Articulation Disorders
Articulation
is the process by which sounds, syllables, and words are formed by the
articulators and the air stream, which passes over the vocal folds of the
larynx. The articulators are the tongue, jaw, teeth, lips, and hard & soft
palates.
A classroom teacher or parent may notice an articulation
problem because he/she is unable to understand what the child says or the speech
calls so much attention to itself that you notice more the way words sound than
what is being said by the child.
Articulation problems are sometimes the result of a
physical disease or illness such as a hearing loss, CP, etc. However more
typically it is functional in nature and may be associated with faulty learning
of speech sounds.
An individual has an articulation disorder when he/she
experiences difficulties with the way sounds are formed and strung together.
Articulation impairments are characterized by the atypical production of speech
sounds in one or more of four ways. First the individual may exhibit
substitution error(s). A substitution error is when one sound is substituted for
another for example wabbit for rabbit. The w is substituted for the r sound.
Secondly the student my omit sounds in words. An example of this would be a
child that says and for hand or ba for bat. In each case a sound is simply
missing from the word said. Thirdly sounds may be typically added to words. An
example would be a child that added a d to the end of every word said. Lastly
sounds may be distorted such as a person that says shlip for sip. Any of these
errors interfere with the general intelligibility of the speaker.
All children should be making all of their sounds correctly
by age 8. The following is a developmental listing of when 90% of the school age
children have attained the sound. The Walker County School System uses the
Sander’s chart to establish developmental norms as follows:
By age 3 the child should be able to correctly produce
these sounds: p, h, m, n, & w.
By age 4 the child should be able to correctly produce the
sounds above as well as these sounds: b, d, k, g, f, & y as in yoyo.
By age 6 the child should be able to correctly produce the
sounds above as well as these sounds: t, ing, l, & r.
By age 7 the child should be able to correctly produce the
sounds above as well as these sounds: sh, th (voiceless as in thing), ch, & j as
in jump.
By age 8 the child should be able to correctly produce the
sounds above as well as these additional sounds: s, z, th (voiced as in the), &
v.
By age 8+ the child should speak clearly and distinctly
using all speech sounds correctly.
If any student is not saying the sounds correctly for their
age group they should be referred for a student support team meeting.
Suggestions for Parents and Classroom Teachers
1. Be a good speech model emphasizing the target sound to the child. Prolong and
exaggerate the target sound in all positions of words as they occur in you
conversation.
2. Read a story to the child exaggerating the sound the
student is saying incorrectly.
3. Talk with the child about how you make the sound. Think
about where your tongue, lips, and teeth are as you make the sound.
4. Play games with the child such as “I spy” and have the
child find objects around the room with have their target sound in them.
5. Never tease, embarrass, or make fun of a child with an
articulation disorder.
6. Drill words with the target sound in them. Make a list
of 20 words and practice them daily.
7. If the child is totally unable to make the sound phone
the SLP at 375-9831 for suggestions as to how to help the child
It is critical for the child’s success in Speech Therapy
that the parent works with the child at home. The SLP will practice with the
child and help them correctly make their target sound. The SLP however is not
with the child daily it is the parent that is with the child each day. The
parent hears their child’s mistakes as they make them. Never fail to correct a
child’s grammatical and articulation errors. By working together we can insure a
brighter tomorrow filled with the happy sounds of a child’s correct
speech/language usage.
Web Sites for Articulation Disorders
http://www.asha.org
http://www.kidsource.com/asha/articulation.html