Apraxia

Apraxia is a disorder that can be confusing to understand. Children with apraxia have difficulty planning the movements for speech. They often will have a few words that they say well but cannot say other words that have the same sounds. This is because words that are automatic are easier to say than new words. When counting to 10, you probably don’t have to think too much about which number is coming next. That is because numbers are automatic. The more exposure you have to a word or phrase, the more automatic it becomes. Here are some ideas to help you work with your child who has apraxia.

READ and SING- Reading repetitive nooks and songs is helpful. Read and sing the same books and songs often and the words will become more automatic for your child.

PLAY WITH VOWELS- Vowels are often overlooked when children are learning sounds. Work on saying all of the vowel sounds by themselves before doing other sounds. Then, play with sounds combining them with the vowels. Try to keep your sounds in the same category. For example, m, b, p, w are all made using the lips. Try one vowel at a time when playing (moe, bow, poe, whoa), then switch vowels after these combinations are easy to say (me, pea, bee, whee). This helps your child learn to say different consonant sounds next to vowels; therefore, making it easier to plan out new words.

Hope this helps!

-Melissa