Speech Sound Disorders

What is it?

This is the term for difficulties producing or understanding speech sounds in the language being used. Articulation difficulties come from the articulators we use to make sounds, our tongue and lips for example. If one or two sounds are not mastered this may be the case. Phonological disorders are challenges with the representation of the sound in the brain, this is likely if there is a pattern of errors over many target sounds. Motor speech disorders deal with the execution and planning of speech sounds, this can be there from birth or acquired after an incident. Structural issues can lead to difficulties producing the target speech sound. Cleft palate/lip and changes due to surgery can make it hard. 

How can an SLP help?

Speech therapists are trained and gain experience on helping clients reach their speech sound goals. Depending on the type of errors, the approach may focus more on motor production or linguistic aspects. After the assessment is completed and goals are determined, the first step in speech sound therapy is to make sure the child knows the target sound and can differentiate it from others (when working on /r/, can they hear the difference between ‘run’ and ‘one’?). Then establishing the production through practice and generalizing it to more difficult contexts. Once the goals have been reached the speech therapist can back off while parents continue to practice and maintain the gains in everyday life. 

Why call me?

I’m a good choice to help with you or your child’s speech sound disorder because I have experience with assessment and treatment with all the types of speech sound disorders mentioned above. I’m able to administer an articulation assessment virtually or in person using a combination of formal assessments and informal tools. I make client specific treatment goals so our time together has the greatest impact. Within the session I work hard to motivate so we can get a lot of repetition in. I do this by incorporating interests to increase engagement and providing supportive feedback to increase intelligibility. Please contact me to discuss treatment options and strategies I can offer you.