As a parent, you’ve probably asked yourself: Why doesn’t my child say what they mean? Or why can they understand something, but not reliably do it?
These are often the questions that lead to the concept of apraxia—a challenge of motor planning and speech coordination rather than a lack of understanding.
Two of my favorite educators from the MAPS (Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs) program, Dr. Dana Johnson and Dr. Anju Usman Singh, have each contributed valuable insight into this area. Their work beautifully illustrates how both body and brain must be supported to help children overcome speech delays and motor planning challenges that may underlie apraxia.
What Is Apraxia (and How It Relates to Speech Delay)?
The word praxia comes from the Greek for doing, and “a-” means without. Apraxia describes difficulty planning and executing voluntary movements—even when comprehension and muscle strength are intact.
For many children, this shows up as speech delay or inconsistent verbal output. They may know what they want to say but can’t consistently get the words out. Others experience broader body-movement challenges that affect coordination, imitation, and daily tasks.
Apraxia is not simply a speech disorder—it’s a motor coordination issue that can influence every part of how a child expresses themselves and engages with the world.
Insights from Dr. Dana Johnson
Dr. Dana Johnson, PhD, MS, OTR/L is an occupational therapist and researcher based in Tampa, Florida. She specializes in motor planning, apraxia, and sensory-motor integration in children and adults who are non-speaking, minimally speaking, or inconsistently verbal.
Dr. Johnson’s work highlights that communication is not only cognitive—it’s motor-based. For many children with speech delay or limited expressive language, the challenge lies in the brain-body connection needed to initiate and sequence speech movements.
By supporting that connection through sensory integration, intentional movement, and motor-reliability work, she helps children build consistency and confidence in communication.
Her educational contributions through Documenting Hope and the MAPS community have helped countless clinicians and parents better understand how body-based support can unlock communication potential.
Insights from Dr. Anju Usman Singh
Dr. Anju Usman Singh, MD, FAAFP, ABIHM, FMAPS is the director of True Health Medical Center in Naperville, Illinois. A board-certified family and integrative medicine physician, she has been a pioneer in biomedical and functional approaches to autism, ADHD, apraxia, and speech delay.
Dr. Usman Singh’s work focuses on how underlying toxic load and nutritional deficiencies can interfere with neurological and motor development. Imbalances in zinc and copper, mitochondrial function, chronic infections, and environmental exposures can all impact how efficiently the brain and nervous system coordinate movement and speech.
Her research supports the idea that when the body’s detoxification, immune, and metabolic systems are overwhelmed—or when it lacks key nutrients—motor control and speech production can both be affected.
A Functional Medicine Framework for Speech and Motor Development
Through a functional medicine lens, we look at the underlying “terrain” of the body that influences brain-body communication. When speech delay or apraxia is present, there are often contributing factors that make it harder for the nervous system to function efficiently.
That exploration may include reducing toxic load from environmental chemicals, heavy metals, or infections that stress the nervous system; replenishing nutrients like zinc, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, and essential fats that support neurotransmission and motor coordination; and supporting gut health, mitochondrial energy, and detox pathways so the body can process and recover more effectively.
When the body’s foundation is strengthened, therapies that target speech and movement often become more effective—because the system they’re working on is more responsive.
What Progress Can Look Like
Progress often starts subtly. Parents might notice that transitions become smoother, gestures or attempts at speech appear more often, or their child seems more organized in movement. Over time, as toxic burden is reduced and deficiencies are corrected, speech and communication can begin to emerge or strengthen.
This isn’t about quick fixes—it’s about allowing the body’s natural capacity for healing to unfold. When we support the body and remove obstacles, the brain and nervous system often respond with new levels of clarity and coordination.
Bodies have a natural propensity toward healing. When we remove obstacles and offer the right kind of support, that built-in wisdom has room to do its work. This process isn’t about changing who your child is—it’s about creating the conditions where their strengths can shine.
References
- Johnson, D. (2023). Whole-Body Apraxia vs. Childhood Apraxia of Speech — Documenting Hope Webinar
- Johnson, D. (n.d.). How Are Communication and Motor Skills Related? — Documenting Hope
- Johnson, D. (n.d.). Clinical Profile — Spellers Tampa
- Usman Singh, A. (n.d.). True Health Medical Center
- Usman Singh, A. (n.d.). Professional Profile — A4M Directory
- Usman Singh, A., et al. (2010). Metallothionein Dysfunction in Autism and Related Disorders — MAPS / ARI Presentation
Take the next small step toward your child’s healing.
Together, we can explore the whys behind your child’s speech and motor challenges, uncover possible contributing factors, and create a clear, supportive roadmap—visit-ready labs, smart questions for your clinician, and simple actions that fit real family life.
