¶ … apraxia of speech in children, some of its characteristics, diagnosis, treatment, and the future of children affected with the disease.
Apraxia of speech is the difficulty of a child to form sounds into words. It is a neurological disorder, and can be called dyspraxia. "Children with apraxia have difficulty correctly putting together the movement patterns and sequences needed to produce sounds, syllables or words. This is especially true when they are trying their hardest to speak clearly" (Gretz).
Usually children who have apraxia understand language very well, they just cannot say what they hear, and what they want to say. "The problem occurs when the brain tries to tell the muscles what to do -- somehow that message gets scrambled. It's like trying to watch cable TV stations without the right descrambler. There is nothing wrong with the TV station, and nothing wrong with your set" (Faculty).
Apraxia of speech has certain telltale characteristics. Before a child is diagnosed with apraxia, and audiologist should be consulted to make sure the speech problem is not associated with a hearing problem. There are many signs in young and older children that they might have apraxia. They usually do not coo and babble when they are babies. They delay saying their first words, and when they do, they are missing sounds. They also only can say a few different consonants, and have a hard time combining sounds. The simplify words, and replace hard sounds with easier sounds. They may have feeding problems, too.
Older children may make errors in sounds that are not the result of immaturity. They can understand the language, but cannot...
They have a hard time imitating speech, they may have more difficulty saying longer phrases than shorter ones, and the condition appears to be worse when he or she is anxious. The child is often difficult for listeners to understand. (Developmental Apraxia). Often, as the child gets older, they may not be able to say the word, but they can write it.
Fortunately, there are many things that parents can do to help their child affected by apraxia. First and foremost, do not put pressure on the child to speak, it will only frustrate them, and make it harder for them. Instead, it is best to try other verbal exchanges, such as singing songs -- especially repetitive songs, like Old MacDonald. Singing songs or using rhythm, like beating on a drum can be very valuable for the child. Recite poems with them. Do verbal games such as pat-a-cake, and Willowby Walloby Woo. Read repetitive books. Involve them in daily routines, such as prayers, salute to the flag, social greetings, etc. (Faculty).
Families should always remember that treatment for this disease takes time, and a great deal of commitment. "The treatment program for children with speech apraxia must be individualized and flexible" (Various). When you are working with your child, keep the sessions short, and work on repetitive sounds and phrases.
Luckily for children and parents alike, there are many effective diagnoses and treatment options available for children that suffer from apraxia of speech. Some professionals have found that using sign language can help the child affected with apraxia; it can often help with speech development. There is still a lot of study that…
