Dyspraxia Quiz: Check Your Speech and Motor Planning Basics
Quick, free quiz to test your knowledge, with a brief dysarthria test. Instant results.
Editorial: Review CompletedUpdated Aug 27, 2025
This dyspraxia quiz helps you check your understanding of motor planning, dysarthria basics, and speech clarity, with straightforward questions and instant feedback. To build broader skills, you can also try the aphasia and related disorders quiz, practice with speech therapy quiz questions, or explore a focused stuttering quiz.
Which term refers to difficulty planning and coordinating the movements needed for speech?
Dyspraxia
Dysarthria
Mutism
Aphasia
Dyspraxia, or apraxia of speech, is a motor planning disorder that affects the brain's ability to plan and execute the precise movements required for speech. Dysarthria involves muscle weakness rather than planning issues, aphasia is a language processing disorder, and mutism is the absence of spoken language. Thus, the only correct choice for motor planning difficulty is dyspraxia.
Dyspraxia of speech is most accurately synonymous with which of the following?
Dysphasia
Dysgraphia
Apraxia of speech
Dyslexia
Developmental or acquired apraxia of speech is often referred to as dyspraxia when it involves the planning of speech movements. Dysgraphia, dysphasia, and dyslexia refer to writing, language comprehension, and reading disorders respectively. Therefore, apraxia of speech is the correct synonym.
Which speech characteristic is most commonly associated with dysarthria?
Inconsistent sound errors
Absence of speech entirely
Slurred and slow speech
Normal muscle strength
Dysarthria is characterized by impairments in muscle strength, tone, or coordination leading to slurred, slow, or soft speech. Inconsistent errors are more typical of apraxia of speech, muscle strength is usually compromised in dysarthria not normal, and complete absence of speech is mutism. Hence, slurred and slow speech is the hallmark.
Childhood dyspraxia of speech is a subtype of which broader speech disorder?
Stuttering
Aphasia
Voice disorder
Apraxia of speech
Childhood dyspraxia is classified under apraxia of speech because both involve deficits in motor planning rather than muscle weakness or language comprehension. Stuttering is a fluency disorder, voice disorders affect vocal fold function, and aphasia is a language impairment. Thus, apraxia of speech is the correct category.
Which professional is primarily responsible for diagnosing dyspraxia of speech?
Audiologist
Neurologist
Occupational therapist
Speech-language pathologist
Speech-language pathologists specialize in diagnosing and treating speech motor planning disorders such as dyspraxia of speech. Audiologists focus on hearing, occupational therapists on daily living skills, and neurologists may refer but do not routinely carry out detailed speech assessments. Therefore, the speech-language pathologist is correct.
Which of these is a common sign of dysarthria?
Selective mutism
Weakness in speech muscles
Inconsistent sound substitutions
Lack of voluntary movements
Dysarthria results from neuromuscular impairments leading to weakness, paralysis, or incoordination of speech muscles. Inconsistent substitutions are typical of apraxia of speech, lack of voluntary movements describes akinesia, and selective mutism is a psychological condition. Muscle weakness best describes dysarthria.
Therapy for childhood dyspraxia most often emphasizes which of the following?
Gesture-based communication only
Repetitive motor practice and drill
Vocabulary expansion exercises
Breathing regulation techniques
Effective dyspraxia treatment focuses on repetitive, targeted practice of specific speech movements to improve motor planning. Vocabulary exercises address language content, gestures are supplementary, and breathing techniques are more relevant to voice disorders. Motor practice drills are therefore essential.
Dyspraxia primarily affects which aspect of speech production?
Vocabulary usage
Hearing acuity
Language comprehension
Motor planning
Dyspraxia is fundamentally a motor planning disorder that disrupts the brain's ability to sequence and time the complex movements for speech. It does not affect understanding, hearing, or word choice. Therefore, motor planning is the aspect impacted.
Which definition best describes dysarthria?
A language processing disorder
An emotional condition causing muteness
A motor speech disorder caused by neuromuscular impairment
A hearing impairment affecting speech
Dysarthria stems from neurological injury affecting the muscles used in speech, leading to weakness, paralysis, or incoordination. It is not a language or hearing disorder, nor an emotional mutism. The neuromuscular impairment definition is accurate.
Childhood apraxia of speech is characterized by which speech error pattern?
Blockages of airflow during speech
Consistent voicing errors only
Omission of final consonants only
Inconsistent errors on consonants and vowels
Childhood apraxia of speech shows unpredictable substitutions and distortions across attempts, affecting both consonants and vowels. Consistent voicing or positional errors and final consonant omissions are more typical of phonological disorders, and blockages refer to stuttering. Hence, inconsistent errors describe apraxia.
What is the primary distinction between dyspraxia and dysarthria?
Dysarthria involves only cognitive impairment
Dyspraxia involves motor planning deficits without muscle weakness
Dysarthria is an emotional speech block
Dyspraxia results from sensory loss
Dyspraxia is a motor planning problem in coordinating speech movements, whereas dysarthria results from muscle weakness, paralysis, or incoordination. Dysarthria is not cognitive or emotional, and dyspraxia is unrelated to sensory loss. The planning versus weakness distinction is key.
Which neurological structure is most commonly implicated in spastic dysarthria?
Upper motor neuron pathways
Basal ganglia
Cerebellar hemispheres
Lower motor neurons
Spastic dysarthria arises from damage to upper motor neurons or their pathways, causing increased muscle tone and spasticity. Cerebellar lesions cause ataxic dysarthria, basal ganglia damage leads to hypokinetic or hyperkinetic dysarthria, and lower motor neuron damage causes flaccid dysarthria. Thus, upper motor neurons are implicated.
Which standardized test is specifically designed to evaluate apraxia of speech in children?
Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation
Kaufman Speech Praxis Test
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
Reading Comprehension Battery for Aphasia
The Kaufman Speech Praxis Test is tailored to assess motor planning and sequencing in children suspected of apraxia of speech. The Peabody assesses vocabulary, Goldman-Fristoe checks articulation patterns, and the Reading Comprehension Battery is for aphasia. Therefore, Kaufman is the correct tool.
Oral diadochokinesis measures are often used in dysarthria assessment. What does it assess?
Auditory discrimination ability
Emotional prosody perception
Language comprehension speed
Speed and regularity of repetitive movements
Oral diadochokinesis tasks like repeating syllables measure the rate, rhythm, and regularity of rapid, alternating movements of the articulators, which is useful in dysarthria evaluation. It does not assess auditory or language comprehension or prosody perception. Thus, speed and regularity are targeted.
Which acoustic feature is most indicative of hypernasality in dysarthria?
Increased nasal resonance on voiced sounds
Reduced speech intensity
Monotone pitch
Elevated speaking rate
Hypernasality is caused by velopharyngeal insufficiency, resulting in excessive nasal resonance during voiced phonemes. Monotone pitch, rate changes, and reduced intensity may accompany various dysarthrias but do not specifically indicate hypernasality. Hence, increased nasal resonance is correct.
In differentiating dysarthria from apraxia of speech, which feature is most characteristic of apraxia?
Consistent slurring of speech
Reduced respiratory support
Monopitch across utterances
Groping movements and self-correction attempts
Apraxia of speech often involves visible groping as individuals search for articulatory placement and frequent self-corrections. Dysarthria more commonly causes consistent slurring, respiratory weakness, and monotony of pitch. Therefore, groping and self-correction is indicative of apraxia.
Which type of dysarthria is primarily associated with basal ganglia damage?
Hypokinetic dysarthria
Flaccid dysarthria
Ataxic dysarthria
Spastic dysarthria
Hypokinetic dysarthria, often linked to Parkinson's disease, is caused by basal ganglia dysfunction leading to reduced movement and imprecise articulation. Ataxic involves cerebellum, spastic involves upper motor neurons, and flaccid involves lower motor neurons. Hence, hypokinetic is correct.
Which standardized assessment evaluates both language and oral-motor skills in children with suspected dyspraxia?
Token Test
Verbal Motor Production Assessment for Children
Stuttering Severity Instrument
Expressive Vocabulary Test
The Verbal Motor Production Assessment for Children (VMPAC) is designed to assess oral motor control, speech-motor planning, and coordination. The Expressive Vocabulary Test measures word knowledge, the Token Test assesses auditory comprehension, and the Stuttering Severity Instrument rates stuttering severity. Therefore, VMPAC is appropriate.
Which pharmacological treatment has shown benefit in certain cases of dysarthria?
Stimulants for hypokinetic dysarthria
Antihistamines for flaccid dysarthria
Antidepressants for ataxic dysarthria
Botulinum toxin for spastic dysarthria
Botulinum toxin injections can reduce muscle hypertonicity in spastic dysarthria by temporarily weakening overactive muscles. Antidepressants, antihistamines, and stimulants are not standard treatments for these dysarthria types. Thus, botulinum toxin is the correct option.
What is the primary goal of the PROMPT therapy approach in dyspraxia treatment?
Improve auditory discrimination of sounds
Strengthen respiratory support for voice
Provide tactile-kinesthetic cues to support movement
Enhance vocabulary through picture naming
PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets) uses touch cues on the face and jaw to guide the child's articulators through the correct movements. It is not primarily an auditory discrimination, vocabulary, or respiratory strengthening approach. The tactile-kinesthetic support is the core.
Which acoustic measure is often reduced in hypokinetic dysarthria?
Pitch variability
Intensity (loudness)
Formant transition duration
Speech rate
Hypokinetic dysarthria, as seen in Parkinson's disease, often features reduced vocal intensity, leading to soft speech. Formant transitions, pitch, and rate may vary but intensity reduction is most prominent. Thus, loudness is the key measure.
Which neural pathway damage is primarily responsible for flaccid dysarthria?
Basal ganglia circuits
Corticobulbar tracts
Cerebellar peduncles
Lower motor neurons or cranial nerves
Flaccid dysarthria results from damage to lower motor neurons (LMN) or cranial nerves that innervate speech muscles, causing weakness and atrophy. Cerebellar peduncle lesions produce ataxic dysarthria, basal ganglia lesions produce hypokinetic or hyperkinetic dysarthria, and corticobulbar tract damage is characteristic of spastic dysarthria. Thus, LMNs/cranial nerves are correct.
Which prosodic feature is typically disrupted in ataxic dysarthria?
Fast rushes of speech
Monotone pitch
Equal and excess stress
Reduced stress on key words
Ataxic dysarthria often features scanning speech with equal and excess stress on syllables, leading to a machine-gun-like rhythm. Monotone pitch is more typical of hypokinetic dysarthria, fast rushes occur in hyperkinetic types, and reduced stress is characteristic of flaccid dysarthria. Thus, equal and excess stress is correct.
In differential diagnosis, which feature most strongly suggests a diagnosis of apraxia of speech rather than phonological disorder?
Consistent error patterns across contexts
Increased difficulty with longer and more complex words
Errors limited to fricatives
Intact tongue movements on non-speech tasks
Apraxia of speech shows a severity gradient with longer, more complex utterances causing more errors, reflecting planning burden. Phonological disorders show consistent, rule-based patterns. Intact non-speech movements do not exclude phonological errors, and errors limited to fricatives do not indicate apraxia specifically. The length complexity effect is key.
Which instrument is used to visualize velopharyngeal closure in speech assessment?
Videofluoroscopy
Nasopharyngoscope
Stroboscope
Otoscope
A nasopharyngoscope allows direct visualization of velopharyngeal port closure during speech by passing a flexible scope through the nasal passage. Videofluoroscopy provides an X-ray view but is not an endoscopic instrument. Stroboscopes assess vocal fold vibration, and otoscopes examine the ear canal. Therefore, nasopharyngoscope is correct.
Which genetic condition is often associated with childhood apraxia of speech?
Trisomy 21
FOXP2 gene mutation
Fragile X syndrome
Neurofibromatosis type 1
Mutations in the FOXP2 gene have been linked to severe speech motor planning deficits characteristic of apraxia of speech. Trisomy 21 and Fragile X have broad developmental effects but are not specifically tied to apraxia, and Neurofibromatosis affects neural development differently. FOXP2 is the key genetic marker.
Which respiratory pattern change is typically observed in spastic dysarthria?
Increased inspiratory duration only
Hyperventilation during speech
Rapid shallow breathing
Reduced vital capacity with paradoxical movement
Spastic dysarthria can include reduced vital capacity and paradoxical movements from increased muscle tone and spasticity in respiratory muscles. Rapid shallow breathing and hyperventilation are more typical of other disorders, and increased inspiratory duration alone is not characteristic. The paradoxical pattern with reduced capacity is correct.
Which assessment task best differentiates childhood apraxia of speech from general articulation disorder?
Naming single pictures of common objects
Repetition of simple vowels
Repeated imitation of multisyllabic words
Reading aloud familiar text
Multisyllabic word imitation places high demands on motor planning and sequencing, revealing apraxia of speech. Picture naming and simple vowel repetition are easier and may not expose planning deficits, and reading text may allow pre-learned patterns. Therefore, multisyllabic imitation is most sensitive.
In acquired apraxia of speech, which region is most often compromised?
Cerebellar vermis
Occipital lobe
Left inferior frontal gyrus (Broca's area)
Right superior temporal gyrus
Acquired apraxia of speech commonly results from damage to the left inferior frontal gyrus, including Broca's area, which is vital for speech motor planning. The right superior temporal gyrus is involved in auditory processing, the occipital lobe in vision, and the cerebellar vermis in posture and gait. Thus, Broca's area is correct.
Which subtype of dysarthria is characterized by harsh voice quality and strained-strangled phonation?
Ataxic dysarthria
Flaccid dysarthria
Hypokinetic dysarthria
Spastic dysarthria
Spastic dysarthria often features a harsh, strained-strangled voice quality due to increased muscle tone and hyperadduction of the vocal folds. Hypokinetic may cause breathy voice, ataxic a harsh-hoarse voice, and flaccid a breathy or hypernasal voice. The strained-strangled quality is specific to spastic.
Which electromyographic finding is characteristic of flaccid dysarthria?
Gigantic motor units
Decreased spontaneous activity
Normal insertional activity
Fibrillations and positive sharp waves
Flaccid dysarthria due to lower motor neuron damage often shows spontaneous activity like fibrillations and positive sharp waves on electromyography. Gigantic motor units are seen in chronic reinnervation, normal insertional activity doesn't indicate pathology, and decreased spontaneous activity is not typical. Thus, fibrillations and sharp waves are correct.
Which advanced neuroimaging finding is most associated with developmental verbal dyspraxia?
Diffuse white matter hyperintensities
Enlarged ventricles
Reduced gray matter volume in Broca's area
Cerebellar hypoplasia
Research on developmental verbal dyspraxia has shown reduced gray matter or cortical thickness in Broca's area, implicating it in motor planning deficits. Enlarged ventricles and white matter changes are nonspecific, and cerebellar hypoplasia is more related to ataxic presentations. The cortical finding is most specific.
Which deep brain stimulation target has been investigated to improve hypokinetic dysarthria in Parkinson's disease?
Nucleus accumbens
Dentate nucleus
Subthalamic nucleus
Ventral posterior lateral nucleus
The subthalamic nucleus is a common DBS target that can improve motor symptoms and speech aspects in Parkinson's disease, including hypokinetic dysarthria. The ventral posterior lateral nucleus is sensory thalamus, the dentate nucleus is cerebellar, and the nucleus accumbens is limbic. Thus, the STN is correct.
In research on motor learning for apraxia of speech, which practice schedule yields the best retention?
Massed practice only
Variable blocked practice
Random practice without feedback
Constant blocked practice
Motor learning studies indicate that variable blocked practice - where tasks vary but are practiced in blocks - improves retention for complex speech motor tasks like apraxia therapy. Constant blocked and massed practice can lead to rapid acquisition but poorer retention, and random practice without feedback may overwhelm learners. Therefore, variable blocked is optimal.
Which genetic screening panel would be most appropriate for a child with suspected syndromic apraxia of speech?
Next-generation sequencing of neuromotor genes
Fragile X single gene test
Mitochondrial DNA sequencing
Chromosomal microarray only
Next-generation sequencing panels targeting genes involved in neuromotor function can detect mutations like FOXP2 and others implicated in syndromic apraxia. Fragile X testing, chromosomal microarray, and mitochondrial DNA tests are too narrow or unrelated to specific speech motor planning genes. Hence the NGS neuromotor panel is optimal.
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Study Outcomes
- Identify Dyspraxia Characteristics -
After completing the dyspraxia quiz, you will be able to recognize and describe the primary symptoms and motor skill challenges associated with speech dyspraxia.
- Differentiate Dysarthria from Dyspraxia -
You will learn to distinguish between the features of dysarthria and dyspraxia by comparing their neurological origins and impact on speech production.
- Analyze Speech Disorder Mechanisms -
This quiz enables you to explore the neurological and muscular factors that underlie various speech disorders, enhancing your conceptual understanding.
- Apply Assessment Techniques -
You will be equipped with key strategies to assess and quiz others on speech disorder symptoms, improving your diagnostic skills.
- Evaluate Knowledge Gaps -
By reviewing your quiz results, you can pinpoint areas for further study and reinforce your expertise in speech disorder assessment.
Cheat Sheet
- Differentiating Dysarthria and Dyspraxia -
Dysarthria arises from muscle weakness or incoordination affecting speech execution, while dyspraxia (or apraxia of speech) involves impaired motor planning despite intact muscle strength. Recognizing this distinction helps you ace a dyspraxia quiz by focusing on planning errors (e.g., inconsistent substitutions) versus slurred articulation in dysarthria.
- Neural Pathways and Motor Planning -
Dyspraxia quiz questions often probe the cortical and subcortical networks involved in speech programming; remember that Broca's area and the supplementary motor cortex coordinate sequencing. Dysarthria, in contrast, reflects lesions in the cranial nerves or cerebellum - think "UMN, LMN, cerebellar" to recall lesion sites.
- Evidence-Based Assessment Tools -
Familiarize yourself with the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment (FDA-2) and the Apraxia Battery for Adults-2 (ABA-2), both widely cited by ASHA and university clinics. When tackling a speech disorder quiz, citing these tools showcases your grasp of standardized scoring and stimulus protocols.
- Key Therapeutic Techniques -
Melodic Intonation Therapy and PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets) are core interventions supported by research at Northwestern University and the Mayo Clinic. In practice, use a 3:1 drill-to-new-target ratio - three accurate productions for every novel stimulus - to reinforce motor learning.
- Mnemonic for Symptom Recall: "PLANNED" -
Use PLANNED (Phoneme drills, Laryngeal support, Articulator strength, Nasal resonance, Neuromuscular coordination, Execution sequence, Drill practice) to recall therapy targets and diagnostic criteria quickly. This trick streamlines your study session and boosts confidence when facing a speech disorder quiz.
