Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)

Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder that interferes with a child's ability to correctly pronounce sounds, syllables, and words. This is not due to muscle weakness but rather a difficulty in the brain's ability to plan and coordinate the complex movements that are necessary for speech. Children with CAS often know what they want to say, but their brains struggle to effectively communicate the instructions to their speech muscles. As a result, speech may be inconsistent, with errors varying over time. Effective therapy for CAS requires frequent, intensive, and individualized speech therapy sessions that focus on repetition and practice of speech movements.