Articulation disorders are a common issue, affecting around one in twelve American children. Difficulty communicating can, at times, be incredibly frustrating—for teachers, parents, and most of all, of course, for the child themselves. But with a proper understanding of the causes and treatments, they do not have to be an insurmountable obstacle.
A Basic Introduction
Also known as functional speech disorder or articulation delay, articulation disorder is a form of speech sound disorder specifically referring to a difficulty or inability to pronounce certain sounds, syllables, or words correctly.
The most common examples, which we will almost certainly all have heard at one point or another but may not necessarily have realized the cause of, are slurring certain sounds. In particular, the letter r, lisping sibilant sounds (s and soft c), and adding emphatic syllables where none are written (no-uh was a particularly common instance in my household growing up, for example). In other cases, children will simply omit sounds, syllables, or, in extremis entire words that they find too difficult to pronounce.
What Causes Articulation Disorders?
Given the complexity of human speech, both mentally and physiologically, it is unsurprising that there is such a plethora of potential causes for articulation disorders. Medical specialists like speech-language pathologists (SLPs), who have completed the required speech language pathology programs online, tend to break down the causes of articulation disorders into neurological, anatomical, and motor issues.
Neurological causes include conditions such as cerebral palsy or even the lasting effects of brain injury, which can affect a child’s ability to plan and coordinate the muscles required to articulate sounds correctly.
Motor challenges are often (but not necessarily) linked to such neurological difficulties, whereby low muscle tone around the tongue, lips, and jaw can make it very hard for an individual to exercise the intricate motor skills required to physically generate the correct sound. The same effect is sometimes also suffered by those with a cleft palate, dental or orthodontic issues, or anatomical issues such as a tongue too large to pronounce letters requiring more oral precision, such as t and d.
Hearing loss and psychological trauma have also been known to affect children’s articulatory ability, and thus it bears repeating that there really is no one cause for articulation disorders: they can occur for a variety of reasons.
Signs and Symptoms: How to Recognize Articulation Disorders
Naturally, not all children can be expected to pronounce things perfectly all the time, and errors (even consistent ones) are by no means indicative of an underlying articulative disorder. However, there are ways to distinguish between the ordinary learning curve that is language development in a child and the exhibition of potentially pathological speech patterns.
Firstly, and only as a very rough gauge, it is worth considering how fluently a child you think may be suffering with an articulation disorder speaks relative to their peers. Again, some variation is, of course, natural, but if there are orders of magnitude between them, it may well be worth consulting a professional.
A second common red flag, as it were, is that pronunciation difficulties seem to be accompanied by a labored or distressed movement of a child’s jaw, tongue, or lips. This should certainly lead to a visit to a speech-language pathologist, either to seek assistance or to reassure you that the child in question is not, in fact, afflicted by an articulation disorder.
Diagnosis, Management, and Treatment
There are a variety of tests available to help SLPs be able to accurately diagnose articulation disorders by a combination of assessing the ability of a child to pronounce syllables at an age-appropriate level and examining their facial muscles and speaking apparatus. If an SLP finds a positive diagnosis, there are a wide range of options for treatment depending on the severity and nature of the disorder.
In milder cases, it may well be that the SLP recommends no treatment and believes the affliction will likely fade with time. Otherwise, speech therapy, involving both the strengthening of muscles to address potential motor issues and mental techniques to address neuro/psychological ones, is a common avenue for treatment.
Often, articulation disorders lead to an increased sense of anxiety and sometimes more serious mental health issues – these too must be carefully monitored and managed. As with any suspected medical or developmental issue, if you believe someone you know might be affected by an articulation disorder or complications thereof based on the information above, the best thing is always to refer them to a relevant medical or community professional.
