consonants or vowels, and/or replacing difficult phonemes (consonants and vowels) with easier ones.  

Single words may be articulated well, but attempts at further sentence length becomes unintelligible.

Receptive language (comprehension) appears to be better than attempts at expressive language (verbal output).

One syllable or word is favored and used to convey all or many words beyond age 2.

A word (may be a real word or a nonsensical utterance) is used to convey other words beyond age 2.

The child speaks mostly in vowels.

Verbal perseveration:  getting “stuck” on a previously uttered word, or bringing oral motor elements from a previous word into the next word uttered.

The child has difficulty moving the tongue where they want it to go.  

“Pop-outs” or automatic words and phrases are spoken clearly, but they cannot be imitated when directed or may not be heard again.

Other fine motor problems may be present.

Answer 3

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