Phonological disorder - Identifying the symptoms in your child

Children with phonological disorders (also known as phonological processing disorder), a type of speech sound disorder, struggle to pronounce words correctly as well as recognize and understand linguistic patterns.

The primary symptom that sets out a phonological disorder from other speech disorders is the recognizable pattern of errors, which often involve one sound or a cluster of related sounds that the error is produced regularly.

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What is a phonological disorder? What causes it?

The key markers are pervasive and persistent difficulties. (Image via Freepik/Freepik)

When a youngster exhibits predictable and normal patterns of speech sound problems, a phonological disorder develops. Errors might be typical for young kids learning speech techniques, but if they persist after a certain age, they might indicate a problem.

Articulation disorders should not be confused with phonological disorders, though. Both speech impairments manifest as phonological abnormalities in speech. Each sound is recognized by a child with articulation problems, but they struggle to produce them using the appropriate articulators (tongue, teeth, jaw, lips and velum).

However, a child with a phonological issue can pronounce the sounds correctly, and they're frequently missed entirely or utilized in improper contexts within words. Although it's possible and desirable to distinguish between the two, a child may have both of them.

An individual with a phonological processing disorder may show the following symptoms:

Language is an art that requires effort and practice. (Image via Freepik/Freepik)

• Reducing the number of syllables in a word by repeating two of them, as in saying "baba" rather than "bottle"
• Omitting a consonant, such as by saying "at" or "ba" in place of "bat" or "tar" in place of "star"
• Some consonant sounds, such as "tat" in place of "cat," are changed

The phonological disorder frequently has no identified cause. Some youngsters do, however, have a genetic history of speech immaturity or developmental delay. Others may be affected by neurological conditions or structural differences like cleft lip and palate, which may be the disorder's cause.

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Identifying symptoms of phonological disorder

Each child has unique needs, and they can be met differently. (Image via Freepik/Freepik)

Communication disorders can have a negative impact on your child's well-being. When establishing whether children have a phonological disorder, parents need to be aware of several key indicators:

1) Having trouble following speech

By the time they are 3 or 4, a child may have a phonological issue if they are difficult to comprehend. Their ability to make friends or be understood while playing may also be affected by that.

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2) Lack of phonetic sound production

Children who occasionally have trouble producing phonetic sounds correctly may be suffering from a phonological problem. They should be able to correctly pronounce most phonetic sounds by the age of six.

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3) Trouble pronouncing complicated sounds

Children with phonological disorders have trouble reading more difficult words, which can become more obvious by the age of 8 or 9.

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4) Blending of phonetic sounds

While pronouncing some words, children may be confusing "d" with "b" or vice versa. Without speech therapy, they could struggle to understand distinct sounds on an intuitive level.

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5) Words with missing letters

Moreover, young children may pronounce a letter incorrectly in one word but correctly in another. As an illustration, imagine speaking 'bottle' just fine but pronouncing "ite" in place of the "b" in bite.

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6) Words with missing syllables

The brain structures may also have a role to play in maintenance of phonological disorder. (Image via Freepik/Freepik)

A phonological grasp of words may be a problem for kids who utter "bay" instead of "baby." They could require speech treatment if they omit one syllable across several words.

Although initially adorable, childlike speech can impede growth and academic success if it persists past the age of seven. Depending on the degree and prognosis of their child's phonological issues, parents can try a variety of approaches.

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The first step in assisting a child with a phonological disorder is to recognize that they're recognizable with patience and an appreciation of their strengths. The best way to support kids with phonological disorders is to learn more about them, meet with a speech and language therapist, and adopt a carefully crafted speech and language therapy programme.

Speech and language therapists can offer treatment through a therapy regimen specific to a child's disorder, assisting in their communicative process and helping them become more understandable to others. Treatment of speech disorders frequently involves teaching children to distinguish between various language patterns that sound identical and repeat sounds again.

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Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.

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