Abstract
<p>Purpose: Children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) often have co-occurring difficulties in language, learning, motor, and sensory function, but the neurological bases of the disorder are debated. A domain-general theory suggests that CAS may involve cognitive domains beyond motor-speech function. The purpose of this scoping review is to evaluate the state of the evidence describing cognitive functions in CAS and identify gaps to guide future research in elucidating the nature of the disorder. Method: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines were used. Five databases were searched to identify articles, supplemented with citation chasing. Included articles were charted by purpose, design, and CAS diagnostic confidence. Result: Seventeen articles published between 1979 and 2022 met inclusion criteria following full-text review. Studies primarily examined sequential processing, procedural learning, working memory, and executive function. Most studies used comparative designs. Across studies, participants with CAS demonstrated difficulties on cognitive tasks compared to controls or normative data. Variability in participants, measures, methodology, and diagnostic confidence limits the generalizability of findings. Discussion: Despite methodological variability, findings broadly support the investigation of domain-general cognitive mechanisms in CAS. Further research using replication, longitudinal designs, and ecologically valid assessments is needed to delineate the relationship between CAS and cognitive functioning.</p>