What is motor planning in speech therapy?

The brain's ability to plan and sequence muscle movements for speech. Difficulty with motor planning is called apraxia. Repetitive practice helps build motor plans. Example: Planning how to move your tongue, lips, and jaw to say "truck."

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Motor Planning

What is motor planning in speech therapy?

The brain's ability to plan and sequence muscle movements for speech. Difficulty with motor planning is called apraxia. Repetitive practice helps build motor plans.

Example

Planning how to move your tongue, lips, and jaw to say "truck."

🔊 Complex vs. simple motor sequences

How can I help my child with motor planning?

Repetitive practice with consistent vehicle words supports motor planning development.

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About this guide: This glossary is designed to help parents understand speech therapy terminology. Definitions are simplified for clarity and informed by resources from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

Not medical advice: This information is educational only. For concerns about your child's speech development, consult a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP).Find an SLP near you →

Learn More From Trusted Sources

ASHA: Speech & Language Development Chart— Official milestones by age
ASHA: Late Blooming or Language Problem?— When to seek help
Identify the Signs— ASHA's early intervention resource

Parents Also Ask

What is motor planning for speech?▼

Motor planning is how your brain coordinates the precise movements needed for speech—tongue, lips, jaw, breath. It's like a "recipe" your brain follows. Children with apraxia have difficulty creating or accessing these motor plans.

"I got to use Little Wheels and I love it — it's engaging and fun for therapy."

Brandi Keith, M.S. CCC-SLP — Speech-Language Pathologist

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Related Terms

Apraxia (Childhood Apraxia of Speech)

A motor speech disorder where the brain has difficulty planning and coordinating the movements needed for speech. The child knows what they want to say but their brain struggles to tell their mouth how to move.

Articulation

How clearly your child produces individual speech sounds. It's the physical ability to move the tongue, lips, and jaw to make sounds correctly. Different from phonology, which is about sound patterns.

More Speech Sounds

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Articulation Phonology Phonemic Awareness Fricatives Liquid Sounds R Sound

Learn More About Speech Development

Onomatopoeia in Early Speech Articulation Practice Activities Phoneme Practice Games Eliminating Schwas in Speech

Explore our parent guides for more speech development resources.

Support Your Child's Speech Development

Little Wheels apps use vehicle-based learning to make speech practice engaging and fun. Perfect for home practice between therapy sessions.

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