Speech Sound Disorders
Speech and Language
Speech Sound Disorders
Sometimes children have trouble learning to say sounds or words clearly. It’s normal for kids to make mistakes while they learn to talk, but if a child isn’t using sounds by the age we expect, they may have a speech sound disorder.
Only a speech-language pathologist (SLP) can test for and diagnose these difficulties.
Articulation
Articulation means how we use our mouth, tongue, and lips to make sounds.
- Example: “wun” for “run”
- Example: “wed” for “red”
- Example: “fai-wee” for “fairy”
- Example: “heewo” for “hero”
- Example: a lisp, where “sun” might sound like “thun”
By about age 5, most children can say almost all sounds correctly. If not, it’s a good idea to check in with an SLP.
Phonology
Phonology is about using sounds in the right way when speaking. Some kids use patterns that make speech hard to understand.
- Fronting: saying “tup” for “cup”, or “doose” for “goose”
- Final Consonant Deletion: leaving off the last sound in a word, like “cuh” for “cup” or “dah” for “dog”
Phonological processes and simplification patterns such as the above (these are just two examples) are the ways that young children change or simplify the sounds in words as they learn to talk. These usually resolve as children get older. Children usually acquire most speech sounds by the age of 5, but the age at which the phonological patterns resolve can vary greatly in each child — especially if a child uses multiple dialects. Phonological patterns that persist, or phonological patterns that are atypical, lead to a diagnosis of Phonological Disorder.
How well a child is understood:
- At age 3, strangers should understand about 75% of what they say.
- At age 4, strangers should understand almost everything (90–100%).
If your child is hard to understand, an SLP can help.
Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
With CAS, the child knows what they want to say, but the brain has trouble telling the mouth muscles how to move.
Signs may include:
- Words that come out differently each time
- Struggling to put sounds together into words
- Mouth “groping” movements when trying to talk
- Trouble copying words, even if they understand them
Specialized therapy helps children with CAS learn to plan and sequence their speech movements.
Muscle or Movement Difficulties
Sometimes speech sounds unclear because of weak muscles or difficulty controlling them.
- Tongue thrust — the tongue pushes forward while speaking or swallowing
- Dysarthria — muscle weakness makes speech sound slurred
Therapy can remediate incorrect swallow and oral habit patterns, and improve clarity due to muscle weakness issues
Structural Differences
Physical differences in the mouth or face can also affect speech.
- Cleft lip or cleft palate — openings in the lip or roof of the mouth that change airflow
- Other differences in teeth, jaw, or palate
These children may need both medical support and speech therapy.
Success Stories
"Both our young children have been going to Nancy for years. We have also recommended her to others and will continue to recommend her for as long as she is working. Going to someone else, we feel, would be a disservice to your family, that's how strongly we feel about her. Once you meet her, you will quickly learn how talented, trustworthy, friendly, knowledgeable, and experienced she is in her field. And likeable!
The reason we have invested years into Nancy's services is because speech therapy is not something that happens in just a few sessions. Therapy takes time. Some conditions take months to correct, but oftentimes it can take years. Each child is different and one of Nancy's specialties is being able to recognize and individualize sessions specifically for each child.
We are so incredibly grateful and thankful for her commitment and patience with our children. She is laying a foundation and teaching them something they will use every single day for the rest of their lives. To us, her gifted abilities are priceless.
We encourage you to sit down with Nancy, listen to what she has to offer your child, and embrace the positive changes she is about to embark into their lives."
JK Gilmartin
"Nancy was such a gift for our family. We are so grateful that we found Nancy! For over three years, our daughter worked with another speech therapist and she only slightly improved (with weekly even twice a week sessions and doing all the practice homework). It was a frustrating experience for both our daughter and our family. She worked so hard, but it all became a negative experience. Then we found Nancy! Nancy was recommended by the one of the top national executive functioning experts. We worked with Nancy for just 4-5 months, and our daughter’s speech issues were resolved! After working with Nancy, this previously shy girl is now a confident preteen who enjoys speaking and sharing with family and friends! Her confidence has extended to her participation in school and lively dinner conversations as we all enjoy hearing her wonderful speech. Do not delay… wish we found Nancy three years ago, but we are so thankful that we found Nancy! Not only was she an incredible speech therapist... she was our daughter’s biggest cheer leader (after me!). She always made our daughter feel like a rock star! Nancy was so positive with our daughter... with the right balance of correction and motivation. After our weekly 30 mins sessions with Nancy, our daughter was so happy as her sessions reinforced her improvement. And that in turn encouraged her to self-correct as Nancy gave her the confidence that she could do it. We look forward to keeping in touch with Nancy. Only a lucky few have a calling... and speech therapy is Nancy’s calling!"
K M
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"Nancy helped our daughter with her speech difficulties and is absolutely tremendous."
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Contact me today to schedule a consultation and learn how speech and language therapy in Louisville, CO can make a difference for your child.
Nancy Sims M.A., CCC-SLP
Certified Speech-Language Pathologist
357 S. McCaslin Blvd., Suite 200
Louisville, CO 80027
(303) 544-2180
nancy@nancysims.net