A pharmaceutical intervention and therapeutic method for treating an apraxia of speech in children. The child can also be diagnosed with gait abnormalities or impairment autism, mental retardation and dyslexia. If the child demonstrates at least an 18 to 24 month development stage of either verbal development or non-verbal development, a therapeutic dose of a dopamine agonistic, particularly a nonlinear lower alkyl phenidate or dextro-threo-methylphenidate is administered to the child.