Differential diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech compared to other speech sound disorders: A systematic review

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the discriminative features that might contribute to differentiation of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) from other speech sound disorders (SSDs). Method: A comprehensive literature search was conducted for articles or doctoral dissertations that included ≥ 1 child with CAS and ≥ 1 child with SSD. Of 2,071 publications screened, 53 met the criteria. Articles were assessed for (a) study design and risk of bias; (b) participant characteristics and confidence in diagnosis; and (c) discriminative perceptual, acoustic, or kinematic measures. A criterion was used to identify promising studies: American Academy of Neurology study design (Class III+), replicable participant descriptions and adequate confidence in diagnosis (≥ 3), and ≥ 1 discriminative and reliable measure. Results: Over 75% of studies were retrospective, case– control designs and/or assessed English-speaking children. Many studies did not fully describe study design and quality.