Apraxia of speech is a motor speech disorder. A person with apraxia of speech has trouble saying what he or she wants to say correctly and consistently. People with apraxia often can’t move their lips or tongue to the right place to make a sound.
We’ve compiled a list of some of the most grounding techniques for apraxia of speech therapy for adults. These techniques are aimed at helping you improve your communication skills, and ultimately increase your quality of life.
- Apraxia Drill Therapy
This is the most common treatment used to work through apraxia in adults. It focuses on improving muscle memory so that messages from the brain can be better translated into the correct movements needed to produce clear speech. It’s a fairly straightforward technique and can be administered by a speech pathologist or therapist.
Apraxia drill therapy will take consistent effort, but it is often very effective. A primary benefit is that it teaches individuals with apraxia how to self-correct their speech patterns, which often improves their speaking quality as well as their confidence.
- Airflow Approach
This approach to apraxia therapy, also known as “airflow support,” focuses on improving airflow during speech by relaxing respiratory muscles and engaging abdominal muscles more effectively. The idea here is that increased airflow production may support an individual’s ability to produce clearer speech patterns more quickly and consistently.
- Phonemic cues
If you’re working on the “b” sound, for example, you could say “bubble,” then repeat it slowly. The first time you say it, put your hand under your chin and feel your chin go up as your mouth opens. Then listen carefully as the SLP says “bubble,” and try to copy how she says it.