Articulation

What is Articulation?
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), articulation is the production of speech sounds. Therefore, an articulation disorder is defined by ASHA as "the atypical production of speech sounds characterized by substitutions, omissions, additions, or distortions that may interfere with intelligibility."

When do children acquire certain sounds?
Generally, children should make the following sounds by the ages indicated. However, children often produce different sounds at different ages. The following is just a general guideline.

• By ages 3 to 4 years: m,b,n,t,p,d,k,g,w,h, and vowels
• By ages 5 to 6 years: sh, ch, l, l blends (bl, pl, kl, gl)
• By 7 years of age: v, j, th, s, z, r, s blends, r blends

When should you be concerned with your child's articulation skills?
If your child shows any of the following signs, you may want to consult a speech-language pathologist.

• When your child is 3½ to 4 years of age and cannot be understood by adults.
• When your child is showing signs of frustration from not being understood.
• When your child is omitting sounds entirely, especially at the beginning and ends of words.

What can be done at home to help improve my child's articulation skills?

• Model correct production of sounds for your child. Do not use "baby talk."
• Speak slowly and clearly; enunciate beginning and final sounds.
• Practice with your child in front of a mirror during bath time, while brushing their teeth, or even right before bed.
• Be positive. Use positive reinforcements rather than negative.
• Find words or objects in your child's environment or books that contain sounds your child misarticulates.
• Don't push your child to the point of embarrassment. Do not correct him/her in front of his/her peers or other family members.
• Don't force your child to say words and/or sounds that he/she is not capable of saying.
• Don't let family members tease, make fun of, imitate or label the child with articulation difficulties.