Apraxia


What is Apraxia of Speech?

​Apraxia of speech is a motor speech disorder where individuals face difficulties planning and executing the precise movements of the tongue, lips, jaw, and palate necessary for intelligible speech. The term "praxis" means planned movement, highlighting the challenge in programming and planning speech movements. This condition may also be referred to as:
  • Verbal apraxia
  • Developmental apraxia of speech (in children)
  • Verbal dyspraxia

Treatment for Apraxia of Speech in Adults

​Acquired apraxia in adults is a common condition, often resulting from a stroke or head injury. While our practice no longer accepts Medicare, which limits our adult therapy offerings, we are still here to help. If you are seeking therapy for apraxia of speech in adults, please reach out to schedule an assessment and discuss potential payment options.

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) Treatment

Childhood apraxia of speech often has an unknown etiology, though it can sometimes occur following a head injury, stroke, or birth event. This condition occurs more rarely in children than frequent in children with speech development issues. Diagnosing childhood apraxia is complex and often controversial within the speech pathology field, underscoring the importance of professional assessment and intervention.

Developmental Delay vs. Apraxia of Speech


Developmental Delay

  • Typical Path: The child follows the typical path of childhood speech development, but at a slower rate.
  • Skills Movement: The child's receptive (understanding) and expressive (speaking) skills move together.

Apraxia of Speech

  • Wide Gap: There is a significant gap between receptive language abilities (understanding) and expressive abilities (speaking).
  • Expressive Deficiency: The child's ability to understand language is within normal limits, but their ability to express language is seriously deficient, absent, or severely unclear.
  • Diagnosis: A gap between expressive and receptive language ability alone is insufficient to diagnose apraxia, as similar patterns may be caused by other speech/language disorders.

Prognosis & Factors Influencing Improvement

Children with apraxia of speech can and do improve with proper treatment. Factors that influence prognosis include:

Individual Characteristics

  • Receptive ability
  • Cognitive ability
  • Desire to communicate (communication intent)

Early Intervention

  • Age at which appropriate treatment begins (preschool age is desirable)
  • Attention span

Coexisting Issues

  • Presence of other medical, speech, and/or language issues

Tailored Therapy

  • The extent to which therapy is tailored to the unique issues present in the child

Family Involvement

  • Extent of family participation and involvement in therapy and follow-through at home

Outcomes & Expectations

​With appropriate help, most children with apraxia of speech make significant gains in their expressive speech ability. However, it is also true that, in some rare situations, despite everyone's best efforts, a child may not become primarily a verbal communicator. The key is early, tailored intervention and strong family support to maximize the child's potential for improvement.

Contact Us

For more information or to schedule an appointment, whether virtual or in-person, contact us at (801) 308-0400 or visit our clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Teletherapy Speech Therapy


Apraxia Treatment in the Comfort of Your Home

While we offer the convenience of teletherapy for apraxia treatment, it is ideally conducted in person or through a combination of in-person and virtual sessions for optimal results. Our teletherapy services are HIPAA regulated, private, and protected, providing effective home speech therapy. Whether you're in Salt Lake City or anywhere else, we're here to help you achieve clear and confident speech from the comfort of your own home.

Get Apraxia Treatment Near You

Our clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah, offers a wide range of local speech and language therapy services tailored to meet the needs of our community. Whether you or your loved one needs help with Verbal Apraxia, our certified speech-language pathologists are here to provide expert care.