Most common articulation disorders children
Articulation disorders involve problems making sounds. Sounds can be substituted, left off, added, or changed. These errors may make it hard for people to understand the child. Here are some of the most common articulation disorders in children aged 0-6:
- Phonemic Disorders: These are characterized by the inability to form the individual sounds (phonemes) that make up words. This can involve substituting one sound for another, omitting a sound, or distorting a sound.
- Developmental Articulation Disorders: Some children take longer to develop certain speech sounds. For example, many children have difficulty pronouncing “r”, “l”, “s”, “sh”, “ch”, “j”, “th”, “z”, and “v” sounds. This is common and can often resolve itself with time. However, if these errors persist beyond the age at which most children have mastered the sounds (generally by age 4 or 5), it may be considered a disorder.
- Dysarthria: This is a motor speech disorder that results from neurological damage, such as cerebral palsy. Children with dysarthria often have difficulty controlling the muscles involved in speech, leading to issues with articulation, volume, pitch, and rate of speech.
- Apraxia of Speech (Childhood Apraxia of Speech – CAS): This is a motor speech disorder where the brain has difficulty coordinating the movements necessary for speech. The child knows what they want to say, but their brain has difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words.
- Speech Sound Disorders: This term encompasses disorders involving difficulty perceiving or producing the distinctive sounds in a language. It is a broader category that includes articulation disorders as well as other disorders, such as phonological disorders, where the child has difficulty understanding and following the sound rules of the language.
- Speech Sound Disorders Associated with Cleft Lip or Palate: These physical disorders can interfere with the ability to produce certain sounds, particularly those requiring the buildup of air pressure in the mouth, like “p” or “b” sounds.
- Speech Sound Disorders Due to Hearing Loss: Children who have experienced hearing loss, especially at a young age, may develop SSDs as they may not be able to hear certain sounds clearly, impacting their ability to reproduce them accurately.
- Linguistic-based Speech Sound Disorders: These occur when children learning multiple languages mix phonological rules and speech sounds from one language with another, creating perceived speech sound errors.
Each of these SSDs presents unique challenges but can be effectively managed and improved with the help of speech-language pathologists and a supportive home environment. Early intervention is often key to achieving the best outcomes
