Why a Child Might Be Hard to Understand
Having a child is exciting... You can’t wait for all the things your little one will say, all the ideas they’ll have, and everything they’ll become one day.
But, then it happens – there’s a bump in the road. They’re talking and clearly telling you something, but you can’t understand them. Try as you might to listen carefully, your child’s speech is unclear. When you hop on Google to figure out if there’s a problem, you get a list of possible diagnoses – terms you weren’t expecting and may not have been ready for.
Rest easy. I am here to help you understand the terms, what it all really means, and what you can do next.
Causes of Hard-to-Understand Speech
Structural differences
Articulation disorder
Phonological processes
Childhood apraxia of speech
Dysarthria
Ear infections and hearing loss
When your child is less easy to understand than others their age, you might begin to wonder... Are you venturing through a dark forest, full of things hidden around every corner? Instead of lions and tigers and bears, you run into new terms like phonological processes, apraxia and dysarthria. What do these things mean? How can they impact your child? What can you do about it? The unknown can be scary… but this blog will help to make the uncertainties clearer…
Speech Delay
“Speech Delay” isn’t a term a speech therapist would typically use. “Speech” is communication via spoken words and “delay” simply means a skill is coming later than expected. It’s included here because it’s a term many search for, but it doesn’t describe a specific problem. So, let’s get to the specifics and find out what can cause a child’s speech to be difficult to understand.
Structural Differences
Clear speech requires that everything from our diaphragm to our lips be in proper working order. When a structure has a cleft, is tied down by other tissues, or when a muscle is not developing as it should, it is not able to function as expected. In some cases, that results in air seeping from one area to another (e.g., from your mouth to your nose). In other cases, the structure cannot get into the required position. Minute changes in the position or tension of the body parts involved when producing speech will change the sound coming out of someone’s mouth. Once you have enough sound changes in a sentence, the sentence becomes unintelligible.
Articulation Disorder
An articulation disorder happens when a child has difficulty with specific speech sounds. Everything is fine and you can probably understand a good part of what they say, but certain sounds are hard for them to say and it’s noticeable. Maybe it’s the “R” sound, maybe it’s the “L” sound. It could also be the “S, Z or TH” sound. There are about 44 sounds in the English language, so this list can go on and on.
Generally speaking, a sentence that doesn’t contain the “hard sounds” is clear and easy to understand if the problem is strictly articulation-based. All that being said, some sounds are more difficult than others and speech therapists know when each sound should be clear and easy to say.
Phonological Processes
A phonological process is a pattern of speech errors. It’s not about any specific sound, it’s about consistent changes to an entire category of sounds based on their position in the mouth, position in the word, the other sounds that are in the word, etc. All of the processes exist to simplify speech. Most are considered typical up to a certain age and usually fade on their own. A phonological processing disorder happens when a typical pattern persists beyond the age when it should have faded or when an atypical pattern becomes apparent. We once thought that these pattern or rule-based changes were related to language, but recent research suggests that this too is a motor-based speech disorder.
Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a neurological speech disorder that affects a person’s ability to plan and program the motor movements needed for speech. Put another way, a person with apraxia knows what they want to say, but their brain can’t tell their mouth what to do, when to do it, or the order to do it all in. Apraxia is not a disorder of intelligence, learning, vocabulary, etc – it’s strictly a problem with the person’s ability to move their mouth the way they want to.
Dysarthria
Dysarthria is another type of neurological speech disorder. However, in this case, there is a problem with the nervous system’s ability to activate the muscles. So, the person knows what they want to say and they’ve planned the movements necessary to say it, but their muscles are effectively too slow or too weak to do what they need to do.
Ear Infections & Hearing Loss
Speech clarity depends on more than just your mouth. Simply put, if you can’t clearly hear a sound, it’s awfully hard to learn to say it.
During a child’s first year of life, the speech sounds used during play and other interactions are being learned. Those that do not appear to have meaning in their environment are effectively being tuned out. If, at this time, a child is also experiencing chronic fluid in their ear, ear infections or a hearing loss, to them it sounds like the world is under water, at best. The clarity and specificity of each speech sound is lost and therefore becomes very difficult to learn. Between a child’s first and second birthdays, they begin to use those sounds purposefully. Now, their brain is focused on how similar or different their speech is to those around them. Again, accurate speech sounds depend on good hearing.
Can You Have More Than One Speech Sound Disorder?
Yes, absolutely. The presence of one type of speech sound disorder does not rule out the presence of another, though life would be easier if it did. This is why speech therapists take their time to fully understand exactly what is happening when a child is difficult to understand. Because, just like there are different types of speech sound disorders, there are different treatment strategies and they are not all created equal. A good therapist will select the approach that best fits the root of the issues at hand. As with anything, if the solution chosen is not a good match for the problem, progress will probably be slow or limited.
How Can I Help My Child With Their Speech Clarity?
In my honest opinion, speech clarity is generally not something parents should work on without guidance and training from a licensed speech-language pathologist (aka, speech therapist). Not only is there a hierarchy of what should be addressed first for the best outcome but, in some cases, imperfect practice can actually cause more problems.
What about other people who already work with your child? Well, working on speech sounds with a tutor, teacher, or ABA therapist is like going to the tire center for a problem with your car’s engine… you’re not going to get the right kind of help because they lack the proper training.
So, your best bet is to consult with a licensed speech-language pathologist because only they are fully trained in speech development, all the possible problems and diagnoses, the various treatment methods and strategies, and the oral mechanics behind each and every speech sound (a requirement if someone is going to teach clear speech).
It’s Time to Ask an Expert
If you took the time to read all of this, chances are that you’re worried about your child’s speech. Simply put, waiting has never – and will never – help a child who is truly struggling or falling behind. So, ask a question or leave a comment below. For more detailed information on speech and language disorders, a good resource is the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
Schedule a free consultation with us at Cheerful Chatter Speech-Language Services if you are in New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Georgia. We specialize in speech sound disorders and Childhood Apraxia of Speech and have the knowledge and experience needed to make a genuine difference.
