Does your child have unusual patterns in their speech?
Have you noticed they have difficulty creating certain speech sounds?
If so, they may have a motor speech disorder. At Forte Speech & Language Therapy, we can help.
Our speech therapy clinic includes a team of licensed therapists trained in assessment and treatment of a range of different speech-language disorders.
This includes, of course, motor speech disorders.
If you suspect your child has a motor speech disorder, it’s a good idea to get an assessment with one of our speech-language pathologists (SLPs), as early intervention has been shown to be more effective in treating these disorders.
Below, you can find out more information about the different types of motor speech disorders and how speech-language therapy can help.
What is a Motor Speech Disorder?
Motor speech disorders are a unique class of speech disorder that affect the muscles used in speech production. They may occur alongside other speech or language disorders/differences as well, including:
- Speech sound disorders like articulation disorders
- Fluency disorders like stuttering and cluttering
- Neurodevelopmental disorders like autism spectrum disorder
- Neurological disorders like aphasia
- And others
Speech-language pathologists specialize in providing therapy for motor speech disorders.
Speech Therapy for Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a term used to describe difficulty with planning and coordinating movement for speech.
Our brains plan and coordinate the movements needed for speech production using our speech mechanism such as our tongue, jaw, palate, lips, vocal cords, lungs, and diaphragm.
In particular, it’s related to the nerve pathways that connect the part of your child’s brain that controls their many speech muscles with the muscles themselves. This disconnect between the ability to plan and program is considered CAS.
In most cases, we’re not sure what causes childhood apraxia of speech. However, research shows that CAS can be related to certain neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and Down syndrome.
In rare cases it can be linked with traumatic brain injury, a brain infection, or another illness related to their brain.
Adults can also develop apraxia later in life. This is called acquired apraxia of speech. It’s treated by an adult speech therapist. Please contact a speech therapist that specializes in acquired apraxia of speech.
Symptoms of Childhood Apraxia of Speech
If your child has CAS, they’ll often have difficulty producing sounds, syllables, and words correctly and consistently. Some of the common characteristics of childhood apraxia of speech include:
- Developmental disorders like delayed speech development
- Having a relatively small catalog of speech sounds for their age
- Vowel distortions
- Distorted consonant speech sounds
- Saying words differently each time
- Putting stress on the wrong syllables in words
- Swapping speech sounds for other ones incorrectly
- Difficulty coordinating movements of the lips, tongue, or jaw
- Slow rate of speech
- Difficulty saying longer words
What sets childhood apraxia of speech apart, however, are the following characteristics:
- Trouble transitioning from one sound to another
- Grasping or groping with their hands while speaking
- Distorted vowel sounds
- Making different mistakes each time they speak
These characteristics are similar to many other speech disorders as well.
For example, speech therapy for speech sound disorders often addresses similar issues.
You may also notice your child has difficulty with other motor movements to do with their mouth that aren’t related to speech.
For example, they may have difficulty blowing bubbles or sucking on a breast or bottle while feeding shortly after birth.
How to Tell if Your Child Has Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Diagnosing CAS can be complex and requires a comprehensive evaluation by an experienced speech-language pathologist (SLP).
In some ways, it may seem like your child is just making errors like any child as they develop their speech skills. After all, every kid makes mistakes as they learn to speak.
However, the above characteristics tend to be unique compared to standard baby babble and developmental speech sound errors.
If your child shows the above characteristics, it’s a good idea to book a speech therapy assessment as soon as possible.
Childhood apraxia of speech can be a frustrating experience for your child as they have difficulty speaking. But with the right support, they can learn to improve motor planning and coordination for speech sounds and increase intelligibility of speech productions.
Your child’s speech-language pathologist will start with an assessment.
During that assessment, they will explore your child’s ability to produce various speech sounds, syllable shapes, words, and phrases compared to other children their age.
Therapy for CAS is often intensive and frequent based on your child’s severity and need. Principles of Motor Learning (PML) should be used to treat childhood apraxia of speech.
If you suspect your child has CAS, don’t delay – we’re here to help.
Speech Therapy for Dysarthria
Unlike childhood apraxia of speech, however, it’s not a disorder related to the neural pathways between their brain and their speech muscles.
Instead, dysarthria is caused by neurological impairments and can arise early in a child’s life due to neurologic damage sustained before, during, or after birth.
Common Causes of Dysarthria
Dysarthria can have a number of different causes, including:
- Cerebral palsy
- Traumatic brain injury
- Multiple sclerosis
- Muscular dystrophy
- Stroke
Of course, some of those are far more common in adults than children.
In rare cases, dysarthria can be triggered by certain prescription medications as well. Idiopathic dysarthria is less common.
Characteristics of Dysarthria
General characteristics of dysarthria include:
- Mumbled or slurred speech
- Difficulty controlling speech volume
- Difficulty controlling speech speed
- Difficulty controlling speech rhythm
- Hoarse or harsh voice
- Hypernasal voice
- Breathy voice
- Monotone voice
- Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
However, there are different types of dysarthria, related to the part of your family member or child’s brain that was damaged. Each of these has slightly different symptoms.
The different types of dysarthria include:
Ataxic Dysarthria
Ataxic dysarthria is related to damage to the cerebellum, which controls muscle movement. Ataxic dysarthria symptoms include:
- Difficulty pronouncing vowels
- Difficulty pronouncing consonants
- Difficulty with emphasizing the right part of a word
Flaccid Dysarthria
Flaccid dysarthria is related to damage to the lower motor neurons in your brain.
The telltale symptom of flaccid dysarthria is a nasal or breathy sounding voice.
Hyperkinetic Dysarthria
With hyperkinetic dysarthria, there’s damage to your basal ganglia.
It’s characterized mostly by fast, often unpredictable speech.
Hypokinetic Dysarthria
Hypokinetic dysarthria is also related to damage to the basal ganglia.
But unlike hyperkinetic dysarthria, hypokinetic speech tends to be slower and more monotone.
Spastic Dysarthria
Spastic dysarthria is related to damage to the upper neurons of the brain. There are upper neurons on both sides of the brain – it may be related to one or both.
This causes your speech to feel harsh, or overly strained.
Mixed Dysarthria
Like the name suggests, mixed dysarthria includes a mix of the above types.
Mixed dysarthria is the most common.
How to Tell if Your Child Has Dysarthria
You may notice many of the above symptoms are similar to childhood apraxia of speech.
Whether it’s related to the brain itself or the pathways connecting the brain with speech muscles, often the result is the same.
That’s why it’s so important to see a speech therapist for assessment beforehand.
While the symptoms may be similar, the treatment approaches will be very different.
If you suspect your child has dysarthria, book a speech therapy assessment as soon as you’re able.
Research and studies have shown that the sooner your child receives help for their speech disorder, the more effective treatment will be.
However, speech therapy for adults with dysarthria can still help.
Helpful Articles To Learn More About Speech Therapy For Motor Speech Disorders
You can learn more about motor speech disorders with these articles from our speech and language therapy blog.
If you need additional help with speech therapy for motor speech disorders, our experienced team of speech therapists are here to help you anytime.
Get Started with Forte Speech & Language Therapy Today
Regardless of where you’re at in your journey, here at Forte Speech & Language Therapy, we can help.
We’ll work with you or your loved one to build on your strengths and support clear, confident communication.
Start with your 15 minute complimentary phone consultation to discuss your concerns and address any initial questions you may have.