Every parent remembers waiting for that first word. Maybe it was "mama," maybe it was "dog," maybe it was something only you could understand. But what happens when words are slow to come, or they show up and then vanish just as fast?
At Bjorem Speech, we hear from parents all the time who sense something's different about the way their child's learning to talk, even if they can't quite put a finger on it. Sometimes that instinct points toward childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), a motor speech disorder that's tricky to catch early.
We want to walk you through the early signs of childhood apraxia of speech, so you know exactly what to watch for.
What this article covers:
- What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?
- Early Signs of CAS to Watch Out for
- When Should You Reach Out to a Professional?
What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?
Childhood apraxia of speech is a speech sound disorder that makes it hard for a child's brain to send the right signals to the muscles used for talking. It's not a problem with strength or understanding language.
Kids with CAS typically know exactly what they want to say. The disconnect happens in the planning stage, where the brain has to map out precise movements of the lips, tongue, jaw, and palate, then fire them off in order.
When that process misfires, speech comes out inconsistent, effortful, or hard to understand, even though comprehension's right on track. That's different from a general speech delay, where a child's simply behind schedule. CAS needs its own treatment approach, so catching it early matters.
Early Signs of CAS to Watch Out for
Apraxia of speech in children looks a little different in every child, and no single sign confirms the diagnosis on its own. Still, certain patterns tend to show up again and again in kids who are later diagnosed with CAS (ASHA, 2007). Here are the signs your child needs speech therapy we encourage families to keep an eye on:
1. Inconsistent Speech Sound Errors
Most speech sound disorders produce fairly predictable errors. A child who substitutes one sound for another usually does it the same way every time. CAS tends to break that pattern. A child might say a word correctly one moment and then stumble over the exact same word minutes later, producing a completely different result each time (Shriberg, Aram, & Kwiatkowski, 1997; Iuzzini-Seigel, Hogan, & Green, 2017).
This inconsistency is one of the clearest signals of a motor planning issue rather than a simple articulation delay, because the child clearly has the sound in their repertoire but can't reliably access it on command.
2. Limited or Absent Babbling
Babbling is a baby's first rehearsal for speech. It's how infants experiment with sound, practice moving their mouths, and start building the motor patterns they'll eventually use for real words.
Babies who go on to be diagnosed with CAS often babble less than their peers, or they may skip this stage almost entirely (Overby, Caspari, & Schreiber, 2019; Highman, Hennessey, Leitão, & Piek, 2013). If your infant seems unusually quiet during the months when babbling typically ramps up, that's worth noting, even if it feels too early to worry.
3. Groping Behaviors While Trying to Speak
Watch a child's mouth closely as they attempt a difficult word, and you might notice visible searching. Their lips, tongue, or jaw may shift around as though hunting for the right position before any sound comes out.
This is called groping, and it reflects the brain struggling to plan and coordinate the physical movements needed for speech (Iuzzini-Seigel, Allison, & Stoeckel, 2022; ASHA, 2007). It's one of the more visible signs of CAS because you can often see the effort happening in real time.
4. Difficulty With Longer or More Complex Words
Children with CAS frequently do better with short, simple words than with longer or multisyllabic ones. As a word gets longer or more complicated, errors tend to increase (Highman, Overby, Leitão, Abbiati, & Velleman, 2024; Overby, Caspari, & Schreiber, 2019).
A child might handle "cat" just fine but fall apart trying to say "computer" or "spaghetti." This makes sense once you understand that CAS is fundamentally about sequencing movements, since more syllables mean more movements to plan and coordinate in the right order.
5. Vowel Distortions
While consonants tend to get most of the attention in speech development, vowels matter too, and children with CAS often show a more limited range of vowel sounds along with distortions on the vowels they do attempt (Davis, Jakielski, & Marquardt, 1998).
This is a subtler sign that many parents overlook, but SLPs are trained to listen for it after age 3 because it points specifically toward a motor planning difficulty rather than a purely phonological one.
6. Flat or Monotone Speech Patterns
Prosody refers to the rhythm, stress, and intonation of speech, the musical quality that makes talking sound natural. Children with CAS often struggle with prosody, producing speech that sounds choppy, flat, or oddly stressed (Shriberg, Campbell, Karlsson, Brown, McSweeny, & Nadler, 2003; Shriberg, Strand, Fourakis, et al., 2017).
You might notice your child putting emphasis on the wrong syllable or speaking in a way that lacks the natural rise and fall most of us use without thinking. This happens because prosody requires precise timing, and timing's exactly what CAS disrupts.
7. Better Understanding Than Speaking
One of the more heartbreaking signs for parents to witness is when a child seems to know more than they can say. Comprehension often develops more easily than production in CAS, though many children with CAS also have a co-occurring language disorder, so receptive skills can vary from child to child (ASHA Practice Portal).
They often understand more than they can express, which can lead to real frustration for a child who has plenty to communicate but can't get the words out the way they intend.
8. More Trouble With Spontaneous Speech Than Imitation
Some children with CAS are noticeably more accurate when repeating a word right after hearing it than when producing that same word on their own, out of the blue.
Speech-language pathologists often watch for this gap between imitated and spontaneous speech, since performance in CAS can shift depending on the complexity of the task (Iuzzini-Seigel & Murray, 2017; Lewis, Freebairn, Hansen, Iyengar, & Taylor, 2004).
When Should You Reach Out to a Professional?
You should reach out to a speech-language pathologist as soon as you notice a pattern of these signs, rather than waiting to see if your child grows out of it. CAS doesn't resolve on its own, and delaying evaluation means delaying the specialized therapy these kids need. Early intervention with speech therapy for apraxia makes a huge difference.
It's tempting to take a wait-and-see approach, especially when friends reassure you that every child develops at their own pace. But timing genuinely affects outcomes here.
Don't wait - evaluate. An evaluation from a qualified SLP, ideally one with training in pediatric motor speech disorders, gives you a clear picture of what's going on.
If you want to learn more about how to help a child with speech apraxia, we have a helpful guide on how to get speech therapy for my child.
Conclusion
Noticing the early signs of childhood apraxia of speech isn't about diagnosing your child yourself. It's about paying attention and knowing when to bring in support. If your child's speech feels inconsistent or hard to understand, you're not overreacting by asking questions.
Speech therapists who specialize in motor speech disorders can offer clarity and a clear path forward. We built Bjorem Speech to make consistent practice easier at home and in the clinic.
Ready to help your child build stronger speech skills? Shop our apraxia toys and practice tools and materials designed by speech therapists at Bjorem Speech today.
Sources:
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Practice Portal, drawing on the 2007 Technical Report. https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/childhood-apraxia-of-speech/
- Davis, B. L., Jakielski, K. J., & Marquardt, T. P. (1998). Developmental apraxia of speech: Determiners of differential diagnosis. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 12(1), 25 to 45. https://doi.org/10.3109/02699209808985211
- Highman, C., Hennessey, N. W., Leitão, S., & Piek, J. P. (2013). Early development in infants at risk of childhood apraxia of speech: A longitudinal investigation. Developmental Neuropsychology, 38(3), 197 to 210. PMID: 23573797.
- Highman, C., Overby, M., Leitão, S., Abbiati, C., & Velleman, S. (2024). Update on identification and treatment of infants and toddlers with suspected childhood apraxia of speech. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 67(9S), 3288 to 3308. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_JSLHR-22-00639
- Iuzzini-Seigel, J., Allison, K. M., & Stoeckel, R. (2022). A tool for differential diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech and dysarthria in children: A tutorial. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 53(4), 926 to 946. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-21-00164
- Iuzzini-Seigel, J., Hogan, T. P., & Green, J. R. (2017). Speech inconsistency in children with childhood apraxia of speech, language impairment, and speech delay: Depends on the stimuli. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 60(5), 1194 to 1210. https://doi.org/10.1044/2016_jslhr-s-15-0184
- Iuzzini-Seigel, J., & Murray, E. (2017). Speech and language performance in children with CAS shifts with task complexity, informing assessment across imitated and spontaneous speech contexts.
- Lewis, B. A., Freebairn, L. A., Hansen, A. J., Iyengar, S. K., & Taylor, H. G. (2004). School-age follow-up of children with childhood apraxia of speech. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 35(2), 122 to 140.
- Overby, M. S., Caspari, S. S., & Schreiber, J. (2019). Volubility, consonant emergence, and syllabic structure in infants and toddlers later diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech, speech sound disorder, and typical development: A retrospective video analysis. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62(6), 1657 to 1675. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-18-0046
- Shriberg, L. D., Aram, D. M., & Kwiatkowski, J. (1997). Developmental apraxia of speech: I. Descriptive and theoretical perspectives. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 40(2), 273 to 285.
- Shriberg, L. D., Campbell, T. F., Karlsson, H. B., Brown, R. L., McSweeny, J. L., & Nadler, C. J. (2003). A diagnostic marker for childhood apraxia of speech: The lexical stress ratio. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 17(7), 549 to 574.
- Shriberg, L. D., Strand, E. A., Fourakis, M., et al. (2017). A diagnostic marker to discriminate childhood apraxia of speech from speech delay: I. Development and description of the pause marker. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 60(4), S1096 to S1117.
