Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia: A Clinical Perspective

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Abstract
The charts of 40 children ages 4;0 through 9;11 who had articulation disorders were reviewed for symptoms of developmental verbal dyspraxia (DVD). Abnormalities of syllable production such as inaccuracy, reduced rate and poor sequencing were considered necessary to diagnose DVD. Four of the other eight symptoms needed to be present to be sufficient for DVD diagnosis. Three groups of children were identified. Group 1 had little or no syllable production problems; Group 2 had moderate syallable production problems; Group 3 had severe syllable production problems. The 15 children with severe abnormalities in syllable production (group 3) were much more likely to have DVD symptoms than children with little or no syllable production problems (group 1). Non-verbal oral motor problems were present in only 9% of group 1 children and in 60% of group 3 children. For delayed onset of sentence formulation the percents were 9% and 47%; for severe articulation disorders 9% and 40%; for soft neurological signs 18% and 33%; for family history of speech problems 27% and 40%. This approach for defining DVD was suggested to help make the diagnosis more realistic and stable among practitioners. The presence of moderate to severe oral motor problems in 72% of the 40 children implies that treatment designed to improve oral motor functioning needs to be used routinely either prior to or in parallel with other treatment approaches.

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