Speech Disorders
Speech Disorders can affect both children and adults. Common speech disorders include articulation disorders, phonological disorders, and motor speech disorders.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
In some cases, a speech disorder may result in limited speech or unintelligible speech. In situations where a child or adult's speech disorder prevents them from communicating effectively when speaking, Augmentative and Alternative Communication is often recommended.
Speech Sound Development
See below for sounds expected to be 90-100% mastered in English by two, three, four, and five years.
- m, p, n, h, d, b, w
- y, f, k, g, t, ng
- v, z, s, sh, ch, j, l
- r, zh, th
What is an Articulation Disorder?
Articulation is the production of individual sounds.
An Articulation Disorder is when a child has difficulty producing one or more individual sounds. When this happens a sound is often deleted, substituted, or distorted.
Articulation Therapy teaches a child how to correctly articulate or produce the individual sound and overtime how to generalize the correct production into words, phrases, and connected speech.
What is a Phonological Disorder?
Phonology is the system of speech sounds in a language and the rules for using and combining those sounds.
A Phonological Disorder is when a child makes predicable, rule based errors in their speech that impact more than one sound. A child with a phonological disorder is able to produce a sound in isolation but is not yet able to produce the sound in words.
Phonological Therapy teaches a child the rules for using and combining those sounds to form words. Children are taught to recognize sound contrasts at the word level.
What is a Motor Speech Disorder?
Motor Skills are functions of the body that are planned, sequenced, and performed using the nervous system, muscles, and brain.
A Motor Speech Disorder is when a child struggles to produce clear speech due to difficulty planning or executing speech movements.
Therapy for Motor Speech Disorders depends on the underlying cause. If neurological, therapy teaches a child how to sequence or “plan” continuous movement between sounds, syllables, and words. If neuromuscular, therapy teaches a child how to control and manage their speech production.