What Is A Speech Disorder?
Speech refers to how a child says or pronounces their speech sounds. If your child doesn't say speech sounds correctly or smoothly or if your child has trouble with his/her voice, your child may have a speech disorder. Parents usually notice this when their child sounds different than other children his/her age or if the child is hard for others to understand. Here are some examples:
Articulation Disorder- problems saying speech sounds
Examples:
-"dod" for dog
-"dut" for duck
-"top" for stop
-"wain" for rain
-"baftub" for bathtub
Fluency Disorder- a change in the flow of speech
Examples:
My dog has s-s-s-s-spots.
My-my-my-my dog has spots.
My dog, my dog, my dog has spots.
Voice Disorder- when the pitch, loudness or vocal quality distracts the listener from what the child is saying. Voice disorders may make it hard for others to understand your child.
Examples:
-Speech is too loud or too soft
-Speech sounds harsh, nasal or hoarse
-Pitch is too high or too low, doesn't change or is interrupted
*The information provided on this page is meant to help you understand some speech disorders. It is not a comprehensive list, but rather provides a brief explanation and examples. Although some of these differences described above are typical for children until a certain age, others are not. If you have any questions about your child's speech development, please contact your child's school or teacher.