Which statement describes non-discriminative characteristics of AOS?

• A. Automatic speech is often better than propositional speech.
• B. Prosody abnormalities.
• C. Articulation errors during utterance.
• D. Limb apraxia.

Answer: (A)

Non-discriminative features are those that can show up across different motor speech problems, so they don’t help you tell AOS apart from other conditions. The idea here is that automatic speech often being easier than propositional (or consciously planned) speech reflects a general property of motor speech control: well-learned, overlearned sequences can be produced with less planning effort. This pattern isn’t unique to AOS; it can be seen in other speech-motor disorders as well, so it isn’t a distinctive marker.

In contrast, other signs like prosody abnormalities, articulation errors when trying to speak, and limb apraxia tend to be more characteristic of AOS and are more useful for specific identification. That’s why the statement about automatic speech relative to propositional speech is considered non-discriminative, while the other features align more with the disorder’s typical profile.