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Apraxia

Read this page to learn what apraxia is, or if you think your child might have it.

What is apraxia?
Apraxia is when a person has trouble saying what he wants to say. There are 2 kinds of apraxia:

• Trouble with putting together the right sounds to make words is called verbal apraxia. This isn't caused by physical problems with a child's tongue or mouth. But having these physical problems can make speaking harder.
• Trouble with moving your arms or hands the right way to sign is called motor apraxia. For deaf children, this use of their bodies is not just related to their arms and faces, but how they understand language.

Deaf children with apraxia can have trouble with both speaking and signing.

Apraxia can become harder to deal with as your child gets older. He'll want to be understood, and he may get very upset if people can't understand him. Having problems with communicating can make playing with other children hard, too.

Next: The signs of apraxia

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