What is Articulation Disorder

A child with an articulation disorder has problems forming speech sounds properly.

The seemingly simple speech is actually coordinated by a series of complex actions. From basic breathing to the integration of articulatory organs (teeth, tongue, lips), it turns sounds into words or sentences.

Therefore, in the process of speaking, if there is a problem in the position of the speech organ and the control of airflow or tongue coordination, it is called articulation disorders.

Causes

The causes of articulation disorders are divided into four categories:

• Non-organic: no defect in the articulation organs, but the pronunciation is not clear.
• Organic: defects in the articulatory organs that limit the ability of children to produce correct speech sounds, such as short lingual frenulum, malocclusion of the teeth, cleft lip/palate
• Incoordination of movements: instability of nerve or muscle tone, resulting in poor control of the articulation organs, coordination problems, such as cerebral palsy.
• Hearing loss: due to the limitation of received speech, it is impossible to identify the correct sound, and the auditory feedback is also limited.

Patients

• Speech development in normal children varies with age. As the development of speech will be based on the position and method of pronunciation, children grow older and become more proficient in hearing or oral coordination.
• Most children aged 3.5 to 4 will improve their speech clarity. Generally speaking, if a four-year-old child still has a problem forming speech sounds properly, parents are advised to go to a hospital with a speech therapist to assess whether the child needs to receive articulation therapy.

Therapy Content

• If your child needs to undergo articulation therapy, the speech therapist will teach the child to produce the correct target speech through skills.
• Speech therapists, for example, with visual cues, use toilet paper floating upward to induce the correct aspiration and, in turn, the correct target speech.

Treatment Schedule

• The duration of articulation therapy varies with the children's articulation problems and practice at home. The support and encouragement from family members will help the children make progress in the process of articulation therapy.

The Role of Parents in Articulation Therapy

• Parents can practice with their children at home and gradually incorporate the target sounds they have learned into their daily lives, using techniques or demonstrations by speech therapists in class.
• Sometimes the child will shrink from practice. During which time, in addition to patiently accompanying the child to practice, moderate praise and encouragement can help the child build confidence and make progress. Therefore, family members play a key and important role in the treatment of articulation.
• As long as parents and children persevere in the treatment of articulation and cooperate with the professional treatment program of speech therapists, most children with articulation disorders will achieve good therapeutic effects, and improve the unclear speech, thus improving the articulation of speech, promoting interpersonal communication, and boosting the quality of daily life.