FAQ's Articulation Development 1. What is articulation? 2. What is an articulation problem? A person who produces sounds, symbols, or words incorrectly so that the listener does not understand what is being said. 3. Is an articulation problem the same as "baby talk". An articulation problem may sound like "baby talk" because young children do mispronounce sounds, syllables and words. The words that sound "cute" when mispronounced by young children interfere with the communication, reading and writing of children as they progress academically . 4. What are the types of sound errors? Most errors fall into one of three categories, omissions, distortions or substitutions. Examples to follow. distortion is when the sound is produced incorrectly substitution is the use of "w" for "r' in rabbit omission is "at" for "hat" 5. Can hearing problems in infancy have an effect on the development of sounds? The learning of speech sounds begins very early and childern learn by listening . If they experience frequent ear infections during this period, they may fail to develop sounds in a correct manner. 6. Will a child outgrow a functional articulation problem? A child's overall speech pattern will usually become intelligible as he/she matures, but some children may need direct training to eliminate all articulation errors. |
7. Do all children learn all sounds at once? Sounds are learned in an orderly sequence. Sounds like /p/, /m/ , /b/ , are learned as early as three years of age, while /s/, /r/ may not be mastered until early school years. Usually children will produce the sounds of English by the age of 8 years. Each child is an individual and should be viewd as such. 8. How can I help my child pronounce words correctly? Set a good example for use and production of vocabulary, do not tease or interrupt your child when they are speaking. Use the misarticulated word correctly as a response . 9.Who can help? Contact a certified speech language pathologist , who is trained at the master's or doctoral level to evaluate and assist your child with the specfic need. 10. Is it important to correct an articulation problem? Speech is the base for emerging communication and sound development which leads to reading, writing, and spelling . The quality of our life can be affected by our communication. Practice sound Pages : www.mommyspeechpages.com Information obtained from Kidssource | ![]() |