by Annalou Mack

Created on: October 26, 2008   Last Updated: February 18, 2009

Speech disorders in children are manifested in different ways. Articulation, the way speech sounds are made; voice, the use of breathing and the vocal cords; and fluency, the rhythm of speech are what make up speech. These are acquired naturally and begin at birth. Dr. Linda Crowe, a speech pathologist, tells parents they must respond to their child's verbal attempts to communicate so the child learns to get her needs met. As a child grows and develops, if she displays difficulties in pronouncing sounds at the appropriate age, has a problem with articulation or begins to stutter, then she may have a speech disorder.

ASHA, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, outlines common speech disorders in children. They are:

(1) childhood apraxia of speech

(2) orofacial myofunctional disorders

(3) speech sound disorders

(4) stuttering

If a child has difficulty saying words, syllables and sounds he may have childhood apraxia of speech. The child knows what he wants to say but the brain has trouble moving the muscles in order for the words to be spoken. Each child is different, but some common symptoms of childhood apraxia are: difficulty in combining sounds with long pauses between sounds; problems eating; not saying difficult sounds or inconsistent sounds; groping for sounds; difficulty saying longer words; and the sounds are choppy or monotonous.

If a child moves his tongue forward in an exaggerated manner when trying to speak it may cause him to say the words incorrectly. This may indicate a orofacial myofunctional disorder. A dentist, orthodontist or physician can diagnose this disorder and provide treatment.

Articulation and phonological processes are problems of speech sound disorders. Articulation problems may be present if a child has difficulty making the correct sounds, leaves off certain sounds or makes changes to the correct sound. If a child substitutes one sound for another, such as "tup" for "cup" or "poon" for "spoon" this could be a phonological process disorder.

As a child begins to speak she may repeat words or parts of words and seem to be out of breath when speaking. This could be a sign of the stuttering speech disorder that is characterized by disruptions in the production of speech sounds.

If a parent suspects her child has a speech disorder she should contact a certified speech pathologist who will diagnose the problem and set up a treatment plan. The therapist shows how to practice with the child at home.

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