C'mon, Recognize Apraksia Speech Disorders in Children and How to Overcome It

Children aged two years, generally can say two words, such as "want milk" and "want to eat". If your child is not able to say a simple series of words, there is a possibility that he has speech apraxia. This disorder can be overcome by speech therapy and other habits at home. Apraksia is a nerve disorder in the brain that makes it difficult for children to coordinate the muscles used when talking. Children with apraxia know what they want to say, but have difficulty moving their jaws, tongue, and lips to talk.

Apraksia Speech Disorders

Speech disorders of apraxia are similar to dysarthria in speech disorders. Apraksia in children is usually caused by genetic and metabolic disorders. In addition, several conditions such as premature birth and mothers who consume alcohol or illegal drugs during pregnancy, can also be a factor that triggers speech disorders of apraxia in children. Apraksia usually can only be detected in children under three years old (toddlers), namely the age of 18-24 months. Here are some symptoms that can indicate the condition of apraxia in children:

• Lack of babble as a baby.
• It seems difficult to move the mouth to chew, suck and blow.
• Difficulties when pronouncing consonants that are at the beginning and end of words, such as "eating", "drinking", and "sleeping".
• More often use bodily movements to communicate, for example thrusting hand to ask for something or cry if you want to eat or drink.
• It's hard to say the same word a second time. For example, Little One might be able to correctly pronounce the word "chicken" when you first say it. However, for the second time, Little will have difficulty to say it again.

How to Overcome Apraksia Speech Disorders

If your child experiences symptoms as above, the possibility of suffering from speech disorders apraxia. But to ensure further conditions, you should immediately consult a doctor. Usually the doctor will assess the child's ability to say one word repeatedly. Speech therapy is the most effective way that can be applied to this condition. Generally speech therapy needs to be done routinely twice a week, to improve the child's speech. In addition to speech therapy, there are also some simple habits that Mother and Father can do to help improve your child's speech skills:

• Listening to music

Mother and Father can listen to music with Little One, then invite him to sing. Little can also be invited to watch music videos on gadgets. So that the Little One will see firsthand the way the singer utters a word and sentence. Conducting music therapy is proven to make children emit more syllables and different sound combinations.

• Play saying simple words with Little One

Invite your child to say one simple word repeatedly, such as eating, dinner, drinking, and bathing. Try to do this simple game in front of the mirror, so that your little one knows which part of the mouth should be moved when saying a word.

• Using sign language

Sign language can also be one of the ways that can be used to overcome speech disorders of apraxia. By using sign language, Little can practice moving your mouth to say a word.

Support from parents and family is very important for the process of practicing speech in children with speech disorders of apraxia. Apraxia speech disorders should be treated immediately in the right way. If you get the symptoms of apraxia in your child, Mother and Father can consult a pediatrician to get treatment as soon as possible.