Speech Sound Disorder and Delay.
Whilst the majority of children with speech sound disorders, may not have a direct cause, some speech difficulties can be associated with conditions such as cerebral palsy and cleft palate.
Some children may have difficulty with language as well as speech difficulties, whilst others may struggle with just their speech.
What we must remember, is children develop at different times and stages and typically vary in their speech development.
Some children may show error patterns in their speech, and therefore be described as ‘delayed’ or ‘disordered’ speech. These terms may be used to describe different terms, but are used interchangeably within different countries.
Role of an SLT.
The role of a speech and language therapist is to identify any speech difficulties with an initial screening assessment followed by a diagnostic assessment. These assessments will help us at Unlocking Communication to create an intervention programme, using evidence-based therapies, such as:
- Cycles Therapy
- Minimal pairs.
- Phonological awareness.
- Target selection in phonological intervention.
Example.
Speech sound cue cards are great visuals for working on Phonemes when teaching or developing a child's sounds.
Speech sound therapy targets the sound
on its own, within individual words, and then into sentence structure.
Intervention considerations.
When deciding which therapy approach to take with your child, we consider ‘Traditional vs Newer’. Whilst traditional focuses on the natural development of the child, perhaps making therapy easier for them in the short term, there is little to no evidence suggesting this is the best route to take, whereas the newer strategies are evidence-based, and suggest focusing on later developing sounds offers a greater result overall (Bowen, 2011).
Picture: (Bowen, 2011)
For further reading, please take a look at the following article.
Cabbage, K., DeVeney, S. (2020) Treatment approach Considerations for Children
with Speech Sound Disorders in School-Based Settings. Available at: https://learning.lww.com/ovidfiles/00011363-202010000-00004.pdf
(13th October 2023).
https://learning.lww.com/ovidfiles/00011363-202010000-00004.pdf
References:
ASHA. (1997-2003) Speech sound disorders - Articulation and phonology. Retrieved from https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/articulation-and-phonology/#collapse_9 on 12th October 2023.
Bowen, C. (2011). Target selection in phonological intervention. Retrieved from http://www.speech-language-therapy.com/ on 14th October 2023.
Bowen, C. (1998-2023) Caroline Bowen. Speech-Language Pathologist. Retrieved from https://speech-language-therapy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=featured&Itemid=101 on 13th October 2023.
Cabbage, K., DeVeney, S. (2020) Treatment approach Considerations for Children with Speech Sound Disorders in School-Based Settings. Available at: https://learning.lww.com/ovidfiles/00011363-202010000-00004.pdf (13th October 2023).