How Speech Therapy Helps with Phonological Disorders

What is a Phonological Disorder?

A phonological disorder is a type of speech sound disorder. People with this condition have trouble understanding or using the rules of sound patterns (phonology) in their language. Phonological disorders are related to how the brain processes sounds to form words. It can result in additions, substitutions, omissions, and distortions of sounds, making speech hard to understand. 

8% to 9% of young children in the United States have speech sound disorders. The exact cause of phonological disorders is unknown. It is not caused by a physical abnormality as some speech sound disorders are, but it does appear to be more common in boys. A person with a family history of speech and language disorders may be at a higher risk, as well as someone with developmental delays or hearing loss. 

There are two types of phonological disorders.

• Consistent - A child with a consistent phonological disorder will make the same speech errors across multiple words. The errors are made regularly and are expected.
• Inconsistent - A child with an inconsistent phonological disorder will make speech errors that are inconsistent and unpredictable. They may say the same word incorrectly in multiple ways. 

Someone with a phonological disorder can be hard to understand due to their speech errors. This can lead to frustration and reduced confidence. Phonological disorders are also often linked to challenges with literacy and language comprehension. To reduce the long-term impacts on emotional, social and academic well-being, early intervention is very important. We provide virtual speech therapy for phonological disorders at Great Speech.

How Does A Phonology Disorder Differ From an Articulation Disorder?

Both phonology disorders and articulation disorders are classified as speech sound disorders. Someone who has problems understanding and using the rules of sounds in language has a phonology disorder. Their errors are more about how sounds are used and the pattern of the sound errors rather than how the individual sounds are produced. Someone who consistently struggles to produce specific sounds has an articulation disorder. In summary, an articulation disorder is linked with difficulty in pronouncing individual sounds incorrectly, whereas a phonology disorder includes problems with rules of sound patterns. 

What are Examples of Phonological Errors

Some phonological errors are expected as a child develops their speech. Developmental speech errors will occur less frequently as the child gets older. 

If a child is making phonological errors that are not age-appropriate, they may have a phonological disorder.

Signs of a phonological disorder can include:

• Changing certain consonant sounds in a word. For example, “tat” instead of “cat”
• Omitting a consonant sound in a word. For example, “og” instead of “dog”
• Saying only one syllable in a word. For example, “bay” instead of “baby”
• Simplifying a word by repeating two syllables. For example, “nana” instead of “banana”
• Correctly producing speech sounds but using the sound in the wrong syllable in a word or in the wrong word altogether

Can a Child Outgrow a Phonological Disorder?

A child can outgrow a mild phonological disorder. As a child’s speech skills develop, they may make common speech errors that are consistent with others their age. This is expected and part of normal speech development. When these speech errors continue into their school years, it is a good idea to reach out to a Speech Therapist for an assessment. 

How does speech therapy help with a phonological disorder?

Speech therapy is the primary treatment for phonological disorders. A speech-language pathologist (SLP) will first assess the individuals’s speech and language patterns to determine what areas of speech they are struggling with. From there, they create a personalized treatment plan to work on these issues. 

The treatment plan will vary depending on the person’s needs and will include an array of activities and games to re-learn sound patterns and practice using those sound patterns correctly and with confidence.

As with other speech disorders, friends and family involvement and support can have a great impact on the success of speech therapy. Children undergoing speech therapy are more likely to stay engaged in their therapy sessions when their families are involved. Celebrating milestones and victories together can be encouraging for the child and exciting for all to see!

At Great Speech, we pride ourselves on being the best in online speech therapy. Both you and your loved ones can feel comfortable in your own environment as you work to master your speech goals. Getting started is easy. Schedule your free introductory call today.