{"h1":"DLD or Childhood Apraxia of Speech: how to tell","faq":[{"a":"Yes. The two can co-occur, and some children show features of each. This is one of the main reasons a skilled speech-language assessment matters — it untangles what's driving the difficulty so therapy targets the right things.","q":"Can my child have both DLD and Childhood Apraxia of Speech?"},{"a":"Not reliably, and you don't need to. The signs overlap and depend on careful listening to how a child produces and understands language. A speech-language pathologist distinguishes them through a structured assessment.","q":"Can I tell which one it is myself at home?"},{"a":"No. Early support is effective for both conditions, and waiting can let frustration grow. If your child is much harder to understand than peers or has very few words, arrange a check rather than waiting.","q":"Is it better to wait and see if speech improves on its own?"},{"a":"Yes. Apraxia of Speech responds best to motor-based, high-repetition speech practice, while DLD focuses more on building vocabulary, sentences and understanding. Getting the distinction right shapes how therapy is delivered.","q":"Does the difference change the therapy my child needs?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"how-do-i-know-if-my-child-has-developmental-language-disorder-or-childhood-apraxia-of-speech","title":"DLD vs Childhood Apraxia of Speech","entity":{"key":"dld-vs-dyspraxia-verbal","kind":"condition","name":"Developmental Language Disorder vs Childhood Apraxia of Speech","slug":null},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Parent","value":"parent"},{"kind":"domain","label":"Adaptive","value":"adaptive"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Support","value":"support"},{"kind":"lifecycle","label":"Screen","value":"screen"},{"kind":"route","label":"Special-Education","value":"special-education"},{"kind":"empowerment","label":"Early Clarity","value":"early_clarity"}],"parent":{"key":"conditions","label":"Conditions"},"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-childhood-apraxia-of-speech-and-specific-learning-disability-in-young-children","title":"Childhood Apraxia of Speech vs Specific Learning Disability"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-developmental-language-disorder-and-childhood-apraxia-of-speech-in-young-children","title":"DLD vs Childhood Apraxia of Speech in Young Children"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-do-i-know-if-my-child-has-speech-and-language-delay-or-developmental-language-disorder","title":"How do I know if my child has Speech and Language Delay or Developmental Language Disorder?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-speech-and-language-delay-and-developmental-language-disorder-in-children","title":"Speech & Language Delay vs Developmental Language Disorder in Children"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-do-i-know-if-my-child-has-developmental-coordination-disorder-or-childhood-apraxia-of-speech","title":"DCD vs Childhood Apraxia of Speech"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-developmental-language-disorder-and-childhood-apraxia-of-speech-in-children","title":"Developmental Language Disorder vs Childhood Apraxia of Speech in Children"}],"summary":"DLD is mainly about understanding and using language — vocabulary, sentences and word-finding — while Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a motor-planning difficulty where a child knows the word but struggles to make their mouth produce it consistently. Parents cannot reliably tell these apart at home; a speech-language pathologist distinguishes them, and a child may show features of both. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","answer_md":"*When the words won't come, it helps to know whether your child is searching for the right language — or working hard to make their mouth obey.*\n\n## In short\nYou cannot tell these apart from home, and you don't need to — that's exactly what an assessment is for. In simple terms, **Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)** is mainly about *understanding and using language* — finding words, building sentences, following what's said. **Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)** is a *motor-planning* difficulty — your child knows the word they want but the brain struggles to send the right movement plan to the lips, tongue and jaw, so the same word may come out differently each time. A speech-language pathologist tells them apart, and a child can sometimes have features of both.\n\n## What tends to look different\nThese are gentle pointers — not a checklist to diagnose with:\n- **More like DLD** — a smaller vocabulary than peers, short or jumbled sentences, trouble finding the right word, difficulty following instructions or telling a story, and challenges that show up in *understanding* as well as speaking. Individual sounds may be fairly clear.\n- **More like CAS** — speech that's hard to understand even when the child clearly *means* something, the same word said differently on different tries, groping or searching mouth movements, trouble with longer words, and often clearer single sounds than connected speech. Understanding language is usually stronger than the ability to *produce* it.\n- **The honest overlap** — both can make a child hard to understand and both deserve early, skilled help. The distinction guides *how* therapy is delivered, so getting it right matters.\n\nWhat unites them: your child has things to say. Skilled therapy builds a reliable bridge to saying them.\n\n## When to seek a check\nArrange a speech-language assessment if your child is much harder to understand than peers their age, has very few words, isn't combining words by around two years, seems frustrated trying to talk, or if you simply have a worry that won't settle. Early support works — you never need to \"wait and see\" with communication.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nAbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional — never from an app, a list or an online form. Our speech-language pathologists use a structured, clinician-administered assessment to map exactly *how* your child's communication is working and build a plan around it through [speech therapy](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/top-speech-therapy-center-india-proven-improvement-rate). Learn how your child's profile is built in the [AbilityScore® explained](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated), or explore [more on how we help families](/).\n\n## Trusted sources\nWHO ICD-11 developmental speech and language categories; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association guidance on Childhood Apraxia of Speech and developmental language disorder; American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) early communication milestones.\n\n**Next step —** Unsure which it is? Let a Pinnacle speech-language pathologist tell you clearly. [Book a speech assessment](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/top-speech-therapy-center-india-proven-improvement-rate).\n\nThis is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-do-i-know-if-my-child-has-developmental-language-disorder-or-childhood-apraxia-of-speech","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-do-i-know-if-my-child-has-developmental-language-disorder-or-childhood-apraxia-of-speech","lang":"en","indexable":true},{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-do-i-know-if-my-child-has-developmental-language-disorder-or-childhood-apraxia-of-speech-te","lang":"te","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[{"key":"conditions","label":"Conditions"}],"meta_title":"DLD vs Childhood Apraxia of Speech in Children","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Narrate your day in short, clear phrases and pause to give your child time to respond — repeat their attempts back correctly and warmly rather than correcting, so every try feels like a win.","published_at":"2026-06-10T13:18:00.18205+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"understand","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-developmental-language-disorder-and-childhood-apraxia-of-speech-in-young-children","title":"DLD vs Childhood Apraxia of Speech in Young Children","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-childhood-apraxia-of-speech-and-specific-learning-disability-in-young-children","title":"Childhood Apraxia of Speech vs Specific Learning Disability","reason":"Linked from this answer"}],"label":"Understand the subject","total":2},{"key":"therapy","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-developmental-language-disorder-and-childhood-apraxia-of-speech-in-children","title":"Developmental Language Disorder vs Childhood Apraxia of Speech in Children","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-do-i-know-if-my-child-has-developmental-coordination-disorder-or-childhood-apraxia-of-speech","title":"DCD vs Childhood Apraxia of Speech","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-do-i-know-if-my-child-has-speech-and-language-delay-or-developmental-language-disorder","title":"How do I know if my child has Speech and Language Delay or Developmental Language Disorder?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-speech-and-language-delay-and-developmental-language-disorder-in-children","title":"Speech & Language Delay vs Developmental Language Disorder in Children","reason":"Linked from this answer"}],"label":"Explore therapy & support","total":4}],"what_to_watch":"Watch for a child much harder to understand than peers, very few words or no word combinations by around two years, the same word said differently each try, groping mouth movements, trouble following instructions, or visible frustration when trying to talk.","authority_links":[{"url":"https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/childhood-apraxia-of-speech/","label":"ASHA — Childhood Apraxia of Speech"},{"url":"https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/spoken-language-disorders/","label":"ASHA — Spoken Language Disorders"},{"url":"https://icd.who.int/","label":"WHO ICD-11"},{"url":"https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/Language-Development-2-Year-Olds.aspx","label":"AAP HealthyChildren — Language Development"}],"last_reviewed_at":"2026-06-10T13:18:00.18205+00:00","meta_description":"Worried whether your child has Developmental Language Disorder or Childhood Apraxia of Speech? A warm, clear guide to what differs and when to seek a check","related_materials":[],"related_techniques":[]}