Articulation & Phonology

Articulation and Phonology Disorders in Children‍

Articulation disorders and phonological disorders are common challenges that can affect a child’s ability to produce speech sounds correctly.

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When Should Sounds Develop?

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Children typically develop speech sounds in a predictable sequence. Here are some general milestones for sound acquisition:

• By age 3: Sounds like "p," "m," "h," "n," "w," and "b" are usually mastered.
• By age 4: Most children can produce "t," "k," "g," "d," "f," and "y."
• By age 6: Sounds like "l," "j," "sh," "ch," and "v" typically emerge.
• By age 8: Most children master complex sounds like "r," "s," "z," "th," and blends like "sp" or "tr."

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‍Articulation Disorders

‍Articulation refers to the physical process of making speech sounds. A child with an articulation disorder may have difficulty pronouncing individual sounds correctly.

This can include:

• ‍Substitutions: Replacing one sound with another, such as saying “wabbit” instead of“rabbit.”‍
• Omissions: Leaving out sounds, like saying “ca” instead of “cat.”‍
• Distortions: Producing sounds in an unclear or distorted way.‍
• Additions: Adding extra sounds, like saying "buhlack" for “black.”

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Phonological Disorders

‍Phonology refers to the rules that govern how sounds function in particular languages. A child with a phonological disorder might make predictable errors that affect entire classes of sounds, rather than just specific sounds.

Some examples include:

• ‍Fronting: Replacing back sounds (like "k" or "g") with front sounds (like "t" or "d"), e.g.,saying “tat” for “cat.”‍
• Stopping: Replacing sounds that involve airflow (like “s” or “f”) with sounds that blockairflow (like “t” or “p”), e.g., saying “top” for “stop.”‍
• Gliding: Replacing “r” or “l” with a “w” or “y” sound, e.g., saying “wabbit” for “rabbit.”‍
• Cluster Reduction: Omitting one or more sounds from a consonant cluster, e.g., saying“top” for “stop.”

While articulation disorders typically focus on specific sounds, phonological disorders involve patterns of errors that affect a child’s overall speech system.

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Can a Child Have Both Articulation and Phonological Disorders?

‍Yes! It is entirely possible for a child to have both articulation and phonological disorders. In these cases, the child might struggle with both the physical production of certain sounds (articulation issues) and the underlying patterns that govern how sounds should be used in words (phonological issues).

For example, a child may have an articulation disorder where they substitute the sound “r” with “w,” saying “wabbit” instead of “rabbit,” but also exhibit phonological patterns, such as fronting, where they say “tat” for “cat.” This dual challenge can result in speech that is difficult to understand, especially if the child’s errors overlap.