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Articulation Skills
What is articulation?
Articulation - pronunciation and talking - is the ability to physically move the tongue, lips, teeth and jaw to produce sequences of speech sounds, which make up words and
sentences.
How can I tell if my child has problem with articulation?
Become overly frustrated when communicating with others.
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Produce speech that is difficult to understand even for familiar listeners.
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Have difficulty linking together more than one or two sounds.
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Tend to use only vowel sounds (very open mouthed noises).
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Produce speech that is unclear alongside dribbling and messy eating skills.
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Produces speech that is less clear than other children of the same age.
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Produce an interdental lisp (e.g. tongue protruding between the teeth when saying a /s/ or /z/ sound) if over the ages of 3.5 – 4 years.
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Be school aged and still having difficulty saying several sounds.
Why should I seek therapy if I notice difficulties with articulation (pronunciation and talking)?
Therapeutic intervention for articulation issues can help a child:
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Improve a child’s ability to produce clearer speech.
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Improve a child’s ability to be understood by others.
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Improve a child’s ability to engage positively with other children and adults.
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Facilitate a child’s interactions with familiar (e.g. family members, peers) and unfamiliar individuals.
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Reduce frustration in a child who struggles with getting their message across.
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Improve spelling and/or writing.
What type of therapy is recommended for articulation (pronunciation and talking) difficulties?
Diagnosis alone is NOT the solution. It simply opens the door to getting the help that is needed by arming all involved with the relevant information.
If your child has difficulties with articulation, it is recommended they consult a Speech Language Pathologist to receive an evaluation to see if they require therapeutic intervention.
