Speech Sound Disorders

Articulation, Phonology, and everything in between

Prior to starting a speech sound assessment, it is critical to complete a detailed oral motor exam where strength and coordination of oral structures are assessed. Here we look at how the tongue retracts, elevates, and lateralizes. We look at soft palate function and lip strength. It is also critical to assess for any present lingual (tongue) or labial (lip) ties which could impact tongue/lip mobility. Any issues noted here could directly impact speech sound production.

It is also important to have the child’s hearing tested prior to initiating intervention. A hearing loss can negatively impact speech sound production.

Phonology: the study of how speech sounds are organized in a language.

 

All sounds fit into three categories: voice, manner, and place.

  • Voice: whether the voice is on or off when the sound is produced. (example: /b and p/ are the same except for voicing)

  • Manner:

    • Stop: the sound made quickly with a fast puff of air (example: /p, b, t, d, k, g, etc/)

    • Fricative: the sound is made by making making friction so the sound is constant (example: /s, z, m, r, sh, etc.)

    • Affricate: these sounds start with a stop and end with a fricative (example: j, ch)

  • Place: Where is the sound made in the mouth?

    • Nasal: sounds made through the nose (/m, n, ng/)

    • Bilabial: sounds made with the lips (/b, p, m/)

    • Labio-dental: sounds made with lips and teeth (/f, v/)

    • Dental: sounds made with tongue in between teeth (voiced and voiceless /th/)

    • Alveolar: sounds made with tongue touching alveolar ridge (the bumpy part of hard palate behind teeth) (/t, d, s, z, n, l)

    • Palatal: sounds made posterior (behind) alveolar sounds (/sh, j, ch/)

    • Velar: sounds made at the back of the mouth (/k, g/)

    • Glottal: sounds made by air only (/h/)

When looking at sound errors, we always assess if there are patterns in the errors. For example, if a child is saying “toe” for show, “bit” for sit, “tank” for thank, then we may take a look at all the fricative sounds to see if these sounds are being produced as stops. If so, the child is not yet understanding that some sounds are made with a constant stream of air. This makes this error phonological in nature and it is called stopping. Another example would be “tat” for cat, “date” for gate, “tootie” for cookie. Here we would notice that the incorrect sounds are velar (back sounds /k, g, ng/) and the child is producing them in a more anterior (forward) part of the mouth- this is called fronting. There are numerous phonological processes (errors) a child can make; these are just two common examples.

The use of phonological processes are common and developmental, however they should disappear by various ages, depending on the error. If your child is making these errors past the age when it should be eliminated, it is called a phonological disorder. These children can be highly unintelligible and can demonstrate frustration/tantrums when misunderstood.

The website Mommy Speech Therapy is a great resource for further information regarding phonological processes. That chart is linked at the bottom of this page.

 

Articulation: the coordination and motor movement of various structures to make a sound

 

Articulation refers to the actual coordinated motor movement to accurately make a sound. Kids with true articulation disorders are typically more intelligible than kids with phonological disorders because they struggle with individual sounds, not whole groups of sounds. Articulation issues include frontal and lateral lisps, /r/ distortions, etc.

Much like phonological processes, different sounds are mastered at different ages. It is important to seek guidance from a licensed speech pathologist if your child is falling behind in speech sound development.