Apraxia of Speech: Where to begin? Part 1) Individualised Assessment
Why assessment matters in apraxia of speech therapy
No two people with apraxia of speech present in the same way. Some individuals struggle to produce even single sounds or simple syllables. Others may be able to speak in sentences but show inconsistent errors, reduced fluency, or differences in prosody and speech naturalness. Because of this variability, apraxia therapy should never be a “one-size-fits-all” approach. A thorough, individualised assessment is the starting point. Assessment helps us identify the severity of apraxia of speech, whether that is severe, moderate, or mild. It gives us a clear picture of strengths and areas of difficulty in speech production, and helps determine which supports are likely to be most effective. This might include structured drill-based practice, functional vocabulary, AAC, total communication approaches, or partner training. Assessment also helps guide how therapy should change and progress over time. When assessment is tailored, therapy can be tailored too. Tasks can be set at the right level of difficulty, challenging enough to support progress, but not so difficult that they lead to unnecessary frustration. Therapy goals can be personalised to include both structured drill targets and functional, meaningful communication goals. Depending on the individual, therapy may lean more heavily on drill-based practice, functional communication, or a blend of both.
Thinking in terms of severity levels can help make these decisions clearer. For example, a person with severe apraxia of speech may benefit from starting with vowels, CV syllables, and very simple motor speech patterns. Someone with moderate apraxia of speech may be ready to work on improving consistency at the word or short phrase level. A person with mild apraxia of speech may need support with connected speech, prosody, rate, and overall naturalness. By understanding where someone is starting from, we can select the most appropriate tools for therapy and create opportunities for success. Whether therapy focuses on structured drills, functional phrases, AAC, or a combination of approaches, assessment is what makes apraxia of speech therapy truly individualised and effective. If you’re looking for resources that support this kind of individualised apraxia of speech therapy, my Apraxia of Speech Therapy Bundle was created with assessment-led decision-making in mind. The bundle includes structured, drill-based materials that move from simple to more complex motor speech targets, making it easier to match therapy tasks to severity level and current skill. Because the resources are systematic but flexible, they can be used alongside functional communication goals, AAC, or total communication approaches as needed.
