The Big Picture
Apraxia of speech affects a person’s ability to move the muscles needed for speech in the correct way. The muscles themselves still work, but the person has trouble controlling the movements needed to say the sounds and words they want.
A person with apraxia of speech usually speaks slowly and may mix up sounds or say a similar-sounding word instead of the intended word. Their speech might also change from one attempt to another.
Start Here If You’re Overwhelmed
Focus on these core ideas:
- Apraxia of speech affects the correct movement of the muscles used for speaking, even though those muscles are intact.
- The person might struggle to control movements of the lips, jaw, or tongue.
- Brain injury from a stroke, accident, brain tumour, or infection causes some cases.
- Some babies are born with apraxia of speech.
- Speech difficulties include slow speech, incorrect sounds or words, mixed-up sounds, and inconsistent speech.
- Apraxia of speech can occur alone or with aphasia.
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Course Notes: Key Ideas You Need to Know
What Apraxia of Speech Means
Apraxia of speech, also called verbal apraxia, means the person cannot correctly control the muscle movements needed to speak, even though those muscles are intact. The person cannot correctly control movements of the lips, jaw, or tongue.
A person with apraxia of speech has trouble controlling movements of the:
- lips
- jaw
- tongue
Because of this difficulty, the person has trouble producing the sounds and words they want to say.
What Causes Apraxia of Speech
Apraxia of speech can result from brain injury caused by a stroke, accident, brain tumour, or infection.
The brain injury might result from:
- stroke
- accident
- brain tumour
- infection
Some babies are born with apraxia of speech.
How Speech Might Sound
Understanding a person with apraxia of speech might be difficult.
Slow Speech
People with apraxia of speech usually speak slowly.
Similar-Sounding Words
A person might say a word that sounds similar to the word they intended.
For example, the person might say “me” when trying to say “see.”
Sounds in the Wrong Order
Sounds inside a word sometimes appear in the wrong order.
For example, a person might say “toothshub” instead of “toothbrush.”
Trouble With Words
Some people have difficulty:
- putting words in the correct order
- finding the word they want to say
Inconsistent Speech
Inconsistent speech is common.
A person might say something correctly one time and say the same thing incorrectly another time.
Apraxia of Speech and Aphasia
Apraxia of speech can occur alone or with aphasia.
Aphasia is a partial or complete loss of speech and language skills caused by brain injury. It affects understanding words or trying to say words correctly.
The two terms describe different problems:
- Apraxia of speech: difficulty correctly moving the muscles needed for speech, even though the muscles remain intact.
- Aphasia: partial or complete loss of speech and language skills related to understanding words or saying them correctly.
Fast Review
Use these points for a quick review before a quiz or exam:
- Apraxia of speech is also called verbal apraxia.
- The muscles used for speech remain intact.
- The person has difficulty controlling movements of the lips, jaw, or tongue.
- Brain injury from stroke, accident, brain tumour, or infection causes some cases.
- Some babies are born with the disorder.
- People with apraxia of speech usually speak slowly.
- Words or sounds might come out incorrectly or in the wrong order.
- Some people have trouble finding words or putting words in the correct order.
- Inconsistent speech is common. The same thing might come out correctly once and incorrectly another time.
- Apraxia of speech can occur alone or with aphasia.
Final Pep Talk
If the different speech-pattern examples feel crowded, review them in small groups. Give yourself more than one pass if you need it.