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Speech difficulties are one of the most common communication problems in children. It is estimated that 5% of primary school children have speech difficulties (Weiss, Gordon and Lillywhite, 1987) and that 3.8% of 3-11 years olds have ‘phonological problems’ (Shriberg, Tomblin and McSweeny, 1990). Based on a study in the North of England, Broomfield and Dodd (2004) estimate that 48000 children per years in the UK present with ‘primary’ speech difficulties. The rise of inclusive education policies has resulted in teachers being confronted more than ever before by children with speech and language difficulties in their classrooms (Lindsey et al, 2002).
Speech difficulties are one of the most common communication problems in children. It is estimated that 5% of primary school children have speech difficulties (Weiss, Gordon and Lillywhite, 1987) and that 3.8% of 3-11 years olds have ‘phonological problems’ (Shriberg, Tomblin and McSweeny, 1990). Based on a study in the North of England, Broomfield and Dodd (2004) estimate that 48000 children per years in the UK present with ‘primary’ speech difficulties. The rise of inclusive education policies has resulted in teachers being confronted more than ever before by children with speech and language difficulties in their classrooms (Lindsey et al, 2002).
The link between spoken and written language is well documented, and young children with speech and language difficulties may well go on to have difficulties with reading and spelling. Early identification of speech difficulties is therefore essential to alleviate the impact of speech sound difficulties on literacy development.
The link between spoken and written language is well documented, and young children with speech and language difficulties may well go on to have difficulties with reading and spelling. Early identification of speech difficulties is therefore essential to alleviate the impact of speech sound difficulties on literacy development.
What are speech sound difficulties
What are speech sound difficulties
There different types of speech sound difficulties which can generally be divided into 2 categories:
1. Phonology-based speech sound difficulties:
Phonological delay versus disorder- difficulty storing and selecting the correct speech sounds. Some children may follow a pattern of learning and using sounds typically seen in younger children (i.e. delay). Other children may show some errors not typically seen in younger children (disorder). Disordered patterns of speech need to be investigated and a speech and language therapist can diagnose the type of difficulty. See the speech norms checklist for more information development of sounds and errors.
Inconsistent speech sound disorder - a phonological assembly difficulty. Children will be inconsistent in their production of speech sounds and may produce the same word differently on different occasions.
2. Motor-based speech sound difficulties:
Articulation impairment - difficulty physically producing certain speech sounds.
Childhood apraxia of speech - difficulty planning and programming movement sequences which results in speech sound and sequencing errors.
Dysarthria - Difficulty with motor control and the muscles used to create different sounds. This can be due to muscle weakness and may be linked to conditions such as cerebral palsy.
BCTC - Norms for Speech and Phonological Development In Children Under 7 Years.pdfSpeech sounds in young children
Speech sounds in young children
During the pre-school years, children will learn lots of different sounds. They will also learn how to organise these sounds into words. Children at this age will make some typical errors in their speech sound production (e.g. replace ‘s’ with ‘t’ so that ‘sun’ becomes “tun”) but these should start to resolve - refer to the speech sound norms chart or consult with a speech and language therapist to check what is typical for this age.
Norms for Speech and Phonological Development In Children Under 7 Years.pdf
Primary-aged children with speech sound difficulties
Primary-aged children with speech sound difficulties
Usually, most children will be using a full range of speech sounds by the time they are 5 years old. They may still have some immaturities in speech sounds such as ‘th’ and ‘r’ but generally their speech should be easy to understand. By around 5 years of age, any children who stand out as being different in their speech production skills should be assessed, and the development of their spoken and written language skills monitored.
There are red flags to look out for in primary-aged children who have speech sound difficulties including problems with:
Sounds:
Only using a limited range of sounds.
swapping one sound for another e.g saying ”tat” instead of 'cat'.
difficulty with vowel sounds e.g. saying “poor” instead of 'pear' or “pot” instead of 'pat'.
Structure:
Missing sounds off the start or the ends off words (e.g. ‘cat’ as “at” or ‘fish’ as “bi”).
Missing sounds in blends e.g. two element blends at the beginning of words (e.g. ‘sky’ and ‘star’). They may also struggle with three element blends (e.g. ‘strap’ and ‘splash’).
difficulty with long or complicated words like 'banana' or 'aeroplane’ - either by missing out syllables (e.g. ‘octopus’ as “ocpus”) or by confusing the sequence of syllables or sounds (e.g. ‘Melanie’ produced as “Menelie”).
‘th’ versus ‘f’
It is common for young children to produce ‘th’ as ‘f’, and can be a feature of the child’s dialect and language environment. This should be taken into account. However, it can mask underlying difficulties and a check should be made on whether the child can
Produce the different mouth postures (articulate each sound)
Identify the different sounds e.g. point to the correct sound when asked
Can the child use the different sounds correctly in their spelling.
How to help
How to help
If a child’s speech is very unclear, refer for a speech and language assessment straight away. Also provide visual support to help the child to make themselves understood in other ways and encourage them to use a ‘total communication’ approach (e.g. gesture, draw, use of symbols or photos in addition to speech). Consider using a communication passport or functional communication board to help the child to still be included to express their needs and views and to reduce their frustration.
Literacy
Literacy
A child with persistent reading and spelling difficulties beyond Year 1 requires further investigation around their underlying speech processing abilities. A child may present with intelligible speech production, but have subtle difficulties processing spoken language that may be impacting their reading and spelling skills (e.g. a child may know how many syllables are in a word, but show difficulty working out which sound combinations are within the syllable).
Phonological awareness
Phonological awareness
What is Phonological Awareness?
Phonological awareness:
is the ability to recognise how spoken words can be broken up into sound parts.
includes many different features, from awareness or syllables, rhyme, and letter knowledge.
essential to learning to read the alphabet, and fundamental to mapping speech sounds to written letters.
4. a strong predictor of later reading success.
For children with speech sound difficulties, language difficulties, and reading and spelling difficulties, Phonological Awareness is often an area in need of support.
Is Phonological Awareness the same as Phonics?
No. Phonics is a method of teaching children to read by matching sounds with letters of the alphabet. Phonics is therefore one feature of Phonological Awareness skills.
Why is Phonological Awareness important?
Phonological awareness skills are an essential and reliable predictor of later reading ability. Phonological awareness skills in the preschool years strongly predict how well a child will read in the later school years.
Reading involves the knowledge of what letter sounds are in word, also known as ‘decoding’. Spelling involves mapping the knowledge of the sounds onto a letter shape in order to spell out the written word, also known as ‘encoding’. In both encoding and decoding, phonological awareness is needed because the child must know how to recognise and manipulate the sound features of words in order to read and spell accurately.
Phonological awareness skills are important for reading and spelling development:
• Syllables - awareness of syllables and sound boundaries within words enables a child to identify sound segments in order to read and spell.
• Rhyme - awareness and knowledge of rhyme enables children to categorise sounds in their memory, and map their knowledge onto written forms through organising rhyming families. Such skills increase and support a child’s reading speed and accuracy.
• Blending - difficulties in the ability to select letters and sounds from memory, and hold them in working memory long enough to write them down can have a direct impact on an individual’s spelling attempts and speed of writing.
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