Retrospective Case-Control Study of Communication and Motor Abilities in 143 Children With Suspected Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Effect of Concomitant Diagnosis.
Jenya Iuzzini-Seigel, Amy L Delaney, Ray D Kent
PMID 36936798WHAT IT FOUND
Children with suspected childhood apraxia of speech and another major diagnosis showed more severe speech and motor delays than those without.
They sat, crawled, and walked later, had smaller sound inventories, and often had feeding difficulties, suggesting a need for broader assessment.
Key findings
01Children with suspected CAS and a concomitant diagnosis (CAS+) were significantly older at evaluation and evidenced more severe motor delays, including taking nearly twice as long to begin crawling and walking compared to children with CAS only.
02The CAS+ group had smaller consonant and vowel inventories and lower intelligibility estimates compared to the CAS-Primary group, despite being older.
03Early feeding difficulties were reported for 75% of children in the CAS+ group compared to 38% in the CAS-Primary group, a difference that was statistically significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Retrospective design relying on medical charts, leading to variable data completeness (e.g., missing information on specific CAS features or motor milestones). Small sample size for the CAS+ group (n=29), which may have reduced power to detect differences in some outcomes. Diagnoses were based on expert opinion and historical criteria, not a standardized, prospective checklist, which may affect diagnostic accuracy. Motor impairments may be underreported because many children had not yet been referred for physical or occupational therapy evaluations.
Declared interests
One author speaks about topics related to the content and is on the advisory committee for Apraxia Kids. No other competing financial or nonfinancial interests were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that motor delays in children with CAS are always present or severe; the study found significant motor delays primarily in the subgroup with concomitant diagnoses. Children with CAS alone (CAS-Primary) had lower rates of motor delay (27%) and earlier milestone attainment, so broad referrals for motor therapy may not be necessary for every child with CAS without other red flags.