Lets first address this question, “What are the different talking/speaking issues that my child can have?”
- Articulation or Phonological disorders: These two are speech sound disorder in which a child has difficulty making certain sounds correctly. They may omit sounds or improperly alter them during speech, substitute sounds, or add sounds improperly to words.
- Childhood apraxia of speech: This is a motor speech disorder that affects a child’s ability to coordinate the movements needed for speech. Children with this disorder may have difficulty saying sounds and words correctly, or they may have trouble sequencing sounds correctly. [3]
- Language disorders: This is a communication disorder in which a child has difficulty understanding others or expressing themselves through speech. They may have trouble with vocabulary, grammar, or sentence structure, or they may have difficulty following directions or engaging in conversation. [1]
- Stuttering: This is a fluency disorder that affects the rhythm of speech. Children who stutter may repeat sounds or syllables, prolong sounds, or have pauses or blocks in their speech.
- Voice disorders: These are disorders that affect the quality, pitch, or loudness of a child’s voice. They may have a hoarse or raspy voice, speak too loudly or too softly, or sound breathy or strained.
Articulation and Phonological Disorders
Both articulation and phonological disorders are types of speech sound disorders that can affect a child’s ability to communicate effectively. However, they differ in the way they impact a child’s ability to produce speech sounds.
An articulation disorder is a speech sound disorder in which a child has difficulty producing specific sounds correctly, such as substituting one sound for another or leaving out sounds altogether. For example, a child might say “wabbit” instead of “rabbit” or “tish” instead of “fish”.
A phonological disorder, on the other hand, is a language-based disorder in which a child has difficulty understanding and organizing the sound patterns of their language. Children with a phonological disorder may have difficulty producing whole classes of sounds, such as all the sounds made in the back of the mouth. This can lead to a pattern of errors that affect entire groups of sounds or syllable structures, making it difficult for listeners to understand the child’s speech. For example, a child might say “tup” instead of “cup” and “tar” instead of “car” because they have difficulty producing the “c” and “g” sounds [1].
In summary, while articulation and phonological disorders both affect a child’s ability to produce speech sounds, they differ in the type of errors that are made. An articulation disorder involves difficulty producing specific sounds correctly, while a phonological disorder involves difficulty organizing and understanding the sound patterns of language.
In the next blog we will talk about Childhood Apraxia of Speech.
Israel Montano
NEATS 
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