How can you differentiate AOS from a linguistic-based speech disorder like phonological disorder during assessment?

• A. Phonological disorder shows phoneme substitutions that follow predictable phonological patterns and better motor planning
• B. Preserved automatic speech suggests AOS rather than a linguistic disorder
• C. AOS shows impaired motor planning with groping and inconsistent errors
• D. Phonological disorder shows no motor planning deficits

Answer: (C)

Differentiating AOS from a linguistic-based phonological disorder comes down to what underlies the speech errors. AOS reflects a disruption in planning and programming the movements for speech, so you see groping as the speaker searches for the correct articulatory configuration, and the errors are inconsistent from one attempt to the next, often worse on longer or more complex sequences. That variability and visible motor struggle point to a motor planning problem rather than a linguistic one. Phonological disorders, by contrast, involve representations and rules of sound systems; errors are typically substitutions, omissions, or distortions that follow predictable phonological patterns and tend to be more stable across attempts because they reflect linguistic knowledge rather than fluctuating motor planning. So the hallmark signs of AOS—impaired motor planning with groping and inconsistent errors—best differentiate it from a phonological disorder. While preserved automatic speech can support a motor planning view, it isn’t by itself a definitive differentiator, and phonological disorders generally do not present with the same motor planning deficits.