Diagnosis of AOS is considered when:

• A. A significant number of speech errors match those known to AOS.
• B. There is a uniform difference between expressive and receptive language abilities.
• C. There is clear limb apraxia.
• D. There is no speech error.

Answer: (A)

Diagnosing apraxia of speech hinges on recognizing motor planning and programming errors in speech. The hallmark is a pattern of speech errors that are characteristic of AOS—distortions, substitutions, prolongations, hesitations, and groping for sounds and syllables—often with greater difficulty on longer or more complex sequences and with inconsistent errors across attempts. Language ability itself (receptive or expressive) may be relatively intact, and non-speech tasks can be normal or only mildly affected. This is why the best choice emphasizes a significant number of speech errors that align with what is known about AOS.

If there were no speech errors, AOS would not be diagnosed. While some individuals with AOS may also have limb apraxia, the presence of limb apraxia is not required for the diagnosis, and an expressive-receptive language gap would point toward a language disorder rather than AOS.