Apraxia of Speech as an Impairment of Preprogramming

The present study aimed to further specify the motor programming disorder in Apraxia of speech (AOS), using a reaction time approach. Speech responses involved a single syllable of either short or long duration, and sequences of repeated syllables with a particular temporal pattern. Data from four individuals with AOS and 10 control speakers support the hypothesis that AOS involves a deficit of early programming processes while late programming processes are relatively spared. These findings resemble those from a previous finger-movement study with these same patients, and suggest that AOS reflects a central deficit at an early motor programming stage