Final answer:
Oral apraxia affects an individual's ability to coordinate nonspeech oral movements, such as sucking on a straw or blowing, and can also impact verbal communication tasks that require rapid, alternating movements of the mouth muscles.
Step-by-step explanation:
Individuals with oral apraxia have difficulty with the coordination of muscle movements necessary to perform volitional nonspeech oral movements. This condition can impact the performance of actions such as sucking on a straw, a movement that involves the lateral motion of the cheeks, or compressing air in the mouth when blowing. These movements, aside from being essential to various nonverbal tasks, are also important components of verbal communication. In rapid, alternating movements, individuals may be asked to perform tasks that involve coordination of the tongue, lips, and palate, such as repeating nonsensical combinations like "lah-kah-pah."
The cerebrocerebellum plans and coordinates the movement commands that control these actions, and difficulties can arise from damage to specific cortical areas responsible for the relationship between language and action, known as praxis, as well as recognition or understanding, known as gnosis. Oral apraxia thus not only affects everyday nonverbal tasks but also has ramifications for language functions integral to these tasks. Such impairments in praxis can appear alongside other cognitive challenges such as balance and posture problems, difficulty with task planning and execution, and changes in judgment or personality.