Articulation speech therapy is based on the idea that practicing speech sounds in short words and sentences can help your child learn to say them. When they master them in simple contexts, they’ll eventually be able to use them in more complex situations.
Articulation is the speech sound production system that we use to make all those different sounds that go together to make words. As a Speech-Language Pathologist, I work with students who have difficulty producing certain speech sounds.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) defines articulation as “the production of speech sounds”. ASHA also has a scope of practice which includes the evaluation and treatment of articulation and phonological disorders.
When we look at articulation skills, it is important to consider when the errors are occurring. If your child is making errors on all sounds in initial, medial and final positions, then it may be more of a phonological process pattern rather than an articulation error. For example, if your child says “wabbit” for rabbit or “pider” for spider, then this may be a phonological process error because these words are in initial position and they are both phonologically related. However, if a child says “hip” for ship or “bake” for snake then this would be considered an articulation error because these are not phonologically related and one word is ending in /p/ while the other word ends in /k/.
Speech therapy is a vital part of helping children with speech impediments and other speaking problems to overcome their difficulties. One type of speech therapy that is often used is articulation therapy. Articulation therapy aims to help children improve the physical act of speaking, by helping them develop better tongue placement, jaw placement, and voice control. Many parents and caregivers, especially those who have never experienced it before, are unsure about how to facilitate this kind of speech therapy at home.
Speech therapy is a type of therapy that includes exercises to help improve a person’s communication skills. While speech therapy might seem like it only applies to children, adults can use it as well.
Speech therapists can work with people who have issues such as:
- Dysarthria, which is when a person has slurred speech. They may also have problems with breathing and swallowing.
- Aphasia, which is when a person has trouble speaking or understanding spoken language. This can occur after a stroke or because of brain damage from an accident or other injury
- Apraxia, which is when a person has trouble saying what they want to say. This could be caused by strokes, tumors, head injuries and more.
- Dysphagia, which is when a person has trouble swallowing food or liquid. This may be caused by dysphagia from Parkinson’s disease, strokes and more.
There are many ways that speech therapists can help individuals with these conditions improve their communication skills through articulation therapy activities. For example, if someone has dysarthria (slurred speech), then the therapist will work with them to practice saying words clearly and deliberately so that they can communicate their thoughts better to others around them.