Which is not a typical AOS feature: preserved automatic speech, increased groping, or consistent errors across trials?

• A. Preserved automatic speech
• B. Increased groping
• C. Inconsistent errors across trials
• D. Consistent errors across trials

Answer: (D)

In AOS, the hallmark is variability in how speech sounds from attempt to attempt. When someone with AOS tries to say the same word or phrase, the errors tend to shift and change, and you often see the speaker pause and search for the right articulatory configuration—this is the groping behavior. Automatic speech tasks, like counting or reciting days of the week, are often relatively better preserved because they rely on overlearned, automatic motor patterns rather than the flexible planning required for novel voluntary speech. Because of this planning variability, errors aren’t the same each time; they fluctuate across trials.

So the statement about consistent errors across trials doesn’t fit AOS. Consistent errors would imply a stable, repeatable mistake pattern, which is not typical. The other features described—preserved automatic speech and increased groping—are common in AOS, and the presence of inconsistent errors across trials is also characteristic.