Is your child's speech slurred? Learn about Speech Sound Disorder

Have you ever noticed that your little one is slurring words or having difficulty pronouncing certain letters? Does his speech seem a little behind the times compared to other children his age? This is a common problem that many parents face when raising a child. We all worry a lot about our children's development when they are young. So, it's normal to feel a little scared when we see something like this. But don't worry. Today, let's talk about what it really is, why it happens, and what we can do about it.

What is a Speech Sound Disorder?

Simply put, a speech sound disorder is a condition in which a child is unable to correctly process the sounds needed to speak. This is not a problem with the child's intelligence or lack of knowledge of words. They know the words, but they have difficulty producing the sounds needed to say those words. For example, they may substitute certain letters for other letters, or they may skip certain letters.

Usually, as a child grows up, their speaking skills gradually improve. By the age of 8, a child should be able to pronounce almost all the sounds in the Sinhala language correctly. However, before that, it is quite common for some children to have difficulty pronouncing certain letters and to get confused in words. Most children will eventually overcome this condition on their own and start speaking beautifully like other children.

But some children may have this condition persistently. Then it may be difficult for family and friends to understand what they are saying. That is when we need to pay special attention to this.

What could be causing this?

Often, it is difficult to find a specific cause for these speech sound disorders. This means that this condition can occur even if the child is healthy. However, sometimes if someone in the family has had this problem before, it may also be affected.

In addition, some other health conditions can also cause problems with speaking.

• Hearing impairment: If a child cannot hear well, they will not be able to recognize the sounds of words properly. Therefore, they may make mistakes when speaking.
• Frequent ear infections.
• Developmental disabilities: For example, conditions like autism.
• Genetic diseases: Conditions such as Down syndrome.
• Brain injuries .
• Having a cleft palate or cleft lip.
• Diseases of the nervous system: For example, cerebral palsy.
• Brain tumors.

Additionally, there is a belief that excessive sucking of a spoon or sucking of the thumb can sometimes also have an effect.

Are there main types of speech sound disorders?

Yes, we are talking about two main types. They are Articulation disorders and Phonological disorders. Although these words may seem a bit difficult, the meaning is very simple.

• Articulation disorders: This is when the child is unable to pronounce a specific sound (such as 's', 'r', 'l') correctly. Therefore, when a word is said, only that letter is heard incorrectly.
• Phonological disorders: This is when the child makes the same mistakes every time they speak. That is, there is a slight problem with the pattern of how the child thinks about the sounds of words. For example, they always say the letter 'ta' instead of the letter 'ka' that comes at the beginning of a word.

Although these can be further divided, as a parent, you should understand this basic difference.

What symptoms do we see?

Symptoms can vary from child to child. The main symptom is that the child has difficulty pronouncing sounds that should be easy for that age. You may notice these things when your child speaks.

These are common in young children when they are just starting to talk. But if the child continues to make these mistakes as they grow older, it could be a sign of a speech disorder.

In addition, other symptoms such as these can be seen:

• Difficulty moving the jaw, tongue, and lips properly when speaking.
• A hoarse voice or a nasal sound.
• Feeling like you're suddenly out of breath when talking.
• Sometimes stuttering.
• Difficulty doing things like chewing food and picking your nose.

How is this diagnosed and treated?

If you have any doubts about your child, the best thing to do is to see your family doctor .

1. Medical examination: First, the doctor will examine the child. Especially the child's hearing . Because such problems can also occur due to hearing impairment.

2. Referral to a specialist: If everything is normal and the doctor thinks there is a speech problem, he will refer you to a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) . These are specialists in this field.

3. Assessment by SLP: The speech therapist assesses the child's speech ability by talking, playing with the child, and reading different words. They also pay attention to the way the child moves the tongue, lips, and jaw when speaking. After this assessment, they determine whether the child actually has a speech sound disorder.

The treatment plan is tailored specifically to the child and their problem. The speech therapist works with the child to:

• The child is helped to understand which sounds he is pronouncing incorrectly.
• It teaches you how to position your tongue and lips to pronounce those sounds correctly.
• They practice those sounds and words over and over again.

Things you can do as a parent

Your help on this journey is very valuable to the child.

• Talk to your child often:Sing songs, read books, talk about the day's events.
• Listen to your child: Listen patiently when your child is talking. Don't immediately correct their mistakes. Instead, model for them how you say the word correctly. (For example, if your child says, "I want 'tote'," you can ask, "Hey, does your son want sauce?")
• Follow the speech therapist's instructions: Do the exercises given at home exactly.

The sooner this condition is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome. So if you have even the slightest doubt, don't delay talking to a doctor.