About Speech-Language Therapy

Speech & Language Frequently Asked Questions

Q. When should my child be able to pronounce all the sounds?

A. All children develop at different rates. Use the chart below as a general guide for when your child should be able to correctly pronounce the consonant sounds in the English language.

**Vowel sounds are typically fully developed by the age of 3.

**Consonant clusters (i.e. st, sk, pl) develop after single sounds, typically between ages 5-8.

Q. What is the difference between speech and language disorders?

A. Speech disorder refers to difficulty pronouncing the sounds of the English language. For example, a child says “w” instead of “r”, i.e. “wibbon” instead of “ribbon." A language disorder refers to difficulty with the content, form or use of language for understanding and communicating. Language disorders encompass problems with vocabulary, grammar, and length of sentences, asking and answering questions, understanding directions or information.

Q. What is a phonological vs. an articulation disorder?

A. Phonological disorder means that a child has difficulty with a group of sounds that all carry a similar feature. For example, substituting all sounds made in the back of the mouth like "k" and "g" for those in the front of the mouth like "t" and "d" (e.g., saying "tup" for "cup" or "das" for "gas"). An articulation disorder refers to a child that is unable to correctly pronounce a sound because of the placement or use of their articulators - lips, tongue, teeth. For example, a child who pronounces, “think” as “fink” has an articulation disorder where he/she places their tongue in the wrong position.

Q. What causes speech sound disorders?

A. Many speech sound disorders occur without a known cause. A child may not learn how to produce sounds correctly or may not learn the rules of speech sounds on his or her own. These children may have a problem with speech development, which does not always mean that they will simply outgrow it by themselves. Many children do develop speech sounds over time but those who do not often need the services of an SLP to learn correct speech sounds.

Some speech sound errors can result from physical problems, such as: developmental disorders (e.g., Autism), genetic syndromes (e.g., Down syndrome), hearing loss, illness, neurological disorders (e.g., cerebral palsy)

Children who experience frequent ear infections when they were young are at risk for speech sound disorders if the ear infections were accompanied by hearing loss. Speaking with an accent and/or dialect is not a speech sound disorder.

Q. How can my child get help for their speech/language disorder?

A. If you have concerns about your child’s speech or language development you may request a screening by sending in a written note to your child’s teacher or send me an email at efenstermacher@centralvalleysd.net

Q. What can I do to help my child’s speech and language improve?

A. There are many ways to help your child develop and use good speech and language skills.

• Talk about things in the environment when your child is around. Use varied language to describe things you see in your every day life.
• Read books! Talk about the pictures, the characters and the sequence of events.
• Read a book and have your child retell the story to you in their own words.
• Cover up the words in a book and let your child make up their own story based on the pictures they see.
• Give your child jobs at home and let them describe all the steps involved in completing that step.
• Look for rhyming words, words that start or end with the same letter in books, magazine, advertisements, etc.
• Ask your child questions about their day. Ask open-ended (not yes/no) questions so they can have the opportunity to give a longer answer.
• Role play with your child to give them opportunities to understand and relate to different situations and perspectives.

Q. Do speech and/or language disorders go away?

A. It is possible to eliminate or reduce the instance of a speech language disorder. Every child is different, but with therapy and appropriate interventions children can learn to manage their speech and language disorders.

Q. Why do some children get services in school?

A. In order for a child to receive Speech & Language Therapy in their school setting the disorder must be impacting their educational performance. For example, a child with an articulation disorder may struggle to develop early reading skills because they are not producing or hearing the sounds correctly. A child with limited vocabulary knowledge may struggle with creative writing tasks or participating in group discussions. A full evaluation is conducted by the educational team to determine if a child’s speech and language deficits are impacting their educational development.

Q. What if I don’t want my child to go to speech at school?

A. It is a parents right to refuse school-based speech and language therapy services at school. Other options for speech therapy are available for families who wish to pursue them outside of what the school district has offered.