CAS can also be referred to as dyspraxia, developmental verbal dyspraxia (DVD), or speech
Verbal dyspraxia (dis-prax-ee-a) is a speech disorder. A person with verbal dyspraxia has difficulty placing muscles in the correct position to produce speech. The muscles have not been damaged. The messages from the brain that tell the muscles what to do have been affected.
Apraxia of speech (AOS)—also known as acquired apraxia of speech, verbal apraxia, or childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) when diagnosed in children—is a speech sound disorder. Someone with AOS has trouble saying what he or she wants to say correctly and consistently.
It does, however, affect learning ability. So in this way, dyspraxia does create a "learning disability." The condition can lead to a full spectrum of problems with language, perception and thought. Surprisingly, there is no known cause for dyspraxia in the majority of cases.
Apraxia Can Be Misdiagnosed
Autism spectrum disorder is a complex condition with a wide range of signs. The signs may include speech issues, including atypical vocalizations and phonological difficulties. This means it is possible for speech apraxia to be misdiagnosed as autism.
CAS is sometimes called verbal dyspraxia or developmental apraxia. Even though the word “developmental" is used, CAS is not a problem that children outgrow. A child with CAS will not learn speech sounds in typical order and will not make progress without treatment.
Key points about childhood apraxia of speech
Childhood apraxia of speech is a type of speech disorder. It is present from birth. A child with this condition has problems making sounds correctly and consistently.
There are a few different types of dyspraxia: Motor dyspraxia — causing problems with skills like writing, dressing or skipping. Verbal dyspraxia — causing problems with speech. Oral dyspraxia — causing problems with movements of the mouth and tongue.
What causes developmental verbal dyspraxia? Acquired verbal dyspraxia is caused by damage to brain specific to the regions that involve the process of speaking. This can occur in a child after an infection, traumatic brain injury, brain tumour, stroke or an illness that can affect the functioning of the brain.
Facts about dyspraxia
Dyspraxia may also overlap with other conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or dyslexia. This disability does not impact on intelligence, but it can have a major impact on the child's social skills and acceptance by peers.
Children with verbal dyspraxia will need to see a speech and language therapist for treatment and progress is often quite slow. They will need regular, direct therapy. Children with verbal dyspraxia might use different ways to communicate e.g. signing or special equipment that can be programmed to talk for them.
Verbal dyspraxia can exist by itself; however it often occurs with aphasia (comprehension and/or expression of language) and with oral dyspraxia. “Dyspraxia means someone has difficulty planning and coordinating the muscle movements needed to form speech sounds and words.
Apraxia results from dysfunction of the cerebral hemispheres of your brain, especially the parietal lobe (which his involved with movement coordination and processing sensations such as taste, hearing, and touch), and can arise from many diseases or damage to the brain.
They have difficulty with the speed, accuracy and timing of movement sequences that are required to produce clear speech. Children with verbal dyspraxia do not learn speech sounds in typical order. They will NOT outgrow verbal dyspraxia and will not make progress without treatment.
So although there are similarities, autism is primarily a social and communication disorder and dyspraxia is primarily a motor skills disorder. If your child has one of these conditions but you feel they also have other difficulties, you may think about further assessment.
There is no cure for DVD/CAS, but with appropriate, intensive intervention, people with the disorder can improve significantly. DVD/CAS requires various forms of therapy which varies with the individual needs of the patient. Typically, treatment involves one-on-one therapy with a speech language pathologist (SLP).
These symptoms are usually noticed between ages 18 months and 2 years, and may indicate suspected CAS . As children produce more speech, usually between ages 2 and 4, characteristics that likely indicate CAS include: Vowel and consonant distortions.
Every child with verbal dyspraxia is unique, and each child's symptoms will vary depending in the severity of the condition. They may: Struggle to pronounce words correctly (effortful speech). Be able to say a word correctly one minute, but not the next.
Research suggests that: Around 50% of people with dyspraxia/DCD also have ADHD. Around 10% of people with dyspraxia/DCD show signs of autism while around 80% of children with autism have movement difficulties consistent with a diagnosis of dyspraxia/DCD.
Tend to get stressed, depressed and anxious easily. May have difficulty sleeping. Prone to low self-esteem, emotional outbursts, phobias, fears, obsessions, compulsions and addictive behaviour.
Dyspraxia does not affect your intelligence. It can affect your co-ordination skills – such as tasks requiring balance, playing sports or learning to drive a car.
being slow to pick up new skills – they need encouragement and repetition to help them learn. difficulty making friends – they may avoid taking part in team games and may be bullied for being "different" or clumsy. behaviour problems – often stemming from a child's frustration with their symptoms. low self-esteem.
Dyspraxia can make it difficult for children to develop social skills, and they may have trouble getting along with peers. Though they are intelligent, these children may seem immature and some may develop phobias and obsessive behavior.