Speech Sound Disorders
Speech sound disorders can make it difficult for children to produce sounds accurately, making them harder for others to understand. Children may substitute one sound for another, omit sounds, distort sounds, or produce them inconsistently. These challenges can affect confidence, social interactions, literacy development, and participation in everyday activities.
What Are Speech Sound Disorders?
Speech sound disorders include difficulties producing speech sounds accurately and consistently. They may involve articulation, phonological patterns, or motor speech planning and coordination. Identifying the underlying cause helps guide treatment so therapy can be tailored to your child's specific strengths and goals.
Common speech sound disorders include:
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Articulation Disorders – Difficulty producing individual speech sounds (such as /r/, /s/, or /l/)
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Phonological Disorders – Difficulty learning and using speech sound patterns appropriately
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Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) – A motor speech disorder that affects the brain's ability to plan and coordinate speech movements
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Motor Speech Disorders – Difficulties planning, coordinating, or executing the movements needed for clear speech
Signs Your Child May Benefit from a Speech Sound Evaluation
Your child may benefit from an evaluation if they:
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Are difficult for familiar or unfamiliar listeners to understand
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Leave out, substitute, or distort speech sounds
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Continue using speech sound errors beyond the expected age
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Have a lisp or distort certain sounds (such as /s/ or /z/)
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Become frustrated when trying to communicate
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Avoid speaking because they are difficult to understand
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Have difficulty imitating sounds or words
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Produce speech inconsistently
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Have been diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) or another motor speech disorder
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Have been referred by a pediatrician, teacher, or another healthcare professional
Speech Sound Evaluations
A speech sound evaluation helps determine whether your child's speech is developing as expected or whether they may have a speech sound disorder. Depending on your child's needs, the evaluation may assess:
Speech sound production
Articulation skills
Phonological patterns
Speech intelligibility
Oral motor skills
Motor speech, including screening for Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
How Therapy Can Help
Treatment is based on your child's specific type of speech sound disorder and targets the underlying patterns affecting their speech production. Therapy focuses on improving speech accuracy, consistency, and overall intelligibility while promoting carryover.
Treatment may incorporate specialized approaches, including:
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PROMPT Therapy
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Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC)
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Motor learning principles
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Multisensory cueing
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Parent coaching and home practice
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Collaboration with teachers and other professionals, when appropriate