You know your child has so much to say. They understand everything happening around them, their eyes are full of expression, and they are eager to join the conversation. But when they try to speak, the words don’t come out the way they intended, or they struggle to say a sound that was easy for them just yesterday.

If your child consistently has difficulty planning and producing speech, or their speech seems unpredictable from one attempt to the next, they may have Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). Understanding the signs of CAS can help you recognize when your child may benefit from additional support.

What Is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

CAS is a motor speech disorder that affects how the brain plans and coordinates the movements needed for speech. Your child knows what they want to say, and the muscles in their lips, tongue, and jaw are strong enough to produce speech. However, the brain has difficulty sending the correct messages to those muscles in the right sequence.

As a result, your child may say the same word differently each time, have difficulty putting sounds together, or struggle to say words clearly and consistently.

What Are Early Signs of Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

The signs of CAS vary from child to child, but they commonly include:

  • Saying the same word differently each time
  • Having difficulty putting sounds together to form words
  • Using only a limited variety of consonants and vowels
  • Being difficult for others to understand 
  • Struggling to coordinate the physical movements needed for speech
  • Becoming frustrated when trying to communicate


These signs don’t automatically mean your child has CAS, but they are a good reason to schedule a speech-language evaluation.

Why Is Speech Therapy Important for Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

Unlike some speech challenges that improve naturally as children develop, CAS does not simply go away with time. Because CAS affects the brain’s ability to plan and coordinate speech movements, children need specialized speech therapy to develop clearer, more consistent speech.

Early intervention and consistent therapy can help your child build the motor planning skills they need to communicate more effectively while reducing frustration and supporting success at home, at school, and in social situations.

The earlier your child begins therapy, the sooner they can start building the communication skills they’ll use throughout their lives.

What Does Speech Therapy for Childhood Apraxia of Speech Look Like?

Speech therapy for CAS is individualized to your child’s needs and is designed to feel more like play than work. During sessions, your child may participate in motivating activities that build confidence while strengthening speech skills, such as:

  • Playing games, singing songs, or saying simple rhymes while practicing tricky sounds, words, and short phrases
  • Watching the speech-language pathologist demonstrate how to make speech sounds, then practicing those movements together
  • Starting with simple sounds and words before gradually building up to longer words, phrases, and sentences


Therapists also partner with families by providing guidance and activities that encourage continued practice between therapy sessions.

Reach Out to Let’s Communicate for Support

If your child has difficulty producing words clearly or consistently, and you are in the Winder, GA, area, reach out to Let’s Communicate Pediatric Therapy Services. Call us at (678) 963-0694 or fill out our online contact form to schedule an evaluation. We look forward to helping your child communicate with greater confidence and ease.