How To Tell If Your Child Has Articulation Disorders

February 4, 2021
articulation disorder

Having a proper articulation is crucial so that you can produce the right sounds, words, and sentences that are clear and understandable by others. That way, you can express your basic needs and wants as well as engage in complex conversations.

 

For young children, it’s normal for them to have trouble saying some words the right way as their speech skills develop over time. Also, they tend to master the sounds and words at a certain age.

 

However, some children grow up to have speech sound disorders such as articulation and phonological process, making it hard for the people around them to understand what they’re trying to say.

 

That said, an articulation disorder is when your child makes sounds with incorrect placement, timing, pressure, speed, and/or coordination of the articulators. The result is mispronounced sound with the common ones being /s/l/r/.

 

Ahead, we’re sharing some of the signs and causes of articulation disorders in children. If you suspect that your child is experiencing an articulation disorder, continue reading to find out the best treatment available.




Signs of Articulation Disorders


Aside from mispronounced sound, you can identify articulation disorders when your child substitutes one sound for another, adds extra sound(s) to the word, omits a sound in the word, and distorts the sound of the word.




Causes of Articulation Disorders


While there’s no clear cause of articulation disorders, some factors include:


  1. Problems with hearing or hearing loss
  2. Physical malformations
  3. Neuromuscular disorders
  4. Developmental delays
  5. Injury to the brain




Who are at risk of experiencing articulation disorders?


As there’s no clear cause of articulation disorders, children at risk of developing the disorder include those with:


  1. Developmental disorders such as autism
  2. Genetic disorders such as down syndrome
  3. Hearing loss
  4. Nervous system disorders such as cerebral palsy
  5. Illnesses such as ear infections
  6. Physical malformations such as cleft lip or palate
  7. Low education level of the parent
  8. Lack of learning support at home
  9. Frequent use of pacifier or thumb-sucking




Types of Articulation Disorders


Although an articulation disorder isn’t a life-threatening condition, it may affect your child’s speech and communication skills. That said, there are three types of speech patterns that contribute to articulation disorder – substitution, syllable structure changes, and assimilation.



1.  Substitution


This speech pattern involves substituting the sound of a word for another. For example, instead of the /r/ sound for rabbit, your child may articulate it as “wabbit”.

 


2.  Syllable structure changes


This happens when your child changes or omits a syllable of the word. For example, shortening the word “banana” to “nana” or “hop” to “op”.

 


3.  Assimilation


This happens when your child changes one of the sounds in a word to sound like another. For example, they may articulate “tape” as “tate” or “pape”.




Diagnosis & Tests for Articulation Disorders


A specialist such as a speech-language pathologist will first talk with your child and get them to articulate certain words and sentences. The pathologist will then compare your child’s speech to what is expected at their age. 

 

Should your child articulate more speech mistakes, he or she may need to undergo speech therapy. The pathologist may also run other tests to rule out other problems or find the cause of your child’s speech problem.




Treatment for Articulation Disorders in Children


Depending on the severity of your child’s speech problem, he or she may or may not need speech therapy. But for those with severe speech problems, speech therapy can help identify which sounds are difficult for the child. The therapist will then keep track of the child’s progress.

 

Also, speech therapy can help your child learn to make the right sound by imitating their therapist’s way of using their lips or tongue right. That said, speech therapy may involve just your child and the therapist or with a group of children. For group therapy, all the children do speech exercises together.

 

If you suspect your child has articulation disorders, refer to a specialist so that they can diagnose and conduct the necessary tests to find the cause of your child’s condition. Articulation disorders can be treated with speech therapy, if it's given early intervention.

 

At Well Rehab, we provide several therapies which can be customised based on your child's needs. For more information about our therapies or services, you may contact us at +60 12 512 8487 or email wellrehabmanagement@gmail.com.

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