Apraxia of Speech

Apraxia of speech (AOS) is an oral motor speech disorder affecting an individual's ability to translate conscious speech plans into motor plans, which results in limited and difficult speech ability. In adults, the disorder is caused by illness or injury, while the cause of AOS in children is unknown. By the definition of apraxia, AOS only affects volitional (willful or purposeful) movement patterns, however in AOS usually also automatic speech is affected. Individuals with this disorder have difficulty connecting speech messages from the brain to the mouth. The disorder can be divided into two specific types: acquired apraxia of speech (AOS) and childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Acquired apraxia of speech is a loss of prior speech ability resulting from a brain illness or injury which occurs in both children and adults. Childhood apraxia of speech is an inability to utilize motor planning to perform movements necessary for speech during a child's language learning process. Although the age of onset differs between the two forms, the main characteristics and treatments are similar.