Name a non-speech oral motor phenomenon that helps differentiate AOS from purely dysarthric speech.

• A. Rapid alternating jaw movements.
• B. Groping for articulatory placement and trial-and-error movements.
• C. Strength testing of facial muscles.
• D. Normal jaw range of motion.

Answer: (B)

Planning and programming of speech movements reveal themselves in non-speech tasks when someone with apraxia of speech searches for the right articulatory targets. Groping for articulatory placement and trial-and-error movements show a planning deficit: the speaker visibly investigates different positions, hesitates, and self-corrects as they try to sequence the lips, tongue, and jaw. This characteristic search behavior points to a problem in motor planning rather than in the actual muscle strength or range of motion. In purely dysarthric speech, the issue is execution, so strength or ROM may be normal and there isn’t the same persistent searching for targets. The other options miss this diagnostic cue: rapid alternating jaw movements can be affected by various factors and aren’t as specific to planning; strength testing reflects execution ability, not planning; and normal jaw range of motion indicates no mechanical limitation, not the planning difficulty seen in AOS.