Apraxia Of Speech

Everyone has moments when they trip over words and can’t manage to express the thoughts inside their head, but that’s a constant problem if you have apraxia of speech. Nathalia Fonseca, SLPD, CCC-SLP, TSSLD-BE, and the team at Bilingual Speech-Language & Swallowing Therapy in the Forest Hills neighborhood of New York City, New York, specialize in teaching people with apraxia how to form words and communicate with others. If you have questions about apraxia of speech, call the office or book an appointment online today.

What is apraxia of speech?

Apraxia of speech occurs when a problem in your brain interferes with your ability to express what you want to say. This problem occurs when the brain can’t communicate with the muscles in your tongue, lips, and jaw. As a result, the muscles can’t move to produce sounds.

In young children, the cause of apraxia of speech is often unknown. You can also develop apraxia at any age following a traumatic brain injury or if you develop a brain tumor, dementia, or any brain disease.

What symptoms occur due to apraxia of speech?

Apraxia of speech causes symptoms such as:

• Opening or moving your mouth but nothing comes out
• Pronouncing the same words differently
• Saying a word once, then having trouble repeating it
• Speaking short words more easily than long words
• Having unusual rhythm and flow of speech
• Putting stress on the wrong syllable

Signs of apraxia of speech in young children include:

• Speaking their first words later than normal
• Saying fewer words over time
• Using only a few consonant or vowel sounds
• Making excessive mouth movements
• Mispronouncing sounds within words

Children may switch sounds around within words or leave out or add sounds that aren’t in the word.

How is apraxia of speech treated?

Though there aren’t treatments for the brain changes causing apraxia, speech therapy can teach you how to improve muscle movement and regain communication skills.

Treatment for apraxia requires a lot of practice. As your therapist teaches you how to use your muscles to form sounds and words, you need to frequently practice the sounds and movements to improve your speech.

The team specializes in PROMPT© therapy, an approach using their hands to help you make the appropriate movements in your tongue, lips, and jaw. PROMPT also incorporates other aspects of speech and communication. As they teach you to make sounds and words, they also focus on your overall ability to communicate and connect with others.

In some cases, your therapist may teach you a form of augmentative or alternative communication. For example, they may show you how to use hand gestures, visual cues, or an electronic device to communicate.

You can learn to overcome apraxia of speech with help from the caring team at Bilingual Speech-Language & Swallowing Therapy. Call the office or book an appointment online today.