Understanding Speech Sound Disorders
As children grow and develop their speech, they may mispronounce certain sounds. Some sounds, such as p, m, or w, are easier and tend to be learned earlier. More complex sounds like z, v, or th may take longer to master. By the age of 4, most children can pronounce nearly all speech sounds correctly. If a child is still having difficulty with certain sounds beyond the expected ages, they may have a speech sound disorder. These disorders are often referred to as articulation disorders or phonological disorders.
Speech sound disorders aren’t limited to children. Adults may also experience these issues, either from childhood or following a stroke or traumatic brain injury.
Schedule an appointment with one of our Speech Language Therapists today to discover how we can help you.
Signs and Symptoms of Speech Sound Disorders
Children with speech sound disorders may:
- Substitute one sound for another
- Omit sounds in words
- Add extra sounds, or
- Change the way a sound is produced
These issues can make it challenging for others to understand them.
It’s normal for young children to make some errors in pronunciation as they learn to talk. For instance, your child might say "wabbit" instead of "rabbit" or "nana" instead of "banana." This is typically part of early language development. However, if these errors persist as the child grows older, it may indicate a speech sound disorder.
It’s also important to differentiate speech sound disorders from regional accents or dialects, which are not considered disorders.Here is a timeline showing when most children who speak English develop specific sounds. Keep in mind that children learning multiple languages may develop certain sounds either earlier or later than expected.
Here is a timeline showing when most children who speak English develop specific sounds. Keep in mind that children learning multiple languages may develop certain sounds either earlier or later than expected.
| Age | Speech Milestones |
|---|---|
| By 3 months | Makes cooing sounds |
| By 5 months | Laughs and makes playful sounds |
| By 6 months | Begins babbling with speech-like sounds, like "puh," "ba," "mi," "da" |
| By 1 year | Produces longer babbled strings, such as "mimi," "upup," "bababa" |
| By 3 years | Says m, n, h, w, p, b, t, d, k, g, f |
| By 4 years | Produces y and v sounds, though may still make errors with s, sh, ch, j, th, z, l, and r sounds |
Causes of Speech Sound Disorders
Some children may need more time to develop clear speech, while others may have more persistent issues with no obvious cause. In some cases, speech disorders occur because the brain has difficulty coordinating the muscles used for speech (this is known as apraxia). Childhood apraxia of speech is relatively rare but can result in significant speech challenges.
Other children may struggle with speech because their speech muscles are weak, a condition known as dysarthria.
Speech sound disorders can also be associated with:
- Developmental disorders, such as autism
- Genetic syndromes, such as Down syndrome
- Hearing loss, possibly from ear infections or other causes<
- Brain injury, such as cerebral palsy or head trauma
Professional Evaluation and Treatment for Speech Sound Disorders
A speech-language Therapist (SLT) can assess your child’s speech to determine if they have a speech sound disorder. During the evaluation, the SLT will listen to how your child pronounces sounds and observe how they move their lips, tongue, and jaw. The SLT may also test your child’s overall language abilities, as many children with speech sound disorders also have accompanying language challenges, such as difficulty following directions or telling stories.
It’s essential to have your child’s hearing tested to rule out any hearing loss, which could affect their speech development.
If necessary, the SLT can also help distinguish between speech disorders and accents, which are simply unique ways groups of people speak and are not considered speech disorders.
Speech Therapy Treatment
SLTs can work with your child or you to improve speech clarity. Therapy may focus on:
- Teaching the correct way to produce specific sounds
- Helping the child recognize when a sound is produced correctly or incorrectly
- Practicing the sounds in various words and sentences
- Building skills to use sounds correctly in longer sentences
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and
social communication, empowering you to communicate confidently and effectively!
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- A joint effort to make progress
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