A speech sound disorder is when a child has difficulty saying specific sounds by either substituting that sound for a different sound, deleting the sound, or adding unnecessary sounds.
All children simplify their speech when they are learning how to talk (these are called phonological processes), but most will outgrow this “simplification process” naturally as they age. When they don’t, they may have a disorder. Here are some of the most common early signs that your toddler may have a speech sound disorder:
- They have long strings of unintelligible speech
- They try to copy your speech but have noticeable/significant difficulties
- They have a preference for certain sounds (ex. your child only says words with a ‘B’ in them)
- They still use phonological patterns which should have been resolved
- They only use a few sounds (ex. it sounds like they “talk in vowels”)
- Their vowels are distorted
A speech therapist can evaluate your child to determine if their errors are typical or atypical for their age. Early intervention is often the best course of action to help your child increase their overall intelligibility. If you find yourself wondering about your child’s speech development, start a conversation with your pediatrician or give our office a call!
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