When someone has difficulties pronouncing certain sounds correctly, they may have what’s called an articulation disorder. This makes it harder for others to understand the speaker, leading to frustration or embarrassment. This is where articulation therapy can help affected individuals to speak more clearly and confidently. If you’re working with a speech pathologist NDIS provider, they can support you or your child through this kind of therapy as part of an NDIS plan.
What Is An Articulation Disorder?
An articulation disorder affects a person who has trouble producing specific speech sounds. They’re not struggling due to accents or dialects, but rather that they physically can’t form sounds the way they should for their age.
Common Articulation Errors (And Examples)
These are some typical speech sound errors you might hear:
- Substitutions: Replacing one sound with another, saying “thun” instead of “sun,” for example
- Omissions: Leaving a sound out, such as omitting “s” from spoon
- Distortions: Saying a sound in a weird or slushy way, with a lisped “s” as a concrete example
- Additions: Inserting extra sounds, like “buh” in black, saying “buhlack” instead of just “black”
Causes Of Articulation Disorders
It’s not always clear what causes articulation issues, but some common causes include:
- Hearing loss or ear infections
- Developmental delays
- Physical conditions like a cleft palate
- Neurological issues
- Family history of speech problems
Signs And Symptoms And How To Identify Them
- Difficulty being understood by others, especially people outside the family
- Feels frustrated when trying to speak
- Chooses not to speak in certain situations
- Make speech sounds immature for their age
- Speech is tagged as unclear by teachers or carers
What To Know About Articulation Therapy
One way to correct articulation disorder is through articulation therapy, a type of speech therapy that teaches patients how to say sounds correctly. The therapy involves structured activities led by a speech pathologist to teach someone how to produce tricky sounds.
- Teaching a patient how the sound is made, telling them where the tongue should go when saying certain words, for example
- Practising in stages: sound only, syllables, words, and then full sentences
- Using the sound in real-life conversation
- Ensure learning continues at home between sessions. Instill effective study habits to boost therapy success
Benefits Of Articulation Therapy
- Improve speech clarity
- Gain more confidence when speaking
- Ensure easier communication at school, work, or in social settings
- Being understood effectively reduces frustration
- Stronger language and literacy development, especially for kids
Duration And Intensity Of Therapy
Depending on the severity of a case, therapy can go on for a few months or even longer. Some factors will also influence how long the sessions run.
- Age of the person
- Severity of the speech disorder
- Frequency of the therapy sessions
- How much articulation practice happens at home
- Presence of other communication challenges that can worsen the disorder
Therapy might be weekly, fortnightly, or more intensive, depending on the person’s goals and NDIS plan.
Being understood matters, which makes articulation therapy valuable for someone struggling to quickly pronounce words. It’s one thing to be misunderstood once in a while, but it’s a different story when you can barely convey a simple message. If you think you or someone you care about could benefit from articulation or speech therapy, consult Ability Action Australia to get the right support. Don’t let articulation challenges keep you from communicating properly.
The owners of Cinnamon Hollow and many of its authors are not doctors and this is in no way intended to be used as medical advice. We cannot be held responsible for your results. As with any product, service or supplement, use at your own risk. Always do your own research and consult with your personal physician before using.
Daniel is a Cinnamon Hollow author passionate about house and home, renovations, homesteading and DIY.