Department of Speech Pathology
Speech & Language Disorders
Symptoms of Apraxia
People with either form of speech apraxia may have a number of different symptoms, which may include:
- A tendency to grope for words or sounds
- Limited ability to make speech sounds automatically
- Difficulty putting sounds or syllables together in the correct order to form words
- Incorrect timing of speech movements and their accompanying sounds
- Increased tendency to make errors as the length of words or sentences increases
- Inconsistent speech errors, even when repeating a word that's just been said
- Errors using vowels
- A tendency to say a word several times before saying it the right way
- Inconsistent or improper use of rhythms, stresses, and inflections of speech that are used to convey meaning
Children with developmental apraxia may also:
- Understand language better than they are able to use it
- Have difficulty organizing spoken information clearly
- Demonstrate poor language skills, including poor vocabulary and grammar
- Experience problems with reading, writing, spelling, or math
- Have other speech disorders, coordination or "motor-skill" problems
- Suffer from chewing and swallowing difficulties.