What is a key characteristic of childhood apraxia of speech during assessment?

A key characteristic of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is the variability in speech sound production, which includes inconsistent consonant and vowel productions. This inconsistency arises because children with CAS have difficulty planning and coordinating the movements necessary for speech. During assessment, it is common to observe that a child may produce the same sound or word differently on various occasions, reflecting the challenges they face in articulating sounds consistently.

In contrast, other characteristics such as consistent speech sound production would not be indicative of CAS, as children with this condition typically demonstrate variability rather than reliability in sound production. Fluent spontaneous speech is also not a characteristic of CAS; children with this condition often struggle with the fluency and ease of their speech due to their motor control issues. While delayed language development can be associated with several speech and language disorders, including CAS, it is not a defining feature during assessment that specifically highlights the challenges of sound production. Thus, the variability in consonant and vowel production remains the most telling characteristic of childhood apraxia of speech.