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Verbal Apraxia, also called Apraxia of Speech (AOS) is a speech sound condition that affects a person's ability to translate conscious speech goals into motor plans, resulting in limited and difficult communication. This article presents an investigation on the designing of a 2D animation and its use as a therapy for Verbal Apraxia. This paper aims to investigate animation principles and to design and develop an animation video as a therapeutic solution. The expected outcome of this paper is a comprehensive analysis of the cognitive training in verbal therapy while focusing on spreading awareness of verbal apraxia towards society. In conclusion, this animation video runs successfully and meets all the objectives completely. Therefore, this proposed 2D animation is expected to contribute as a teaching syllabus for special needs schools and produce great usability for the users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bilateral volume reduction in the caudate nucleus has been established as a prominent brain abnormality associated with a FOXP2 mutation in affected members of the 'KE family', who present with developmental orofacial and verbal dyspraxia in conjunction with pervasive language deficits. Despite the gene's early and prominent expression in the cerebellum and the evidence for reciprocal cerebellum-basal ganglia connectivity, very little is known about cerebellar abnormalities in affected KE members. Using cerebellum-specific voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and volumetry, we provide converging evidence from subsets of affected KE members scanned at three time points for grey matter (GM) volume reduction bilaterally in neocerebellar lobule VIIa Crus I compared with unaffected members and unrelated controls. We also show that right Crus I volume correlates with left and total caudate nucleus volumes in affected KE members, and that right and total Crus I volumes predict the performance of affected members in non-word repetition and non-verbal orofacial praxis. Crus I also shows bilateral hypo-activation in functional MRI in the affected KE members relative to controls during non-word repetition. The association of Crus I with key aspects of the behavioural phenotype of this FOXP2 point mutation is consistent with recent evidence of cerebellar involvement in complex motor sequencing. For the first time, specific cerebello-basal ganglia loops are implicated in the execution of complex oromotor sequences needed for human speech. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a personal exploration of one woman's lived experience with aphasia, verbal dyspraxia and accent change following cryptogenic ischaemic stroke. I share insights into my experiences, especially of an emotional and cultural nature, after growing up multilingual in Europe and then living with communication changes in a predominantly English-speaking country (Australia) and following return to Europe. My formal reflections commenced 15 years after the stroke and, following my previous studies in the medical field, multimodal visual arts and philosophy, were initiated in the context of postgraduate study emphasising a multimodal arts-based, collaborative, experiential approach to reconstructing understandings of experiences, values and meanings. Central features of this personal narrative include emergent, iterative enquiry and learning: emergent, in that the enquiry was open-ended, allowing for an element of surprise and the opportunity to pursue unanticipated directions; iterative, in that it involved knowingly experiencing and conversing about what had been discovered in order to engage with the process of continuous meaning-making. Following the enquiry, fellow students provided intersubjective responses to issues that touched personal reflection on their part. In particular, I highlight one fellow student's intersubjective responses that touched me in return by providing especially pertinent understanding and images. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In a retrospective study of prelinguistic communication development, clinically referred preschool children (n == 9) aged 3-4 years, who as infants had failed a community-based screening program, were evaluated for features of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Four children showed no features and either delayed or normal language, five had from three-to-seven CAS features and all exhibited delayed language. These children were matched by age with 21 children with typically-developing (TD) speech and language skills. Case-control comparisons of retrospective data from 9 months of age for two participants with more severe features of CAS at preschool age showed a dissociated pattern with low expressive quotients on the Receptive-Expressive Emergent Language Assessment-Second Edition (REEL-2) and records of infrequent babbling, but normal receptive quotients. However, other profiles were observed. Two children with milder CAS features showed poor receptive and expressive development similar to other clinically referred children with no CAS features, and one child with severe CAS features showed poor receptive but normal expressive developmental milestones at 9 months and records of frequent babbling. Results suggest some but not all children with features of suspected CAS have a selective deficit originating within speech motor development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the use of a combination of intra-oral sensory stimulation and electropalatography (EPG) in the treatment of a case with severe developmental verbal dyspraxia. A multiple-baseline design was used. The treatment duration was 11 months and started when the subject was 5 years old. The efficacy of the treatment was assessed by calculations of percentage of correctly articulated words, percentage of consonants correct, percentage of phonemes correct and percentage of words correct. Intelligibility assessments were conducted by both naïve and expert listeners. The experts also assessed visual deviances in articulatory gestures from video recordings. Qualitative analysis of EPG data was made. The subject's speech was significantly improved by the treatment in all aspects. The results and their generalization to other cases of developmental verbal dyspraxia are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cortical speech disorders rarely occur in multiple sclerosis (MS). We report a patient with relapsing-remitting MS, who presented with acute verbal dyspraxia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated an acute T2/Flair hyperintense, primarily white matter lesion underlying the middle third of the inferior frontal gyrus. The verbal dyspraxia cleared beginning 48 hours after the initiation of iv dexamethasone. Follow-up MRI demonstrated qualitative and quantitative diminution of the hyperintensity. This is the first report of a clinically definite MS patient with acute verbal dyspraxia. Moreover,there was a suggestive localization of verbal praxis to Brodmann areas 44/45. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interstitial deletions encompassing chromosome 16p13.3-13.2 are rarely described in the literature, whereas terminal deletions or duplications involving this region are slightly more frequently described. The authors describe a boy harboring a de novo 16p13.3-13.2 interstitial deletion, with intellectual disability, verbal dyspraxia, epilepsy, and a distinctive brain magnetic resonance finding, namely a nodular heterotopia. The authors found partial genotype-phenotype correspondences regarding epilepsy and intellectual disability, which have been associated with 16p1 region. Conversely, nodular heterotopia and verbal dyspraxia have not been clearly related to this region. These data are in agreement with the emerging concept that similar copy number variants may be the general risk factors for distinct disorders. Verbal dyspraxia, which has not responded to speech therapy, is the child's most disabling trait. In view of the above, genetic studies should be appraised in cases of serious speech difficulties, especially if they are associated with intellectual disability and epilepsy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.