What is articulation?

Articulation is the process by which sounds, syllables, and words are formed when your tongue, jaw, teeth, lips, and palate alter the air stream coming from the vocal folds.

A person shows articulation problem when he or she produces sounds, syllables, or words incorrectly so that listeners do not understand what is being said or pay more attention to the way the words sound than to what they mean.

Is an articulation problem the same as “baby talk”?

An articulation problem sometimes sounds like baby talk because many very young children do mispronounce sounds, syllables, and words. But words that sound cute when mispronounced by young children interfere with the communication of older children or adults. Older children and adults have so many severe errors that their articulation problems are very different from “baby talk.”

What are some types of sound errors?

Omissions; e.g “at” for “hat” or “oo” for “shoe.”
Substitutions; e.g “w” for “r.” “rabbit” sound like “wabbit,”
Distortions; e.g “th” for “s” so that “sun” is pronounced “thun”.

What causes an articulation problem?

Articulation problems may result from Oral structure deformity seen in; Cerebral palsy, Cleft palate. or Hearing loss, Dental problems. However, most articulation problems occur in the absence of any obvious physical disability. The cause of these so-called functional articulation problems may be faulty learning of speech sounds.

Is an accent an articulation problem?

It can be for some persons. An accent may be a problem if it interferes with a person’s goals in life.

Do children learn all sounds at once?

According to the Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation, 85% of children should correctly produce the following sounds in the beginning of words by the following ages.

Who can help?

A speech-language pathologist is a professional trained at the master’s or doctoral level to evaluate and help the child or adult with an articulation problem. Early help is especially important for more severe problems.

What to expect from therapy

Our clinicians work 1:1 with the child to help maximize his/her communication. Young children will be immersed in a therapy environment that will facilitate an easier approach to speech production.

Prognosis

The prognosis in each child will depend on a variety of factors, including severity, cause, age at intervention, response to treatment and external support system (parents, school, etc.). In children with no associated condition, articulation disorders are more responsive to treatment.