Neural origins of a developmental motor disorder: A neuroimaging study of children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is believed to have an origin in the brain, but the nature of the brain deficits is unknown. These studies will fill this gap in our knowledge using new technology to precisely measure speech movements in children with CAS as well as the brain activities that control these movements. The outcomes of this work will help us understand why the process of learning to talk proceeds smoothly and easily for most children, but is much more problematic for others.The proposed project will, for the first time, apply a methodology to children with CAS to directly test the hypothesis that CAS results from a deficit in the brain mechanisms responsible for coordinating and sequencing movements of the tongue, lips and jaw; and examine the possibility that CAS and DCD may involve a common neural deficit in coordinating and sequencing movements. The results will fill a major gap in our understanding of the neurophysiological deficits of CAS and DVD, and provide a significant step forward in the clinical classification and treatment of motor speech and movement disorders in children and adults.