Childhood Apraxia of Speech Awareness Day 2013

 

 Today is National Childhood Apraxia Awareness Day!

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder that significantly impacts a child’s ability to communicate. To celebrate this day of awareness, I’m sharing with you all the post I wrote on CAS as well as some links to other helpful information.

What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

This is an excerpt from my CAS post: Childhood Apraxia of Speech, or CAS, is a motor speech disorder. Children with CAS have difficulty producing sounds, syllables and words. For reasons unknown, the brain has difficulty with planning and executing the fine motor movements needed for speech. The child knows what he wants to say, but the brain is having difficulty coordinating or “talking to” if you will, the parts of the parts of the body that are used to produce speech sounds (i.e. the vocal folds, lips, jaw, tongue and palate). Basically the part of the brain that is responsible for controlling the parts of the body responsible for speech production is either not fully developed or damaged. CAS is NOT due to muscle weakness or paralysis (which is seen in another motor speech disorder, dyarthria) and the child should have no issues with spontaneous non speech movements like coughing, laughing, chewing or swallowing.

To read more from my post on CAS, click on the image below.

CAS Resources:

• I HIGHLY recommend the book  (affiliate link ->) Speaking of Apraxia: A Parents’ Guide to Childhood Apraxia of Speech if you suspect your child has CAS.
• The Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America (CASANA) has a parents start guide HERE for parents just starting on their CAS journey
• CASANA has an SLP start guide for SLPs and SLP students HERE who want to learn more about CAS
• CASANA has a whole Apraxia Library HERE packed with a TON of information
• CASANA has downloadable information HERE for both parents and SLPs
• The American Speech-Language Hearing Association has some information HERE
• Caroline Bowen, PhD  SLP’s website has info HERE

Questions? Comments? Please let me know!