It can be a challenge for any parent or caregiver to know if their child has verbal apraxia or is just a “late talker”. Especially with all the different information and terms online. First Words Speech Therapy understands how difficult the situation can be and wants to help you understand the difference, how to spot the signs, and how to help your child.
What is a “late talker”?
A “late talker”, is a child typically between the ages of 18 to 30 months old. They have a good understanding of language and are developing age appropriate social, thinking, motor, and play skills, but their spoken vocabulary is limited for their age. As they grow, their speech improves gradually.
How is Apraxia of speech different?
Apraxia of speech (AOS) is a “neurologic speech disorder that reflects an impaired capacity to plan or program sensorimotor commands necessary for directing movements that result in phonetically and prosodically normal speech” (Duffy, 2013, p. 4).
Toddlers have trouble with the sounds of speech and saying what they want to say, mix up consonants within a word, inconsistency in their pronunciation, or add a vowel at the end of a word instead of a consonant.
ASHA list speech characteristics associated with Apraxia of speech
Articulation
voicing errors (blurred distinctions between boundaries of voiced–voiceless consonants
prolonged phonemes
inconsistent errors
telescoping of syllables (e.g., “disaur” instead of “dinosaur”)
Rate and Prosody
slow overall rate
alternating motion rates (AMRs) that may be characterized by place or manner errors
poorly sequenced sequential motion rates (SMRs)
Fluency
disrupted fluency with attempts at self-correction
difficulty initiating articulatory sequences—may be accompanied by audible or silent groping behaviors marking false starts and restarts
sound and syllable repetitions
How to help your child?
Children develop at different rates, comparing them to other children is not necessarily an effective way to measure your child’s speech or language development. But equally important, if you suspect your child has a speech or language disorder, it is important to take action. The first step in helping your child is an evaluation and speech therapy.
