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Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Identifying This Speech Disorder in Very Young Children
By Mindy Hudon, Speech-Language Pathologist
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) describes the following signs and symptoms of CAS:
What to look for in the very young child:
- Does not coo or babble as an infant.
- First words are late, and they may be missing sounds.
- Only a few different consonant and vowel sounds.
- Problems combining sounds; may show long pauses between sounds.
- Simplifies words by replacing difficult sounds with easier ones or by deleting difficult sounds (although all children do this, the child with apraxia of speech does so more often).
- May have problems eating.
Many of the above signs and symptoms may not be present in every child. That is why it is imperative that you discuss your concerns with your pediatrician and refer to a speech-language pathologist for an accurate assessment of CAS.
A CAS evaluation will most likely consist of a hearing evaluation by a certified audiologist to rule out hearing impairment. The speech-language pathologist will ask for a detailed history to gain a better understanding of the child's overall development.
The speech and language evaluation will consist of a thorough oral-motor (movements of jaw, lips, tongue) assessment, which includes evaluatio of the following:
