October 29, 2014

“Twick o Tweet!” There’s that “r” problem again! We’ve all heard people who can’t say their r’s or their “s” sounds, or any number of other sounds.  I know I did yesterday when I had an appointment with a new doctor, who couldn’t say his “s” sounds.  He had a frontal lisp so he substituted “th” for his “s” sounds.  When he heard I was a speech-language pathologist, he cleaned up his “s” sounds a little, but soon left the examining room saying, “Thpeech-language pathologith, huh? I think I need one of thoth”.  I didn’t have the heart to offer my services to him, because I didn’t want to embarrass this very nice, accomplished specialist. Maybe I should have???

Do you know anyone with speech sound errors? Chances are that you do, since anywhere from 2 to 25% of children have Speech Sound Disorders (SSD). Although most SSD’s will be resolved by school age whether as a result of speech therapy or maturation, some SSD’s actually persist through adulthood.  Simply stated, SSD is an umbrella term for any difficulty with perception or production of speech sounds that impacts how well a person is understood by others.

The causes of SSD are varied, but can include structural differences (e.g. cleft palate), sensory impairments (e.g. hearing loss), or difficulties with the motor aspects of producing speech (e.g. apraxia, dysarthria). However, the majority of the time, the cause of SSD in most children is unknown. Evidence is leaning more and more toward genetic factors contributing to speech disorders, and there is often a strong family history. Interestingly, more boys than girls have speech errors.  Other risk factors include pacifier use or excessive finger/thumb sucking, pre- and perinatal difficulties, and a history of ear infections, to name a few.

It’s just a few sound errors, so what!? What’s the big deal? Well, sadly, it can be a much bigger deal than it may initially seem. The impact of SSD on a child can be dramatic both socially and academically. Children with speech errors are 61% more likely to be teased or bullied because of their speech differences.  Teachers also judge children on their academic, social and behavioral competence, by how well they can understand the child. I think that is just human nature to judge people by how they sound, like with my doctor. But that’s not all.  Some children with SSD, even if it is resolved, may have persisting difficulties in language skills, phonological awareness, auditory memory, reading, writing, and spelling!

So what can be done to help children with speech sound disorders? Speech-language pathologists are specially trained to help children and adults with speech problems, and can also help them achieve more age appropriate language and literacy skills. The earlier a child gets help with sound errors, the easier it is to correct the sounds. Older children have been “practicing” their sounds incorrectly and it is harder for them to break their bad habits.

For more information on Speech Sound Disorders, please see Speech Sound Disorders-Articulation and Phonology on the ASHA website.

So this enjoy this Halloween night and think of me, especially if you do get some Twick-o-Tweetos at your door! Or some Trick-or-Treaterth! Happy Halloween!

Please share this blog.  You never know who you might be helping!

Thanks for reading,

Cindy McCallum, M.Sc., R.SLP, SLP(C), CCC-SLP

Registered Speech-Language Pathologist

Founder, WiseOwlSpeech