Children Who Cannot Pronounce Sounds Correctly: What Is Articulation Disorder?
When you hear your child say "ayaba" instead of "araba" or "titap" instead of "kitap," these endearing pronunciation errors may not catch your attention at first. However, as your child grows older, if they continue to struggle with producing certain sounds (such as 'r,' 'k,' 's,' 'sh') or if their sentences become difficult for others to understand, it is completely natural to begin feeling concerned as a parent.
What is commonly known in society as inability to pronounce certain sounds is typically evaluated by specialists under the umbrella of articulation disorder or phonological disorder. So, what does the inability to correctly produce speech sounds mean, and how can this process be supported at home?
What Are Speech Sound Disorder (Articulation) and Phonology?
In special education support programs designed for individuals with speech and language disorders, the goal is for individuals to distinguish speech sounds and produce them correctly, consistently, and in accordance with the phonological characteristics of the language. Challenges in this area generally present in two ways:
Articulation Disorder: This refers to a child's inability to mechanically produce certain sounds due to difficulty positioning the articulators—such as the lips, tongue, palate, and jaw—correctly.
Phonological Disorder: Even if the child can mechanically produce the sounds, they use them in incorrect positions within words or omit them altogether. The individual is expected to use the correctly produced speech sound in its proper sequential position within a word without displacement. For example, a child saying "kaymon" instead of "kamyon" or "porkatal" instead of "portakal" are examples of such sequencing or sound substitution errors.
What Are the Stages of Therapy for Correct Sound Production?
Learning a sound that your child struggles with does not happen instantly by simply saying "go ahead and say 'r.'