WHAT IS CHILDHOOD APRAXIA OF SPEECH?
Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder that makes it hard for children to speak. Apraxia is actually a general term that refers to the inability for the brain to send unscrambled plans to the body for motor movement. Well, speech is definitely a motor movement...a highly complex motor movement that requires the coordination of the brain, lips, tongue, jaw, soft palate, pharynx, lungs, diaphragm... and on and on..not to mention language and cognition. Did you have any idea that speech was SO complex?! Most people don't. Why would we? It...amazingly...comes so naturally to the lucky majority of us. But for those children with apraxia of speech, every sound, every syllable, every word can be like climbing a mountain... every time they try. Many times, children with a diagnosis of CAS generally have a good understanding of language and know what they want to say, but learning or carrying out the complex movements that underlie speech is a major struggle for them. If you are concerned your child has apraxia or has possibly already been diagnosed, please seek out a professional that is recommended by apraxiakids.org, the go-to on ALL that is CAS for the best outcome for your child!
-apraxia-kids.org