Apraxia is a neurological condition where people find it difficult or impossible to move his or her mouth and tounge to speak. This happends, even though the person has the desire to speak and the mouth and tounge muscles are physically able to form words.
There are two types:
Acquired apraxia – It results from brain damage to those areas of the brain that control the ability to speak. This condition causes people to lose the speech-making abilities they once possessed.
Developmental apraxia (childhood apraxia of speech) – This condition is present from birth, and it affects a child’s ability to form sounds and words.
How we can help?
There are various treatment approaches used for apraxia. The treatment is developed to meet the individual’s needs.
Therapy aims to improve speech coordination. Exercises may include:
Repeatedly practicing the formation and pronunciation of sounds and words
Practicing stringing together sounds to make speech
Working with rhythms or melodies
Using multisensory approaches, such as watching in a mirror while trying to form words or touching the face while talking
