ABSTRACT
Apraxia of speech is only one of a group of disorders which carry the label dyspraxia (Miller 1986). A general definition of dyspraxia is a disturbance in the programming and execution of learned volitional, purposeful movements in the presence of normal primary motor and sensory function and in the absence of any visual-perceptual, dysphasic, attentional, motivational or intellectual dysfunction. As well as diagnosis by exclusion, characteristic error patterns (see Miller 1986 for non-speech dyspraxias; Square-Storer 1989, for speech) help identify dyspraxia by inclusion. Although the label apraxia of speech is retained here in keeping with general usage the term dyspraxia is preferred as being more accurate, since most patients retain some action capability, which is partially disordered, rather than have total loss of capability.
