We report a case series of children with childhood apraxia of speech, by describing behavioral and white matter microstructural changes following 2 different treatment approaches.

Five children with childhood apraxia of speech were assigned to a motor speech treatment (PROMPT) and 5 to a language, nonspeech oral motor treatment. Speech assessment and brain MRI were performed pre- and post-treatment. The ventral (tongue/larynx) and dorsal (lips) corticobulbar tracts were reconstructed in each subject. Mean fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity were extracted. The hand corticospinal tract was assessed as a control pathway. In both groups speech improvements paralleled changes in the left ventral corticobulbar tract fractional anisotropy. The PROMPT treated group also showed fractional anisotropy increase and mean diffusivity decrease in the left dorsal corticobulbar tract. No changes were detected in the hand tract. Our results may provide preliminary support to the possible neurobiologic effect of a multimodal speech motor treatment in childhood apraxia of speech.

我们通过描述两种不同治疗方法后的行为和白质微结构变化，报告了一系列儿童言语失用症的案例。

5 名患有儿童言语失用症的儿童被分配到运动言语治疗 (PROMPT) 和 5 名语言、非言语口腔运动治疗。在治疗前和治疗后进行言语评估和脑部 MRI。在每个受试者中重建腹侧（舌/喉）和背侧（嘴唇）皮质延髓束。提取平均分数各向异性和平均扩散率。手皮质脊髓束被评估为控制通路。在两组中，语音改善与左腹侧皮质延髓束分数各向异性的变化平行。PROMPT 治疗组还显示左背侧皮质球束的分数各向异性增加和平均扩散率降低。在手道中没有检测到变化。