Topics in Speech & Language Pathology – Speech Sounds

Speech Sound Errors

Most children make speech sound errors as they grow and mature. Children learn speech sounds and gain control of those sounds at different stages of development. It is when the errors continue past the typical age range, a child may have a speech sound disorder.

The Role of the Speech Therapist

A Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) has to make several considerations when analyzing speech. Two specific areas are where a sound is made (place) and how it is made (manner). Sounds are made using the tongue, lower jaw, lips, teeth, alveolar ridge (the bumpy part behind your front teeth), hard palate, and velum (back of the roof of the mouth). One example of manner is plosives, where a buildup of pressure occurs in the mouth.  Another example is stridents, when air is forced through the mouth resulting in friction. Plosives consist of the sounds p, b, t, d, k, and g, and stridents are f, v, s, z, “sh”, “th”, j and h.

Examples of Sound Errors

One error you may hear from your child is substitution of a  strident for a plosive; for example an “h” sound for a “t” sound.  The placement for “h” occurs as air passes over the relaxed tongue, and “t” occurs when the tip of the tongue touches the bony part behind the teeth and then the tongue is released and air is pushed out. Another example is when a child substitutes a plosive for a strident; for example saying a “p” sound for an “f” sound.  Air is forced through the lips with short bursts of air for “p”. Where as the lower lip and upper teeth are used for “f” with a continuous flow.

Techniques Speech Therapists May Use

As each child is different, speech therapy is tailored to a child’s unique learning style and their type and severity of speech sound production errors. Some techniques may include:  looking in a mirror, watching a model by a therapist, using a tactile cues for placement, and repetition.  Speech sounds take years to develop often requiring mastering one sound in order to make another.

If you have any concerns about your child’s speech, please call us for a free speech and language screen.