Apraxia of Speech

What is Apraxia of Speech?

Imagine that you know the words you want to say, but you can’t say it the way you intended.  People with apraxia usually have normal functioning muscles, but the brain pathways can't coordinate the muscle movements to say the words. Attempts to speak result in groping, struggling and frustration.

Apraxia affects the brain’s ability to plan motor activities.  It is a movement-planning problem. With apraxia, a person has difficulty putting movements in the right order, even though they understand the request.

For example, someone with apraxia may want to say the word “coffee” but what comes out is “toetee” - or - “feecoff.” They are aware that what they are saying doesn’t sound right and often try to correct themselves, with varying degrees of success.

Apraxia may occur together with aphasia or with dysarthria.  

Speech Therapy Tacoma can help

We help people who struggle with apraxia of speech.  
The muscles used for speech often need to be "retrained" to produce sounds correctly and sequence sounds into words. Exercises are customized for each individual to practice specific sounds and words. The goal is to reduce frustration and improve overall communication.

In severe cases, augmentative and alternative communication may be necessary—ways to communicate other than just oral speech—gestures, simple printed communication books or electronic devices if appropriate. We provide training for “compensatory strategies” (learning new or different ways) that can enhance a person's ability to use natural speech to increase their functional communication skills, and use other means as needed.

Contact us
for a FREE phone consult

• We will discuss your situation

• Get all your questions answered

• Plan the next steps

There is NO COST or OBLIGATION
for this initial phone call.