Correlations between autism spectrum disorders and childhood apraxia of speech

Introduction Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder, characterized by inabilities in communication and social interaction. ¹ Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a neurological disorder in which the consistency and precision of speech movements are impaired, in the absence of neuromuscular deficits.2 Research indicates that children with ASD do not have a higher prevalence of CAS.3 It is suggested that comorbid ASD and CAS would be expected to be extremely rare. Objectives Verify the occurrence of CAS in children with ASD. Methods The study included 22 children diagnosed with ASD aged between 4 and 8 years, who were undergoing speech therapy at a specialized health service and their therapists. The test was applied by the therapists Differential Assessment of Autism and Other Developmental Disorders (DAADD)4, divides into six areas of development: language, pragmatic, sensory, motor, physical and behavioral to differentiate and diagnose disorders of neurological origin. Results Among the 22 children participating in the research, 20 did not score the item apraxia. Only two children were referred with apraxia and twelve had receptive language and pre-academic skills proportional to their age. Of 22 participants, only three were overly excited for verbal productions. Conclusions The analyzes of data suggests that the occurrence of CAS in children with ASD is low and underlying the disorder.