Those who are experts in speech pathology treat conditions that unfortunately have been named in such a way that parents of children who are diagnosed with them are flummoxed as to exactly what the disorder might be.

One such speech disorder is Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS).

For any parent being told their child has CAS, the immediate reaction might be one of fear or confusion, and most likely both.

Sadly, not just in speech pathology, but in many medical fields, some of the terminology used can make the condition seem more serious than it actually is.

That is not to dismiss CAS as inconsequential, but once we explain what it is and how it can be treated by speech pathologists, hopefully, any fear or confusion will dissipate.

What Is Childhood Apraxia Of Speech? (CAS)

As we have stated, CAS is short for Childhood Apraxia of Speech, and at the risk of adding a touch more confusion, we have to point out that it can be referred to by other names depending on where you live.

These include Developmental Verbal Apraxia (DVD ), Developmental Apraxia Of Speech (DAS), or Developmental Articulatory Dyspraxia (DAD).

Thankfully, across most of Australia, it is CAS that is the term normally used, so we will stick with that.

CAS is classified as a motor speech disorder.

This means that it is the physical movements required to speak that are the cause of the problem, rather than any cognitive problems the child may have with language.

In other words, the child knows exactly what they wish to say, but the act of making their jaw, tongue, or lips form the sounds and words they wish to say is somehow compromised.

Symptoms Of CAS

As with many children who have speech and language difficulties, there will often be a combination of symptoms rather than a single one.

In addition, some symptoms are present for more than one disorder which often makes absolute diagnosis tricky for speech pathology experts treating the child in question.

Nevertheless, several characteristics of CAS have been identified which include:

• Distortions of vowels whereby one vowel is substituted for another
• The child displays a limit to the number of consonant and vowel sounds they can make
• Speech errors that seem random and inconsistent
• The child shows they have sounds that they favour over others, and these are often used as a substitute for the correct sound
• The child’s speech often has inconsistent rhythm, rate, intonation, and stress
• Showing particular difficulty in saying longer, complex words with multiple syllables
• The child is visibly seen to be physically struggling when trying to make the oral movements required for speaking

Causes Of CAS

Given that CAS is a physical speech disorder rather than a cognitive one, parents sometimes fear that something they or someone else did when the child was a baby, may have caused them some unidentified injury.

However, that is highly unlikely to be the case. In truth, speech pathology research has not yet come up with a definitive answer as to why any individual child may have CAS.

Some research shows there might be a genetic element, especially if there is a family history of speech and language problems.

There are also suggestions that other conditions can heighten the chances of a child having CAS such as autism, epilepsy, and genetic conditions relating to chromosomes.

One thing is certain, and that is a child’s parents can do little to prevent a child from having CAS, but they can assist in helping their child overcome it.

Treatment Of CAS

Given that CAS is a motor speech disorder, the main help will come from a speech pathologist.

They will undertake a treatment program that will be bespoke for each child, intensive, and may require as many as five sessions per week.

Repetition and practice will be necessary which is where the child’s parents can play a huge role in helping them repeat the exercises at home.

These exercises will naturally involve oral speech exercises and movements until they are automatic.