Specialty Service
Apraxia of Speech Treatment
Specialized, intensive motor speech therapy for children and adults whose brains have difficulty planning and coordinating the movements needed to speak clearly.
Understanding the Condition
What is apraxia of speech?
Apraxia of speech is a motor speech disorder that affects the brain's ability to plan and coordinate the precise movements needed to produce speech. The muscles themselves are not weak — the problem lies in the brain's ability to send the right signals, in the right order, at the right time, to the lips, tongue, jaw, and vocal cords.
In children, this condition is called Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). Children with CAS often understand language well and know exactly what they want to say, but their brains struggle to coordinate the movements needed to say it. CAS is not something a child outgrows on its own — it requires specialized speech therapy with a clinician trained in motor speech approaches.
In adults, acquired apraxia of speech typically results from stroke, traumatic brain injury, or progressive neurological conditions. It often co-occurs with aphasia, adding another layer of communication difficulty. Adults with apraxia may have been fluent speakers before their injury and find the loss of reliable speech production deeply frustrating.
Apraxia requires a different therapeutic approach than typical articulation therapy. Standard speech sound practice is not enough — individuals with apraxia need intensive, motor-based treatment that builds the brain's ability to plan, sequence, and execute speech movements through repetition and multisensory cueing.
Signs & Symptoms
What to look for
- Inconsistent speech errors — the same word may be said differently each time
- Groping or searching movements with the mouth when trying to speak
- Difficulty imitating speech sounds or words
- Longer words and sentences are harder than short, simple ones
- Slow rate of speech with noticeable effort and struggle
- Difficulty sequencing sounds and syllables in the correct order
- Limited babbling or late onset of first words (in children)
- Better automatic speech (counting, singing) than voluntary speech
- Awareness of errors with visible frustration during speech attempts
- Inconsistent voicing errors — saying "big" as "pig" one time but not the next
Our Approach
How we treat apraxia
Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC)
An evidence-based motor speech approach that uses simultaneous production, tactile cues, and systematic fading to help the brain learn the motor plans needed for accurate speech.
Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol (K-SLP)
A systematic approach that simplifies word shapes to teach children the motor movements for speech, gradually building toward more complex productions as accuracy improves.
PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets)
A tactile-kinesthetic approach where the therapist uses physical touch cues on the face and jaw to guide accurate speech movement patterns.
Intensive Therapy Model
Apraxia responds best to frequent, focused practice. We recommend intensive scheduling — multiple sessions per week — especially in the early stages of treatment to build motor memory.
Apraxia therapy is not one-size-fits-all. Our clinicians hold specialized training in CAS and acquired apraxia and select the approach that best matches each individual's needs, severity level, and learning style. We also integrate AAC tools when needed to ensure your child or you always have a way to communicate while speech skills are developing.
Who We Help
Children and adults
We provide apraxia therapy for children as young as two years old through adulthood. For children with CAS, early identification and intensive treatment give the best outcomes. We work closely with families to ensure therapy strategies carry over into daily life.
For adults with acquired apraxia following stroke or brain injury, we design treatment around your functional communication needs and provide the intensive practice schedule that motor speech recovery requires.
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Concerned about apraxia of speech? Our specialized clinicians can evaluate, diagnose, and create an intensive treatment plan tailored to your needs.