Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrognosisCoping
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prognosis
Coping
Apraxiaof speech is a language impairment that occurs due to brain damage. The underlying causes of apraxia of speech are usually different for children than for adults. Speech apraxia is difficult to cope with, and speech therapy can help improve communication.
Diagnosis of the underlying cause is crucial, both to help direct treatment for speech difficulties and to treat and prevent further neurological problems.
Apraxia of Speech Symptoms
Speech apraxia leads to significant difficulties in communicating. This condition usually causes persistent symptoms and typically doesn’t change.
Features of apraxia of speech include the following:
Other cognitive or physical problems can often occur with speech apraxia, depending on the underlying cause.
Apraxia vs. Other Speech and Language Disorders
Overcoming Speech Impediment: Symptoms to Treatment
This can occur with developmental conditions, such as autism, or it may result from harm to the brain, such as from head trauma.
Conditions associated with apraxia of speech include:
These conditions are not always associated with apraxia of speech. But they can sometimes cause damage or dysfunction to regions of the brain that allow communication between the right and left hemispheres—and then they could be associated with speech apraxia.
Expressive Aphasia: What to Know About Communication Disorders
Speech patterns noted in apraxia of speech include the following:
The Apraxia of Speech Rating Scale (ASRS) is one of the ways that speech apraxia can be defined. Healthcare providers can use this scale to communicate with each other and follow the improvement of apraxia of speech with therapy. The ASRS includes 16 components, such as repetition of sounds or inaccurate sounds, that are rated on a scale from zero to four.
If you’ve been diagnosed with speech apraxia or any communication problem, healthcare providers will work to determine the underlying cause. Issues such as childhood neurodevelopmental problems, stroke, brain tumors, or damage from a head injury need to be identified and treated.
Diagnostic testing may include:
Apraxia of speech istreated with speech therapy. This type of therapy will follow patterns of treatment that are well-established for improving speech and will also provide an individualized treatment plan.
It’s not possible to predict with absolute certainty whether a person will recover from apraxia of speech and how much they might improve. However, there are some diagnostic clues that can help in anticipating the extent of recovery.
If you or a loved one has apraxia of speech, it can help to know that the ability to participate in speech therapy can lead to better outcomes. If your cognitive function is not affected or is only mildly impaired, this can help you take an active role in your therapy.
Research About Prognosis and Treatment
Stronger connectivity between certain areas of the right and left hemispheres of the brain is associated with better recovery.
For example, one research study showed that early connectivity of the inferior frontal gyrus (an area that processes speech and language) within two weeks after a stroke may be a strong predictor of recovery of apraxia of speech.
And at six months, lower severity of speech apraxia was associated with stronger connectivity of the anterior insula (which supports subjective feelings) on the right and left hemispheres and the ventral premotor cortex (which is involved in grasping and manipulating objects) of the right and left hemispheres.
This type of connectivity can be identified with metabolic brain testing, which is time-consuming and often impractical. However, this research can help scientists learn about ways to improve treatment for people with apraxia of speech.
Living with a language impairment can be difficult. Communication challenges interfere with relationships and day-to-day life. This can require extra effort from family, friends, and everybody else who interacts with a person who has apraxia of speech.
Patience is essential to managing this communication difficulty. It is important to work with your speech therapist in order to identify ways to communicate as you work to recover. This can include using pictures, gestures, and other ways of expressing your needs.
How Speech Therapy Benefits Autistic Children
Summary
There are many different causes, and a diagnosis of the cause is essential for a comprehensive treatment of speech apraxia, as well as any associated physical and cognitive deficits. Speech therapy is the treatment for the speech impairment seen in this condition.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Apraxia of speech.Vogindroukas I, Stankova M, Chelas EN, Proedrou A.Language and speech characteristics in autism.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2022;18:2367-2377. doi:10.2147/NDT.S331987Haley KL, Jacks A.Three-dimensional speech profiles in stroke aphasia and apraxia of speech.Am J Speech Lang Pathol.2023:1-10. doi:10.1044/2022_AJSLP-22-00170Hybbinette H, Östberg P, Schalling E, et al.Longitudinal changes in functional connectivity in speech motor networks in apraxia of speech after stroke.Front Neurol.2022;13:1013652. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.1013652Duffy JR, Martin PR, Clark HM, et al.The apraxia of speech rating scale: reliability, validity, and utility.Am J Speech Lang Pathol.2023;32(2):469-491. doi:10.1044/2022_AJSLP-22-00148Zhao J, Li Y, Zhang X, et al.Alteration of network connectivity in stroke patients with apraxia of speech after tDCS: a randomized controlled study.Front Neurol.2022;13:969786. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.969786
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Apraxia of speech.Vogindroukas I, Stankova M, Chelas EN, Proedrou A.Language and speech characteristics in autism.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2022;18:2367-2377. doi:10.2147/NDT.S331987Haley KL, Jacks A.Three-dimensional speech profiles in stroke aphasia and apraxia of speech.Am J Speech Lang Pathol.2023:1-10. doi:10.1044/2022_AJSLP-22-00170Hybbinette H, Östberg P, Schalling E, et al.Longitudinal changes in functional connectivity in speech motor networks in apraxia of speech after stroke.Front Neurol.2022;13:1013652. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.1013652Duffy JR, Martin PR, Clark HM, et al.The apraxia of speech rating scale: reliability, validity, and utility.Am J Speech Lang Pathol.2023;32(2):469-491. doi:10.1044/2022_AJSLP-22-00148Zhao J, Li Y, Zhang X, et al.Alteration of network connectivity in stroke patients with apraxia of speech after tDCS: a randomized controlled study.Front Neurol.2022;13:969786. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.969786
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Apraxia of speech.Vogindroukas I, Stankova M, Chelas EN, Proedrou A.Language and speech characteristics in autism.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2022;18:2367-2377. doi:10.2147/NDT.S331987Haley KL, Jacks A.Three-dimensional speech profiles in stroke aphasia and apraxia of speech.Am J Speech Lang Pathol.2023:1-10. doi:10.1044/2022_AJSLP-22-00170Hybbinette H, Östberg P, Schalling E, et al.Longitudinal changes in functional connectivity in speech motor networks in apraxia of speech after stroke.Front Neurol.2022;13:1013652. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.1013652Duffy JR, Martin PR, Clark HM, et al.The apraxia of speech rating scale: reliability, validity, and utility.Am J Speech Lang Pathol.2023;32(2):469-491. doi:10.1044/2022_AJSLP-22-00148Zhao J, Li Y, Zhang X, et al.Alteration of network connectivity in stroke patients with apraxia of speech after tDCS: a randomized controlled study.Front Neurol.2022;13:969786. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.969786
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Apraxia of speech.
Vogindroukas I, Stankova M, Chelas EN, Proedrou A.Language and speech characteristics in autism.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2022;18:2367-2377. doi:10.2147/NDT.S331987
Haley KL, Jacks A.Three-dimensional speech profiles in stroke aphasia and apraxia of speech.Am J Speech Lang Pathol.2023:1-10. doi:10.1044/2022_AJSLP-22-00170
Hybbinette H, Östberg P, Schalling E, et al.Longitudinal changes in functional connectivity in speech motor networks in apraxia of speech after stroke.Front Neurol.2022;13:1013652. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.1013652
Duffy JR, Martin PR, Clark HM, et al.The apraxia of speech rating scale: reliability, validity, and utility.Am J Speech Lang Pathol.2023;32(2):469-491. doi:10.1044/2022_AJSLP-22-00148
Zhao J, Li Y, Zhang X, et al.Alteration of network connectivity in stroke patients with apraxia of speech after tDCS: a randomized controlled study.Front Neurol.2022;13:969786. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.969786
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
