How is Childhood Apraxia of Speech diagnosed?

It is important to see a speech specialist (known as a speech pathologist, speech and language pathologist, or speech therapist depending on your country) to confirm a diagnosis of Childhood Apraxia of Speech. This is because Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a complex condition with a number of signs and associated conditions and speech pathologists are specially trained to be able to recognise Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

In Australia, your doctor may refer you to a speech pathologist, but your teacher and other health professionals can too. To diagnose Childhood Apraxia of Speech, your speech pathologist will get your child to do a number of ‘talking tests’. The language and speech skills of toddlers naturally vary a lot.

This means that before two to three years of age, children with other types of speech and language conditions may share some of the early signs of Childhood Apraxia of Speech (e.g., slow to talk, few first words) without having Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Because Childhood Apraxia of Speech is rare, if you or your speech pathologist are unsure about your child’s diagnosis, it might be best to see a speech pathologist with experience diagnosing Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

Learn more about our pharmaceutical trial for Childhood Apraxia of Speech.