Lisa Siefkes
Speech Language Pathologist
Highland Elementary School
Speech Sound
Disorders
What are speech sound disorders?
It is common for children to make mistakes when learning how to say new words. Speech sound disorders occur when errors continue past a certain age. An articulation disorder affects speech at the phonetic level in correctly producing vowels and consonants. Phonological processes are patterns of sound errors that typically developing children use to simplify speech as they are learning to talk. A phonological disorder occurs when phonological processes persist beyond the age when most typically developing children have stopped using them or when the processes used are much different than what would be expected. See developmental norms for articulation and phonological processes below as well as the process of articulation therapy.
Fluency
What is stuttering?
Stuttering affects the fluency of speech impacting the effectiveness and efficiency of communication. It typically begins in childhood and may persist into adulthood. Stuttering behaviors or dysfluencies may include: prolongations, repetitions of sounds, words, and phrases, overuse of fillers, and blocked or halting speech. Stuttering can affect a person's attitudes and feelings about speaking, making some speaking situations more difficult than others.
Many toddlers go through a period where their speech is dysfluent. This is a normal developmental phase. You may notice it more when your child is tired, excited, or upset. This stumbling over words is different from a true stuttering problem, which affects only 5 percent of children and is very unusual in toddlers.
Voice
What is a voice disorder?
A voice disorder occurs when a person has a vocal quality that is noticeably different than others. These differences my occur with the pitch, volume, or quality of their voice. Common symptoms of a voice disorder include persistent difficulties projecting their voice, hoarse or strained vocal quality, too high or low pitch, a loud or whispery voice, nasality differences, and loss of voice. Talking loudly or shouting, excessive talking, lack of hydration, common childhood illnesses, emotional and psychological reasons, and rare medical conditions can cause voice disorders in children.
An Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist -ENT is needed to determine the etiology or function of a voice disorder. An ENT will make recommendations for treatment if a voice disorder is present. At that time, a speech language pathologist can provide therapy to build awareness of vocal hygiene and use strategies to modulate breath support, nasality and reduce tension if needed.