What are the Symptoms of articulation disorder in toddlers?

(June 26, 2010)

Articulation Disorders In Toddlers

Articulation disorders are also known as phonetic disorders and describe problems with learning to produce particular sounds. In many cases, a toddler may suffer from an articulation delay wherein he/she does learn to make the required sounds but takes longer than expected to do so. However, if this continues to be a problem even with regular practice, it would fall under the category of articulation disorders. Articulation disorders are not caused by any distortion in hearing but are actually caused by physical restrictions. This would mean that the child may have a problem with his/her lips, teeth, velum, tongue, or any of the other articulators. It is important that your child has regular check-ups in order to determine the presence of an articulation disorder.

Some of the most common symptoms of articulation disorder in toddlers are a lack of or a very limited production of consonant sounds by approximately 2 years of age and unusual and continued speech error patterns. When talking to your toddler, make sure that you keep a track of his/her vowel or consonant sounds and even more importantly take note of the words that he/she cannot pronounce properly. If you notice that your child is unable to pronounce a particular word, you can try repeating it with them a few times a day. Do this on a regular basis and always praise your child for their effort. You can also come up with word games that include both problematic and non-problematic words. This will ensure that your child does not feel like they are being forced to learn to pronounce the problematic words.

In order to practice consonant sounds you can ask them the names of their friends or your family members. Toddlers love to talk about the ones they love and this will encourage them to use these sounds. You can also give their favorite toys names that have more than one consonant sound as they will then use these sounds more often. Another common symptom of this disorder is a noticeable problem with imitation skills that continues past their second birthday. This problem may also be coupled with a lack of interest in talking. Make sure that you encourage your toddler to talk. You can do this by doing enjoyable activities together. You can then encourage your child to tell your partner all about what he/she did during the day. This will also help to strengthen family bonds.

It is important that you do not force your child to talk or get angry if they are unwilling to participate in articulation exercises. If you have any doubts you can talk to your doctor to determine if your toddler has an articulation disorder.

Submitted by P T on June 26, 2010 at 03:44