Neuropsychological profile of children with childhood apraxia of speech

Summary Our team has an exciting PhD opportunity for a project examining cognitive contributions in childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) associated with our speech genetics clinic at the Royal Children's Hospital.

Project Details

Childhood speech disorders are common, affecting 1 in 20 preschool children in the general population. Yet these children present with mild articulation or phonological disorders that typically resolve with or without intervention. By contrast, approximately 1 in 1,000 patients present with a persistent and less tractable speech disorder known as childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Three core symptoms support a CAS diagnosis: including inconsistent errors on consonants and vowels; lengthened and disrupted coarticulatory transitions between sounds and syllables; and inappropriate prosody (ASHA 2007). Lifelong impairment is seen, with psychosocial impact, literacy deficits, and restricted educational and employment outcomes. Why is CAS so much more persistent than other speech conditions? Increasing evidence has shown a genetic basis for up to 1 in 3 children with CAS. Novel molecular pathways have also been revealed, indicating a role for transcriptional dysregulation. This mechanism is associated with altered brain development which results in the CAS symptomatology, along with other commonly shared deficits such as impaired motor skill development. To date, few studies have examined neuropsychological strengths and challenges in children with CAS. A greater understanding of cognitive contributions to the condition, combined with new genomic data, will lead to more targeted therapeutic interventions and help to explain the mechanisms which lead to this symptom profile. Our team has an exciting PhD opportunity for a project examining cognitive contributions in CAS associated with our speech genetics clinic at the Royal Children's Hospital.