Symptom 4: The Riddle of Repetitive Speech Attempts
Apraxia of speech can also manifest itself in repeated attempts to pronounce words correctly. It’s like a key getting stuck on a keyboard, leading to a chain of identical characters on the screen. Individuals with AOS may frequently repeat or revise their words or phrases as they grapple to get their speech right.
Imagine a meticulous artist attempting to sketch a perfect circle. They keep erasing and redrawing, striving to get it right. Similarly, AOS sufferers continue to repeat their words, endeavoring to correct their articulation. It’s a constant pursuit for verbal perfection that is just out of reach.
This symptom doesn’t stem from a lack of language knowledge or a stutter. Instead, it’s like a glitch in a video game, where the character keeps repeating the same move despite the player’s commands. Repeated speech attempts in AOS are more than a mere stutter or a habitual verbal tick.
Thus, the next time you see someone stuck in a loop of repeated words or phrases, it might not be a simple case of stuttering. It’s like a singer continually rehearsing a tricky note, a possible sign of apraxia of speech.
Should you find your speech echoing itself, do not dismiss it as a mere verbal hiccup. It might be more than a stubborn stutter; it could be a repetitious call from your speech mechanisms caught in the loop of AOS. Tune in to these echoes; responding to these signals can lead to a deeper understanding of your speech patterns. (4)
