What is Apraxia of Speech?
Apraxia of speech is a motor planning speech disorder. A person with acquired apraxia of speech has difficulty coordinating the tongue, lips, and jaw to make the correct sounds in words. Apraxia of speech is characterized by slow, halting speech, with sound and word substitution errors.
Apraxia is not due to muscle weakness, paralysis or a language impairment. Someone with apraxia knows what they want to say, but the brain has difficulty planning and coordinating the required movements to form the words. Apraxia of speech can be developmental when it occurs in children. Apraxia of speech in adults is often caused by a stroke or other brain injury.