Apraxia of speech: what it is, symptoms, causes and treatment

Apraxia is a speech disorder in which a person has difficulty speaking because they are unable to correctly articulate the muscles involved in speech. However, he is able to reason correctly, presenting only difficulty in articulating words, being able to slur some words and distort sounds.

The causes of apraxia vary according to the type of apraxia, and may be genetic or occur as a result of a brain injury, as is common in cases of stroke.

Treatment is generally carried out with speech therapy sessions and the practice of exercises at home, which must be recommended by the speech therapist or speech therapist.

Types and causes of apraxia of speech

There are two main types of apraxia of speech, which are classified depending on when it appeared:

1. Congenital apraxia

Congenital apraxia of speech is present at birth and is detected in childhood, when the child begins to learn to speak. It is not yet known exactly what causes it, but it is thought that it may be related to genetic factors or associated with diseases such as autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, metabolic conditions or a neuromuscular disorder.

2. Acquired apraxia

Acquired apraxia can occur at any stage of life, being caused by a brain injury, due to an accident, infection, stroke, brain tumor or due to a neurodegenerative disease.

Main signs and symptoms

The main sign of apraxia is difficulty speaking and articulating words, due to the inability to correctly move the jaw, lips and tongue, which can result in:

• Slurred speech;
• Speech with a limited number of words;
• Distortion of some sounds;
• Pauses between syllables or words.

In the case of children born with apraxia, it is usually possible to suspect the disorder when they have great difficulty saying some words, especially if they are very long. Furthermore, many children experience delays in language development, which can manifest itself not only in the construction of oral sentences, but also in written language.

How to confirm the diagnosis

In order to distinguish apraxia of speech from other disorders that may present similar symptoms, the doctor usually performs some hearing tests to understand whether the difficulty speaking is related to hearing problems, rather than changes in the speech muscles. In addition, you can also perform a physical examination of the lips, jaw and tongue, to understand if there is any malformation that is causing the problem.

See other speech disorders that may present similar symptoms.

How the treatment is carried out

Apraxia generally has a cure and treatment tends to involve speech therapy sessions, which are adapted to the severity of the apraxia that the person presents. During these sessions, which must be frequent, the person practices syllables, words and phrases, with the guidance of a therapist.

In addition, you should continue to practice at home, and you can perform some speech therapy exercises recommended by your speech therapist or speech therapist.

When apraxia of speech is very severe and does not improve with speech therapy, it may be necessary to adopt other communication methods, such as sign language, for example.

What is the relationship between apraxia and dyspraxia?

Apraxia and dyspraxia are two conditions that are related to difficulty in speech, and apraxia is a disorder that involves a lack of muscle coordination, which can lead to a total loss of speech skills and can occur at any stage of speech. life.

Dyspraxia, on the other hand, occurs due to changes in the nervous system, generally present from birth, leading to difficulty developing language and pronouncing words appropriately. Additionally, dyspraxia can also affect body movements or posture. Understand better what dyspraxia is.

Therefore, it is important to consult a doctor to identify the type of speech disorder and carry out the most appropriate treatment.