A speech disorder in which sounds, syllables, or words are repeated or prolonged, disrupting the normal flow of speech. Children can also go through periods of normal dysfluency as they learn to speak. Physical behaviors or reactions may also be observed during the stuttering episode. Click here to learn more about stuttering and fluency.

When speaking, messages need to go from your brain to your mouth informing the muscles how and when to move/coordinate to make sounds. If your child has apraxia of speech, the messages do not get through correctly. Your child might not be able to move his lips or tongue to the right place to say sounds, even though his muscles are not weak. These kids know what they want to say but can’t get the words out. The problem lies in getting the muscles to move in coordination with one another to form clear words. Other names also associated with Childhood Apraxia are “dyspraxia” and “developmental apraxia”. Please be aware that although you may hear the term “developmental,” apraxia is not a problem that children simply outgrow. A child with a speech/articulation disorder learns sounds in a typical order, just at a slower pace. However, If your child is experiencing apraxia, they will not follow typical patterns and will not make progress without treatment. It will take a lot of work, but your child’s speech can improve.

Stuttering/Fluency