Disorders of Articulation & Phonology

Phonotactic rules exist that specify…

acceptable sequences and locations

• the /ks/ combination is never used at the beginning of an English word, but rather used at the end

allophones

variants of a sound

• the /l/ phoneme in “little” vs “lake” or “bottle”

articulation

1) shaping of speech sounds by the lips, tongue, and other articulators

2) neuromotor coordination to actually say sounds, words, & sentences

phonemes are generally categorized as

vowel or consonant

classification of consonant phonemes

place, manner, voicing

place

articulators; which articulators are being used

• bilabial, dental, velar, etc.

manner

production; how the sound is made

• stop, fricative, affricate, etc.

True or False

Phonemes are the same as letters.

false

A vowel sound is dependent upon

tongue advancement, tongue height, tension, roundedness

phonology

knowledge of the sounds of language and their rules that govern their production and combination

• rules & logic

articulation impairments are…

disorders of production

What are the 4 most common typical misarticulation errors?

Substitutions

Omissions

Distortions

Additions

Causes of phonological and articulatory disorders in most children

not readily identifiable

functional articulation disorder

When no cause is known for a articulatory disorder. Everything is working fine.

examples of functional articulation disorder

• children who omit the /r/, /s/, etc.

  • Danny omitting the /r/ in some words, but saying it fine in others

examples of organic articulation disorder

cleft palate, tongue tie, cerebral palsy

phonological processes; assimilations

children’s phonological and phonotactic simplifications

examples of phonological processes

• gliding

• stopping of fricatives

• fronting

• deaffrication

• weak syllable deletion

• cluster reduction

• labial, alveolar, or velar assimilation

Language-Learning Disabilities (LLD)

The speech sound production w/ LLD’s are similar to those with…

developmental impairments

Language-Learning Disabilities (LLD)

Those with LLD may also have difficulty

understanding language and use simpler and less grammatically correct speech

What is affected by a hearing impairment?

all parameters of speech, including articulation, voice quality, pitch, rate, prosody, & rhythm

What influences the nature of the articulation and phonological disability?

age of onset and the degree and type of hearing impairment

The more severe a person’s hearing loss, the ____ intelligible their speech is likely to be.

less

voicing confusion

articulation errors common in speech of deaf children

• “pack” is produced the same as “bag”

Children who have a Hx of frequent otitis media (middle ear infections), resulting in transient conductive hearing loss, are more likely to…

exhibit phonological and articulatory errors

What happens to speech for individuals who were hearing and became hard-of-hearing or deaf after they learned to talk?

speech deteriorates

dysarthrias

motor speech problems due to neuromuscular impairment that can affect the respiratory, phonatory, resonatory, or articulatory system

causes of dysarthrias

stroke, brain tumor, disorder of nervous system, paralysis of speech mechanism

What is impaired most in dysarthrias?

articulaiton

apraxia of speech

an impairment in programming the speech musculature to select, plan, organize, and initiate a motor pattern

characteristics of apraxia of speech

• poor speech sound imitation

• difficulty initiating speech movements characterized by initial consonant deletion

• vowel misarticulations

• rate and rhythm abnormalities

• poor diadochokinetic performance

• inconsistent vowel and consonant errors

• groping and struggle behavior in producing speech sounds on command

Speech disorders characterized by deficits in motor programming leading to inconsistent errors.

apraxia of speech

Speech therapy response for children with apraxia of speech

children do not respond readily to speech therapy; their rate of improvement may seem very slow

Goal of speech therapy for adults with a second language

improve intelligibility

What are different intervention approaches?

• single phoneme targets

• phonological process targets

• articulatory training

• minimal pairs

• computer apps

• combination of any of the previous approaches

Intervention Approaches

Stages of single phoneme targets

1. Perceptual or ear training

2. Production training

3. Stabilization

4. Carry over

Intervention Approaches

phonological process targets - cycles approach

basis for choosing targets is the ease with which the client is likely to master them

Intervention Approaches

articulatory training - sensorimotor training

client is made aware of tactile and proprioceptive sensations associated w/ the production of sounds in syllables and words