The therapist can model the correct vocabulary and grammar and use repetitive exercises to develop language skills. Children who have difficulty with certain sounds can correct speech sound errors during a type of speech therapy called articulation therapy. Sound production involves the coordinated movements of the lips, tongue, teeth, palate (upper part of the mouth) and respiratory system (lungs). Many different nerves and muscles are also used to speak.
With proper speech therapy, many children with phonological or articulation disorders will significantly improve their speech. The potential impact of persistent speech difficulties highlights the need for ongoing support to facilitate a successful transition to early adulthood. The function of the SLP is to determine if the differences observed are due to a true communication disorder or if these differences represent variations in speech associated with another language that the child speaks. Speech-language pathologists (SLP) play a central role in the detection, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of people with speech and sound disorders.
If you (or anyone else who has regular contact with your child, such as your teacher) have any questions about your child's speech, ask your family doctor or pediatrician to arrange an evaluation with a speech therapist. Severity is a qualitative judgment made by the physician that indicates the impact of the child's speech and sound disorder on functional communication. The following are brief descriptions of general and specific treatments for children with speech and sound disorders. The evaluation process must identify if the differences are actually related to a sound-speech disorder or if they are normal variations in speech caused by the first language.
It's normal for young children to make speech errors as language develops, but children with a phonological or articulation disorder will find it difficult to understand them when other children their age are already speaking clearly. Paper presented at the annual convention of the American Speech and Hearing Association, Washington, DC. If you have any questions about your child's speech or ability to communicate, talk to your pediatrician. When treating a bilingual or multilingual person with a speech and sound disorder, the doctor works with two or more different sound systems.
See the ASHA Practice Portal pages on apraxia of speech in children and cleft lip and palate for information on sound-to-speech problems related to these two disorders. There is no clear consensus on the best way to determine the severity of a speech and sound disorder: rating scales have been used and quantitative measures have been used. A speech therapist can evaluate your child to determine if speech therapy is recommended. It is often difficult to clearly differentiate between articulation and phonological disorders; therefore, many researchers and doctors prefer to use the broader term, sound-speech disorder, when referring to speech errors of unknown cause.
