Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder that involves difficulty of the brain in planning the oral movements needed to produce speech sounds. It is not a muscle weakness; the brain has problems coordinating and sequencing muscle movements to produce the sounds or words that the child is attempting to say (Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Overview, 2015). The core problem includes both input processing, as well as production.
The prevalence of CAS has dramatically increased over the past decade, due to increasing knowledge on the disorder. It is estimated that one or two children per thousand has CAS, affecting more boys than girls with a ratio of 2 or 3:1 (Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Incidence and Prevalence, 2015). Three features that appear consistently with a deficit in planning and programming speech movements include: inconsistent errors in repeated syllable or word productions, lengthened and disrupted transition between sounds and …show more content…
Research has revealed that the FOXP2 gene may impact the development of networks within the neural system that are involved in planning and execution or learning of speech motor sequences. A few known neurological causes include early childhood stroke, brain cancer, or a brain infection. Autism, fragile X syndrome, and epilepsy may be a secondary sign of CAS involving neurobehavioral disorders (Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Causes, 2015).
Assessment
The Kaufman Speech Praxis Test (KSPT) is a norm-referenced assessment that is useful in the identification and initial diagnosis of CAS. It can be administered to children ages 2:0 to 5:11. The test outcomes are to “measure a child's imitative responses to the clinician, identify where the child's speech system is breaking down, and point to a systematic course of treatment (Kaufman Speech Praxis Test, 2015).
Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder that involves difficulty of the brain in planning the oral movements needed to produce speech sounds. It is not a muscle weakness; the brain has problems coordinating and sequencing muscle movements to produce the sounds or words that the child is attempting to say (Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Overview, 2015). The core problem includes both input processing, as well as production.
The prevalence of CAS has dramatically increased over the past decade, due to increasing knowledge on the disorder. It is estimated that one or two children per thousand has CAS, affecting more boys than girls with a ratio of 2 or 3:1 (Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Incidence and Prevalence, 2015). Three features that appear consistently with a deficit in planning and programming speech movements include: inconsistent errors in repeated syllable or word productions, lengthened and disrupted transition between sounds and …show more content…
Research has revealed that the FOXP2 gene may impact the development of networks within the neural system that are involved in planning and execution or learning of speech motor sequences. A few known neurological causes include early childhood stroke, brain cancer, or a brain infection. Autism, fragile X syndrome, and epilepsy may be a secondary sign of CAS involving neurobehavioral disorders (Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Causes, 2015).
Assessment
The Kaufman Speech Praxis Test (KSPT) is a norm-referenced assessment that is useful in the identification and initial diagnosis of CAS. It can be administered to children ages 2:0 to 5:11. The test outcomes are to “measure a child's imitative responses to the clinician, identify where the child's speech system is breaking down, and point to a systematic course of treatment (Kaufman Speech Praxis Test, 2015).