Articulation disorders (dyslalia) in children
All content is checked by medical journalists.What is a phonetic disorder?
Children with articulation or phonetic disorders (formerly called dyslalia) have incorrect pronunciation or incorrect use of sounds. As a result, others understand them only poorly or not at all. The children affected say, for example, a totolade instead of chocolate, a Keppe instead of stairs or a construction instead of a tree. Most often there are pronunciation difficulties with sibilants ("lisps").
About 13.5 percent of all children between the ages of four and six have an articulation disorder.
How does dyslalia develop?
When learning to speak, it is completely normal that the child does not immediately pronounce all the sounds correctly and use them in the right places. By the end of the age of five, however, it should be able to correctly form and use all speech sounds and sound connections (exception: the S sound). If a child's pronunciation differs clearly from that of their peers, it is called a phonetic disorder.
Reasons for this can include:
- Hearing impairment
- Too weak or poorly coordinated mouth muscles
- Cleft palate, jaw or tooth abnormalities
- Insufficient differentiation for similar sounding sounds with intact hearing (example: head and pot)
How do you recognize pronunciation disorders?
Often the parents of affected children become aware of the incorrect pronunciation of their offspring when they make a comparison with the pronunciation of other children of the same age. The pediatrician is usually the first point of contact. If necessary, he or she will refer the child to a speech therapist, a so-called speech therapist, for a more detailed diagnosis. Among other things, this tests the child's pronunciation and the type and extent of the articulation disorder with the help of picture cards.
A hearing test at the ENT doctor can also clarify, for example, whether there is a hearing impairment and this is the reason for the pronunciation difficulties.
If the parents do not notice the language disorder themselves, it is often the child's educator who notices the problem. In other cases, the pediatrician at U9 will be aware of this. This is the preventive medical check-up during which the child's language development is routinely checked.
How are pronunciation disorders treated?
Once the diagnosis of dyslalia has been made, the speech therapist draws up a treatment plan. This depends on the type and severity of the articulation disorder and the age of the child. The speech therapist usually lets the child do exercises on oral motor skills, listening attention, acoustic differentiation and sound formation. The material for this is always suitable for children, the practice is playful in order to maintain the motivation of the little "language student".
If the dyslalia is a symptom of a more extensive developmental delay, speech therapists work in an interdisciplinary manner with doctors, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and / or psychologists.
forecast
The earlier treatment begins, the faster a child can learn to distinguish between new sounds and pronounce them correctly. The following applies: The therapy is usually more successful if the parents support their child during the treatment in consultation with the speech therapist.
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