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Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS)
The basics, broken down
Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is when a child knows exactly what they want to say but their brain can’t reliably plan the movements to say it. CAS is rare, often misdiagnosed — and the right therapy can be life-changing.
CAS is a motor speech disorder. Unlike articulation, where a sound is consistently wrong, in CAS the same word may come out differently every time. The breakdown isn’t in the muscles or in language understanding — it’s in the planning between brain and mouth.
CAS gets confused with severe articulation disorder or global language delay. Differential diagnosis matters: CAS responds best to a specific kind of motor-based therapy, with much higher session frequency than typical speech therapy.
Most kids with CAS need 2–4 sessions per week, especially early on. Done right, they make remarkable progress — and many catch up to peers on intelligibility, even if some traces remain.
Quick self-check
These signs together raise the question of CAS. Any single one of them isn’t enough — the pattern is what matters:
Tap the ones that sound familiar
Even one of these is enough reason to look into it. We're here when you're ready.
If you’re seeing several of these, ask for a CAS-specific evaluation. Not every SLP is trained in apraxia — every Speech Bee who works with CAS is.
Step by step
CAS therapy is intensive and motor-based. We use evidence-supported approaches like Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC), Rapid Syllable Transition (ReST), and integrated phonological awareness — selected based on your child’s age and profile.
We assess motor planning specifically — multisyllabic words, vowel accuracy, prosody, consistency. We rule in or out CAS rather than treating it as a guess.
Lots of repetitions of carefully chosen words, with cueing that fades over time. Sessions are short and focused — kids do real, repeated motor work, not crafts that happen to involve speech.
We start with simple syllable shapes (CV, VC, CVCV) and build up. Each step is locked in before we move on.
We pick words your child wants to say — siblings’ names, favorite snacks, “let’s go.” Motivation drives volume of practice, and volume drives progress.
CAS demands more home practice than any other speech disorder. In parent-assisted sessions we teach you the same cues we use, plus realistic 5-minute drills you can run multiple times a day.
Where therapy happens
Frequent, predictable sessions are a cornerstone of CAS care. For families that can swing it, in-home offers the right environment for high-rep motor work.
Speech Bees only offers stuttering therapy online. We believe speech therapy works best hands-on, and that matters most for motor-based apraxia work.
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Parent-assisted sessions
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Good to know
Most CAS guidelines recommend 2–4 sessions per week, with home practice on the off days. Less than that and progress slows. We’ll work with you to find a schedule that’s realistic and effective.
CAS doesn’t resolve on its own, but with the right therapy, kids can make dramatic gains. Many become highly intelligible to unfamiliar listeners. Some traces of CAS may persist; the goal is functional, confident communication.
They’re distinct, but co-occur in some kids. We screen for both and tailor therapy accordingly. Many of our SLPs are experienced working with autistic kids.
No. Apraxia therapy is in-home only. It relies on hands-on, tactile cueing, and stuttering is the only service we offer online. A licensed Speech Bee comes to your home.
Differential diagnosis is what we do. A CAS-specific evaluation looks at motor planning, vowel accuracy, prosody, and consistency — and gives you a clear answer.
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