What is Articulation and Phonology?
Articulation and phonology refer to the way sound is produced. A child with an articulation disorder has challenges producing individual speech sounds. A child with a phonological disorder may produce sounds correctly, but uses them in the wrong place.
Children develop speech sounds in a predictable order and it is normal for young children to make speech errors as their language develops; however, children with an articulation or phonological issue will be difficult to understand when compared with children their same age.
As a qualified and certified speech pathologist, Sophia can help assess your child if there are any concerns about the quality of the sounds they make, the way they talk, or their ability to be understood.
Articulation Disorders
The creation of sounds involves coordinating movements of the lips, tongue, palate (top of the mouth), teeth, and respiratory system (lungs). An articulation disorder is when a child displays difficulty producing certain sounds correctly. Some examples include":
cannot properly make and form particular speech sounds (e.g. they may lisp, so that s sounds like th)
may not produce a particular sound (e.g. they can't make the r sound, and say 'wabbit' instead of 'rabbit').
Phonological Disorders
The pattern in which sounds are put together requires understanding of sounds and sound rules in words. A phonological disorder stems from phonological processing and patterns. Some examples include":
use sounds in the wrong position in a word, or in the wrong word, e.g. use the d instead of the g sound, and say 'doe' instead of 'go'
make mistakes with the particular word sounds e.g. they say k in 'kite' but certain words, will leave it out e.g. 'lie' instead of 'like'.
