In this video we are going to discuss articulation disorders.
Speech language pathologists usually recommend a child to receive treatment for an articulation disorder if their speech errors are only limited to a few sounds. An articulation disorder typically involves consonant sounds which is most often the result of incorrect movement or placement of the tongue. Another important characteristic of an articulation disorder is that the errors are consistent, or a child makes the same errors every time.
One commonly treated error in articulation that most people know of is a lisp.
What is a lisp? A lisp is a particular error made when a child (or adult) places their tongue in between their teeth creating a “th” or lisp sound, instead of placing their tongue behind their teeth to pronounce a “s” or “z” sound.
In addition to issues with articulation for the “s” and “z” sound, speech therapists also often treat articulation disorders including the “r” “th” “k” and “g” sounds.
If a child has articulation issues with many sounds, a speech therapist is less likely to classify this as an articulation disorder, instead they may conclude that there is an error with an entire category of sounds which can indicate a phonological disorder or speech sound disorder (more on this later in the Summer of Speech Series).
In most cases articulation disorders just happen and there’s no clear cause. There are however a few instances in which we can point to a specific cause for an articulation disorder.
1. Pacifier Use: If kids use pacifiers for too long sometimes they'll start to try to talk around the pacifier and create bad habits in the way they use their mouth for speech. This means that sounds requiring them to use the tip of their tongue might be distorted or missing. These kids often have issues with a T, D, S, Z or N sounds.
2. Tongue Thrust. This happens when kids thrust their tongue forward (like a lisp) when they make other sounds too, including T, D, N, Ch, and/or Sh. Kids with a tongue thrust speech pattern usually have this because they have a tongue thrust swallow pattern. Tongue thrust can develop when the child uses bottles, pacifiers, spouted sippy cups, or suck their thumbs too long. This type of articulation error is best treated by a professional. A speech therapist will know how to address the swallow pattern first and then correct the placement of the actual sounds after.
3. Dental Issues: Extreme over bites or under bites. - This is another instance of a habit being formed when attempting to talk around something in the mouth. In my experience, once the dental issues are corrected, kids adapt quickly and start speaking normally either on their own or with only brief speech therapy.
Articulation disorders in kids are very common. I would bet money that in any given kindergarten to second grade class, there are at least a handful of kids with articulation disorders.
When I became a speech therapist, countless adults I knew came to me and confessed that they had been seen by a speech therapist at some point to correct a lisp or a distorted R sound. So if you're concerned about your child's speech sounds, don't worry. You are not alone and getting help with articulation is more common than you might think.
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Part 4 - Speech Sound Disorders (August 2022)
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