Types of Apraxia
When reviewing the literature on apraxia, it becomes apparent that there are various terms used to describe apraxia. These might include: ideational, motor, constructional, dressing, ideomotor, kinetic, conduction, conceptual, disassociation, limb- kinetic, swallowing, oral, bucco-facial, respiratory, conceptual, frontal, axial, and oculomotor.
Gillen suggests that "many of these terms are describing the same impairment; some are used to specify the body part affected by the impairment, whereas several are subcomponents of others" (2009, p. 110).
Quintana (2008) suggests that there are five types of apraxia:
Gillen suggests that "many of these terms are describing the same impairment; some are used to specify the body part affected by the impairment, whereas several are subcomponents of others" (2009, p. 110).
Quintana (2008) suggests that there are five types of apraxia:
- Limb
- Constructional- refers to a deficit in spatial organizational performance so clients with constructional apraxia "have difficulty with copying, drawing, and constructing designs in two and three dimensions" (Quintana, 2008, p. 250).
- Dressing- refers to "an inability to dress oneself despite adequate motor skills and know-how" (Quintana, 2008, p. 743).
- Verbal- refers to the inability to coordinate the movements necessary to produce speech sounds so they may be distorted, repeated, or left out (PubMed Health, August 29, 2012).
- Buccofacial- refers to the inability to coordinate facial and lip movements such as whistling, winking, or coughing on command (PubMed Health, August 29, 2012).
- Quintana specifies that Verbal and Buccofacial apraxia are usually evaluated by a SLP, so we will consider them to be outside of OT domain.
- Gillen suggests that Dressing and Constructional apraxia are misleading terms, as "recent analysis of those living with these particular subtypes of apraxia has revealed the deficits may be better described as a visuospatial deficits secondary to right hemispheric lesions as opposed to a praxis deficit" (2009, p.110)
Based on what is outlined above, and in an effort to simplify terms for practice, this website will focus on limb apraxia and how it relates to functional performance.
Limb Apraxia
NOTE: A client may experience one of these types of apraxia (Ideational or Ideomotor), or both at the same time (Gillen, 2009). Ideational Apraxia
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Ideomotor Apraxia
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Links to more in-depth information:
Ochipa, C., & Gonzalez Rothi, L.J. (2000). Limb Apraxia. In Seminars in Neurology.
- Provides information about the subtypes of Apraxia. It also discusses the functional impact of limb apraxia.
Ochipa.pdf | |
File Size: | 374 kb |
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Heilman, K. M. (2010). Apraxia. In CONTINUUM: Lifelong Learning in Neurology.
- Easy to read resource that reviews the pathophysiology and clinical characteristics of difference forms of apraxia, with small 5 case studies through-out the paper.
Heilman.pdf | |
File Size: | 362 kb |
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