Articulation disorder

Most children learn to make all speech sounds by age 4 or 5. Children who have trouble speaking clearly after that age may have a speech sound disorder. One type of speech sound disorder is articulation disorder, which involves problems producing specific speech sounds.

Articulation is the process humans go through to produce sounds, syllables and words. A child with articulation disorder may be unable to produce certain sounds or form particular sounds incorrectly. It can make the child’s speech hard to understand and affect socialization and learning.

The condition is sometimes called functional speech disorder or articulation delay.

What is the difference between articulation vs. phonological disorder?

Articulation disorder and phonological disorder are similar and often confused. But it’s important to differentiate between the two because treatments vary.

Children with articulation disorder have trouble with the motor functions required to make certain speech sounds. They can’t coordinate their lips, tongue, teeth, palate (roof of their mouth) and lungs to produce certain sounds. They may form distorted speech sounds or swap out sounds they can’t make. Articulation disorder examples include not forming the sound “th” and always using “f” instead.

With phonological disorder, children can produce sounds correctly but have trouble putting sounds together correctly. For example, your child may be able to make the sound “d” on its own. But when your child tries to say a word that starts with “d,” they swap it out with a “g.”

Your child can have both types of disorders at the same time.

Who might get articulation disorder?

Articulation disorder occurs in children. If it’s not treated, the disorder may last into adulthood. If an adult develops a speech sound disorder, it’s due to another reason (traumatic brain injury or stroke).

Articulation disorders are more common in boys than girls for unknown reasons. A child is more likely to have a speech sound disorder if the mother had complications during pregnancy or delivery. A speech sound disorder is also more likely in a child whose family has a history of the condition.

How common are speech sound disorders?

Speech sound disorders are common, affecting 8% to 9% of children.

Symptoms and Causes

What causes articulation disorder?

Articulation disorder has no known cause. It doesn’t mean something is wrong with your child’s brain, nerves, lips, tongue, teeth, jaw, lungs or hearing.

There are other types of speech disorders, including organic, developmental or acquired. These are due to other conditions, such as structural abnormalities or hearing impairment.

What are some signs and symptoms of articulation disorder?

A child with articulation disorder may be difficult to understand. They exhibit one or more of four types of articulation errors:

  1. Addition: Adding sounds or syllables to words that don’t belong there (for example, “puh-lay” instead of “play”).
  2. Distortion: Changing a sound, which might seem like a lisp (when “s” sounds like “th”).
  3. Omission: Leaving certain sounds out of their speech altogether (for example, never using “sc” in “school or “scratch”).
  4. Substitution: Always substituting one sound for another (for example, using “s” instead of “th” or “w” in place of “r”).

It is important to note that not all substitutions and omissions are speech errors. Some may be a part of a speaker’s dialect. A dialect is a regional way of using language. They can vary greatly across any given language. They have different patterns and compositions.

This is another reason it is important to have a speech-language pathologist evaluate any child suspected to have a speech sound disorder to help distinguish between regional differences and actual difficulties with speech.

Also, some sound errors are common as a child is developing speech. Children can produce different letter sounds at different ages. Typically, by 6 years old, most children without speech issues can say almost all of the speech sounds. The following is a list of sounds children are typically able to produce by age:

 

2-3 years old: P, B, D, M, N, H, W; a child is about 15% intelligible at age 3.

3-4 years old: T, K, G, NG, F, Y; a child is about 50% intelligible at age 4.

4-5 years old: V, S, Z, SH, CH, J, L; a child is about 75% intelligible at age 5.

5-6 years old: voiced TH, ZH, R; a child is about 80% intelligible by age 6.

6-7 years old: voiceless TH; a child is about 90% intelligible at age 7.

 

Remember that different children develop differently. This is merely a guide and not necessarily any hard and fast rule. If you think your child isn’t developing speech at the correct rate, it is important to get your child evaluated

If your child becomes self-conscious of articulation disorder, they may display certain behaviors:

  1. Avoid reading aloud or speaking to other people.
  2. Become quiet or seem excessively shy.
  3. Get frustrated when speaking.
  4. Stop saying certain words altogether.
  5. Struggle with confidence and self-esteem.

Management and Treatment

How do you fix articulation disorder

To treat articulation disorder, your child’s SLP will recommend speech therapy. Your child will work on speech during regular appointments and have assigned exercises and activities to do at home.

 

During speech therapy, your child’s SLP uses a variety of activities and exercises to help them:

 

Identify the sounds they can’t make.

Correct the way they create sounds.

Re-learn ways to control the motor parts of speech (for example, moving their tongue, shaping their lips).

Strengthen the muscles involved in speech.

Practice sound formation at home.

However, the most common treatment option is speech therapy. A speech therapist can provide your child with articulation therapy based on the child’s individual needs.

In a speech therapy session, your child will learn to notice their sound errors and correct the sounds. They will practice the sounds they have difficulty with and learn how to correctly produce those sounds. They will learn how to move their muscles, lips, and tongues to produce the needed sounds.

Practice does make perfect, so the SLP will also spend time having the child practice words and sounds over and over until he or she gets them right. They will also provide the caregiver with strategies and activities you can try to work on the sounds at home.

Speech therapy can go a long way in building your child’s confidence back, as they become more successful in producing sounds that were once difficult for them.