Childhood apraxia of speech

Title

Other Names:

CAS; Developmental apraxia of speech; Developmental verbal apraxia; CAS; Developmental apraxia of speech; Developmental verbal apraxia; Developmental verbal dyspraxia; DAS; Articulatory apraxia; Speech and language disorder with orofacial dyspraxia; Speech-language disorder type 1; Speech-language disorder-1 See More

Categories:

Congenital and Genetic Diseases; Nervous System Diseases

This disease is grouped under:

Apraxia

Summary Summary

Childhood apraxia of speech occurs in children and is present from birth. It appears to be more common in boys than girls.^[1] Children with this condition have difficulty planning and producing the precise, refined, and specific movements of the tongue, lips, jaw, and palate that are necessary for intelligible speech.^[2] In many cases, the underlying cause of childhood apraxia of speech is unknown (idiopathic).^[1]^[2]^[3] Some cases are associated with a known neurological cause (such as intrauterine or early childhood stroke, infection, trauma, brain cancer or tumor resection, traumatic brain injury, etc.), and other cases occur as part of a complex neurobehavioral disorder (such as autism, epilepsy, fragile X syndrome, galactosemia, Rett syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome or certain types of chromosome abnormalities).^[1] In some cases, researchers have found alterations (mutations) in the FOXP2 gene or loss of genetic material involving this gene.^[4] Treatment of childhood apraxia of speech involves speech therapy with a speech-language pathologist. Those with more severe cases will require more therapy than those with mild cases.^[2] The goal of therapy is to increase speech production and intelligibility. In some cases, augmentative and alternative forms of communication may be needed.^[3]

Last updated: 5/30/2017

Symptoms Symptoms

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms	Other Names	Learn More: HPO ID
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Abnormal speech prosody		0031434
Dysarthria	Difficulty articulating speech	0001260
Expressive language delay		0002474
Grammar-specific speech disorder		0006977
Incomprehensible speech		0002546
Poor fine motor coordination		0007010
Poor speech		0002465
Receptive language delay		0010863
Specific learning disability		0001328
Speech apraxia		0011098
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Caudate atrophy		0002340
Delayed social development		0012434
Drooling	Dribbling	0002307
Feeding difficulties	Feeding problems Poor feeding [ more ]	0011968
Poor gross motor coordination		0007015
1%-4% of people have these symptoms
Autistic behavior		0000729
High, narrow palate	Narrow, high-arched roof of mouth Narrow, highly arched roof of mouth [ more ]	0002705
Horizontal eyebrow	Flat eyebrow Straight eyebrow [ more ]	0011228
Overfolded helix	Overfolded ears	0000396
Submucous cleft hard palate		0000176
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Abnormality of the basal ganglia		0002134
Abnormality of the face	Abnormal face Facial abnormality [ more ]	0000271
Autosomal dominant inheritance		0000006
Delayed speech and language development	Deficiency of speech development Delayed language development Delayed speech Delayed speech acquisition Delayed speech development Impaired speech and language development Impaired speech development Language delay Language delayed Language development deficit Late-onset speech development Poor language development Speech and language delay Speech and language difficulties Speech delay [ more ]	0000750
Oromotor apraxia		0007301

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Do you have more information about symptoms of this disease? We want to hear from you.

Last updated: 10/1/2019

Do you have updated information on this disease? We want to hear from you.

Find a Specialist Find a Specialist

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources

To find a medical professional who specializes in genetics, you can ask your doctor for a referral or you can search for one yourself. Online directories are provided by the American College of Medical Genetics and the National Society of Genetic Counselors. If you need additional help, contact a GARD Information Specialist. You can also learn more about genetic consultations from Genetics Home Reference.

Research Research

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials that are related to Childhood apraxia of speech. Click on the link to go to ClinicalTrials.gov to read descriptions of these studies.

Please note: Studies listed on the ClinicalTrials.gov website are listed for informational purposes only; being listed does not reflect an endorsement by GARD or the NIH. We strongly recommend that you talk with a trusted healthcare provider before choosing to participate in any clinical study.

Organizations Organizations

Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
2200 Research Boulevard
Rockville, MD 20850-3289
Toll-free: 800-638-8255
Telephone: 301-296-5700
TTY: 301-296-5650
Fax: 301-296-8580
E-mail: http://www.asha.org/Forms/National-Office-Contact-Form/
Website: http://www.asha.org/
Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America (CASANA)
416 Lincoln Avenue 2nd Fl.,
Pittsburgh, PA 15209
Website: http://www.apraxia-kids.org

Do you know of an organization? We want to hear from you.

Learn More Learn More

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has an information page that discusses Childhood apraxia of speech on their Web site. Click on the link to view this information page.
The Center for Parent Information and Resources has a page on Speech and Language Impairment which includes information about Childhood apraxia of speech. Click on the link to view this information.
The Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America (CASANA) has a resource called the Family Start Guide which has information about Childhood apraxia of speech. Click on the link to access this information.
Genetics Home Reference (GHR) contains information on Childhood apraxia of speech. This website is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.
MedlinePlus was designed by the National Library of Medicine to help you research your health questions, and it provides more information about this topic.
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) conducts and supports biomedical and behavioral research and research training in the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, and language. Click on the link to view information on this topic.

In-Depth Information

GeneReviews provides current, expert-authored, peer-reviewed, full-text articles describing the application of genetic testing to the diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling of patients with specific inherited conditions.
Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.

GARD Answers GARD Answers

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.

Have a question? Contact a GARD Information Specialist.

References References

Apraxia of Speech. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/pages/apraxia.aspx. Accessed 1/4/2016.
A Beginner’s Start Guide to Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). The Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America. http://www.apraxia-kids.org/guides/family-start-guide/. Accessed 1/4/2016.
Childhood Apraxia of Speech. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. http://www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Clinical-Topics/Childhood-Apraxia-of-Speech/. Accessed 1/4/2016.
Morgan A, Fisher SE, Scheffer I, et al. FOXP2-Related Speech and Language Disorders. GeneReviews. 2017; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK368474/.