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Building a Supportive Environment: Tips for Parents of Children with Verbal Dyspraxia

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Children with verbal dyspraxia face unique challenges coordinating the movements required for clear speech. While this might sometimes lead to periods of frustration and varied behaviors, such as crying, whining, temper tantrums, and, in some cases, kicking and hitting, with the right strategies and understanding, these moments can transform into opportunities for growth and connection.



Navigating this journey can present its own challenges, but the resilience and progress children can exhibit are equally compelling. This guide aims to empower families with insights and strategies to foster a supportive environment, amplifying children's strengths and ensuring their thriving development.

Discover Effective Strategies for Supporting Your Child with Verbal Dyspraxia

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What is Verbal Dyspraxia?

Verbal dyspraxia makes it difficult for children to develop the movements used to form the sounds of letters and words. It is not related to damaged nerves or muscles but is a speech condition related to their ability to produce speech sounds and sequence them together to form words.


Children with verbal dyspraxia often have unintelligible speech, which can be connected to oro-motor dyspraxia, impacting their ability to co-ordinate their larynx, lips, tongue, and palate, or generalized dyspraxia, which affects their gross and fine body movements.

How is Verbal Dyspraxia Diagnosed?

If you suspect your child could have verbal dyspraxia, you can speak to your family doctor. They can consider their symptoms and decide whether referring them to a speech-language pathologist (SLP) makes sense. They are crucial in diagnosing developmental verbal dyspraxia, using a checklist of characteristics, and considering their presenting symptoms to diagnose the speech disorder.


However, the process can be complex, and today, it is not uncommon for therapists to hesitate to "label" a specific speech disorder. Their hesitation often stems from a desire to view individuals holistically, avoiding potential stigmas and ensuring flexible, tailored treatment rather than confining them to a specific diagnosis.


Instead of focusing solely on labels, they prioritize the characteristics to prescribe the most effective treatment.

How is Verbal Dyspraxia Treated?

Importance of Early Intervention

Addressing verbal dyspraxia effectively often hinges on the timeliness of intervention. Early identification and intervention can significantly improve a child's communication development trajectory. When initiated promptly, speech therapy can harness a child's natural neuroplasticity, making it easier for them to adapt and learn new speech patterns.

SLP's Approach to Treatment

Speech therapy for verbal dyspraxia is typically facilitated by a speech-language pathologist (SLP). They craft a specialized verbal dyspraxia treatment plan to bolster your child's communication skills. These treatments target syllables, words, and phrases, utilizing your child's cues to set a comfortable progression pace.

Consistency: Key to Successful Therapy

Consistency in therapy is equally crucial. Regular sessions and persistent practice both during sessions and at home play a pivotal role in ensuring the best possible outcomes. In more pronounced cases, children might be introduced to alternative forms of communication, such as electronic devices or sign language. Regardless of the severity, ongoing support at home is instrumental in amplifying the benefits of therapy.

Tips to Assist Your Child

Parenting a child with verbal dyspraxia can be stressful. However, developing supportive strategies for verbal dyspraxia therapy will help you cope with the challenges and build a stronger relationship with your child. You can use these tips to create a supportive environment that allows your child to experience more marked progression in their development through verbal dyspraxia therapy:

  • Use Alternative Methods of Communication

    Known as Alternative or Augmentative Communication (AAC), you can overcome frustration and improve dialogue by encouraging your child to find a more comfortable way to communicate. This can vary from child to child, so finding the best solution might take some time. In some cases, you might use multiple AAC approaches. Some options include:


    • Gestures
    • Sign language
    • Pictures
    • Communication devices such as a tablet or mobile phone

    The key is to find ways to help your child communicate their wants, needs, questions, comments, and more, ensuring they can actively engage in household conversations. By expressing themselves more readily, they can experience smoother and more fulfilling interactions. Your SLP can provide an effective system. If the system doesn't work, you can alter your approach until you find the right fit for your child.

  • Encourage Communication

    Your child might be inclined to withdraw rather than face communication challenges. To counteract this, proactively seek moments that encourage interaction. For instance, if they usually feel hungry around snack time, wait for them to express their hunger before serving the snack. This approach reinforces that their efforts to communicate yield positive outcomes.


    Engaging them in regular conversations with family members throughout the day reduces feelings of isolation, fosters trust, and ensures they feel understood. Their confidence grows as they experience these positive interactions, leading to increased resilience and fewer challenging situations.

  • Pick Your Battles

    Every parent knows that some moments are more challenging than others. For instance, taking a toddler shoe shopping right before naptime might not be the best idea. The key is recognizing when to push forward and when to step back.


    You want to reduce creating highly emotional situations and pick your battles to avoid frustration, tantrums, and tears. Although you don't want to be overly indulgent, avoiding getting your child to communicate when tired or if you've been practicing exercises too long will only lead to an emotional meltdown. When your child is out of sorts, take their lead and avoid trying to use speech to communicate. If they seem upset, use their AAC to explain their feelings. Although ongoing communication is essential, pressure to communicate can make communicating a source of stress.

  • Foster Genuine Conversations

    Teach your child the art of conversation by using more comments than questions when interacting with them. This approach can reduce potential frustration. Instead of asking, "Do you see the cat?" say, "I see the cat." They'll gradually learn to contribute their own observations, sharing that they notice the cat or expressing a desire to wear a particular shirt.

  • Repeat Your Child's Questions and Comments

    To ensure your child feels heard, repeat their questions and comments so they know you understand them. This avoids frustration when you fail to respond as they expect. That said, your goal isn't to fulfill their every request. You should still respond based on their comments. For example, if they indicate they want an apple right before dinner, you should acknowledge their request but let them know now's not a good time, such as, "You want an apple? How about we wait, as dinner is almost ready."

  • Create a "Learning State"

    You can help create what is known as a "ready learning state" for your child by ensuring they get enough sleep, play, and follow a daily routine. Children are creatures of habit, and a routine helps them stay focused, especially when well-rested. A good balance of regular play also helps them learn, so consider activities to help them with speech development.


    Adapting to Unexpected Changes


    If you change their routine, such as a doctor's appointment or visit from a friend, let them know as far ahead as possible. For example, if they have to go to the dentist, let them know a few days ahead and continue to remind them so they are prepared when the time comes.


    These strategies can help your child develop effective verbal and communication skills and help alleviate the stress of parenting a child with verbal dyspraxia.

Ready to Learn More About Verbal Dyspraxia Treatment in the Laurel MD area?

At Nobles Speech Therapy, we're dedicated to helping children with verbal dyspraxia find their voice and communicate with confidence. Based in Laurel MD, our specialized treatments are tailored to meet the unique needs of children with this condition. Dive deeper into our verbal dyspraxia specific treatment offerings and discover how we can make a difference. Learn more about our approach and solutions here.

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About the Author

Myles Nobles is a pediatric speech and language pathologist in Laurel, MD. He uses a gentle approach and customizes treatment plans to help children from diverse backgrounds enhance their speech and language skills and reach their full potential, despite challenges such as autism. Myles' goal is to improve children's independence, self-confidence, and social well-being.

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