Apraxia
Learn About Apraxia, What is apraxia?
Apraxia is a motor speech disorder caused by damage to the nervous system. Patients with apraxia of speech know what they want to say but have difficulty producing the sequence of muscle movements needed to form words accurately. Characteristics of apraxia of speech may include: effortful speech, slow rate of speaking, use of made-up words, and sound substitutions or distortions. An individual might experience frustration as they attempt to correct speech errors.Working with a speech language pathologist can help patients with apraxia of speech to produce clear and understandable sounds. Therapy techniques include teaching the patient how to pace their speech and how to produce sounds. In severe cases, patients may require alternative methods of communication.