Speech (Articulation) disorder
Articulation problem can simply be defined as pronouncing the letters wrongly. The most common letters which a kid with articulation problem cannot correctly pronounce are “d, n, l, r, t, z”. The level of this problem ranges from making some negligible mistakes when pronouncing the words to a level that the pronounced words cannot be understood at all.
The causes of articulation problem
The first thing to check is the shape of the tongue to find out the root cause of the problem. If the tongue of the kid has any anatomic structural disorder, such as having tongue tie, the moving ability of the tongue will be very limited, so that the kid will pronounce the words wrongly. The kid should have no mouth, tongue, lips, and nose problem, and these structures should function well in order for the kid to have no speech problem. One of the main reasons which lead to articulation is hearing problem. Hearing takes place in frequencies. The patient might be hearing and reacting to the wide frequency sounds, but he might be having difficulties to hear some low frequency sounds such as s and z. Therefore, he might be experiencing problems in producing these sounds. Such problems might develop as a result of middle ear infection.
Also, some parents do not need to fix their kids when they pronounce the words wrongly, but rather, they would sometimes like it. This kind of actions makes the kid think that he pronounces the words correctly. When the parents want to teach them the correct pronunciation of those words after a while, then the kid cannot do it well or completely refuses to learn.
Does it recover when the kid grows up?
Kids do not learn the sounds at a time, but instead, they learn them in order. For example, they learn the sounds such as b, d, and m when they are 2-3 years old and those like k and g at 4-5 years old. Some other sounds like r and z are learned later. Some kids might learn the sounds quickly and pronounce them without any error while some learn them late. Another case that the parents might observe on theirs kids is that the kid pronounce the letter very well when it is at the beginning of the word whereas he cannot make it well when it is in another position. The most important point here is to know the latest time of each sound at which the kid should pronounce it correctly. For instance, if the kid cannot say the letter “r” correctly when he is 4, then you can wait for some more time to consider it as a problem. However, if he is having difficulties to differentiate the sounds “t” and “d” at 4, then you should not wait more but act.
Does articulation problem affect the kid at school?
Kids start realizing their pronunciation mistakes at the ages of 4-5. It is a common behavior in the primary school kids to catch the mistakes of the other kids and joke with them. The kid with speech problem might be ashamed of his speech, or his friends might joke with him. Therefore, he may not want to go to school. Also, he cannot read correctly because of his articulation problem. Although he definitely knows how the letter he is supposed to read sounds, he might completely omit it because he cannot pronounce it well. It is also observed that some kids with speech problem cannot write correctly either. He might write the letters, which he cannot differentiate or pronounce well, wrong. Learning how to write and read helps the kid to fix his pronunciation mistakes. However, the kids with speech problem normally learn reading and writing later than the others. These kids might consider themselves academically insufficient, and they may not want to go to school. Therefore, it is better to fix this problem before the kid starts the school.
Speech therapy
If the kid has any structural problem in his tongue, lips, or mouth, then this problem should be fixed first. The treatment must be done as soon as the problem is diagnosed. For example, if the kid has a tongue tie, then the surgery must be carried out as early as possible. After the physical treatment, speech therapy should be done by a speech-language pathologist if necessary. Therapist might send the patient to a psychiatrist, neurologist, or otolaryngologist depending on the test results.
Is it possible to treat it by using medicines?
No medicine is used in the treatment of articulation problem. There is no medicine which fixes the speech problems. However, in the anatomic disorder cases mentioned above, surgery or orthodontics treatment is required. In other cases, the treatment is only done through therapy.
Other Sources:
asha
