Although most children make speech mistakes when they're learning to say new words, children who continue to make mistakes past a certain age are considered to have a speech sound disorder, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, or ASHA. Identifying and treating a child's speech problems early on---even before he begins to talk---will help him reach his full potential.
Types of Speech Problems
Children with speech problems may have trouble with articulation, fluency or resonance, according to KidsHealth, a part of the Nemours Foundation. A child with an articulation disorder, such as a child with a lisp, has trouble making certain sounds or saying all of her words correctly. A child with a fluency disorder, such as a stutter, might have trouble pronouncing an entire word or if she repeats certain sounds. A child with a resonance or voice disorder, such as mumbling, might have trouble completing an entire loud and clear sentence.
Common Causes
Children with all types of speech disorders can get help from speech therapists. Some children with speech disorders have a medical condition that causes trouble speaking. Common conditions associated with speech impairments are weak muscles surrounding the mouth, hearing impairment, cleft palate or lip, nodules in the vocal cord, autism and breathing and swallowing disorders, according to KidsHealth.
When to Get Help
Speech and language problems are different from one another, but you might have trouble determining which one is causing your child to have trouble speaking. KidsHealth recommends seeking an evaluation if your child is older than two and: he can imitate actions or speech but he doesn't produce language spontaneously; he says only certain words or sounds repeatedly; he can't use language to communicate more than his immediate needs; he can't follow basic directions; he speaks in an unusual tone; or he is more difficult to understand than other children his age. You should be able to understand about half of your child's speech when he's two, three-fourths of it when he's three, and everyone should understand almost all of his speech when he's four, notes KidsHealth.
Diagnosis
A speech-language pathologist, or SLP, is the person who evaluates children who have trouble with speech and language. An SLP will listen to your child and she might use a formal test to record errors in the sounds your child makes, according to ASHA. She will also perform an oral mechanism examination to assess whether the muscles in your child's mouth are working properly. She might recommend treatment if your child speaks in a way that isn't appropriate for his age, dialect or accent.
Treatment
Children who go to speech therapy spend time practicing proper speech. For example, if a child is having trouble with fluency or articulation, the SLP will show her how to make the proper sounds by demonstrating them and asking the child to copy what she's doing with her mouth while holding a mirror up to the child's face, according to KidsHealth. She might also play games with the child to engage her interest in practicing. Treatment may last anywhere from a week to years, depending on the child's needs.
