Apraxia is defined as a speech impairment involving a disruption in the planning and execution of the voluntary movements that control speech despite normal muscle strength and tone. Characteristics of this condition include: 

  • Difficulty initiating speech sounds 
  • Groping for sounds 
  • Inconsistent errors 
  • Slow rate of speech 
  • In severe cases, an inability to produce any sound 

Apraxia Diagnosis and Treatment

At Wake Forest Baptist Health, our speech-language pathologists will meet with you, take your medical history, and perform a comprehensive motor speech evaluation. The evaluation will include assessment of your speech using appropriate standardized and functional measures to determine presence and type of speech impairment.

The information gathered during the evaluation will be used to establish a treatment plan that is right for you. Our speech-language pathologists work closely with each patient, customizing therapeutic tasks to help improve your speech abilities. Therapy may include restorative treatments, compensatory strategies, communication partner training, and possibly augmentative and alternative communication devices.