This is not very uncommon to
notice that people finding it difficult to understand a young children when he
attempts to speak something. His speech is such severely jumbled that it’s
almost impossible to make any sense out of it, even for the parents. If you are
a parent of such a kid and realize that your child is showing something
similar, do not panic. Consult a speech
therapist if you notice that your child understands the language but
there’s a difficulty in expressing the syllables. You may hear a term “Apraxia of speech” from him as the
reason behind this problem. So you ask him:
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| Image Courtesy: blog.childandfamilydevelopment.com |
What is Apraxia of speech?
He tells you that Apraxia of speech
is a disorder in which a person is unable to express his thoughts consistently
through speech. It’s a type of motor disorder where the body is unable to
produce speech.
Who can have Apraxia?
Generally there are two types of Apraxia
of speech; an acquired and a developmental form. The acquired form can affect anyone
at any age, mainly adults. It happens because of a damage caused in the part of
the brain which is responsible for producing speech. The condition may occur due
to stroke, nerve disorder, tumor, head injury or some other illnesses which
often accompany weakness of facial muscles that produce the language.
The developmental form of Apraxia
of speech mainly occurs in children from the birth. It’s different from
developmental delay in acquiring language skills where the child learns to
speak slower than the normal. It’s seen more in boys than girls but the real
cause behind the disorder is completely unknown.
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| Image Courtesy: www.dyspraxia.info |
What’s the treatment?
In many cases the recovery is
spontaneous, where the disorder resolves partially or completely on its own.
Children with Developmental Apraxia of Speech do not recover spontaneously. Speech and language therapists are
helpful for these children and also for people with Acquired Apraxia of Speech,
as they employ different techniques to treat these disorders.
