Speech Therapy

What is a Lisp?

Laura LeBlanc MA, CCC/SLPLeave a comment

You’ve heard of a lisp-but what exactly is it? A lisp is an articulation disorder where a child is having difficulty correctly producing the “s” and “z” sounds. Sometimes the “sh”, “ch” and “j” sounds may also be in error.  There are 4 main types of lisps:

  • Interdental/frontal lisp: This type of lisp is characterized by a protrusion of the tongue out through the teeth- for example, saying “thwim” instead of “swim” or “thoup” for  “soup”.
  • Dentalized lisp:  A dentalized lips happens when the tongue pushes up against the top teeth during production of  “s” and “z” sounds, cutting off the airflow.

Both interdental/frontal and dentalized lisps are considered developmental in nature and are typically seen in normal speech development.  In other words, the child will most likely “grow out” of it.  It is perfectly normal development for a child to produce an interdental or dentalized lisp until they are about 4.5 years old.

  • Lateral lisp: This type of lisp results in a “slushy” or “spitty” sound.  A lateral lisp occurs when the tongue tip is in a similar position as when making the “l” sound but the air flow escapes out the sides of the sides of the tongue, instead of directly forward and out of the oral cavity.
  • Palatal lisp: A palatal lisp occurs when the mid section of the tongue comes in contact with the soft palate.  The sound of a person with a palatal lisp attempting to produce the “s” and “z” sounds will closely mimic the production of an “h” and a “y”.

Both lateral and palatal lisps are never normal in development and most likely will require speech therapy intervention to correct.  If you feel your child is in need of a speech evaluation, be sure to contact an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist.

 

Could Your Child’s Phonological Disorder Really Be Apraxia of Speech?

Laura LeBlanc MA, CCC/SLPLeave a comment

According to Edith Strand, the leading expert in child apraxia, “childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) typically occurs alongside other language delays or phonological impairments.  This can make diagnosing it a major challenge.”

Characteristics that are often present, but not discriminative, in childhood apraxia include:

  • Limited consonant and vowel repertoire
  • Use of simple syllable shapes and frequent omission of sounds
  • Numerous errors-poor standard scores on articulation tests
  • Poor intelligibility

More “discriminative” characteristics of apraxia of speech include:

  • Difficulty moving from one articulatory movement to another  (ie saying the word “pancake” at a fast rate)
  • Groping and/or trial and error behavior
  • Vowel distortions
  • Prosodic errors (putting stress on the wrong syllable)
  • Inconsistent voicing errors (“teck” for “deck” or “van” for “fan”)

Distinguishing CAS from Phonological Impairment

The primary characteristics of  childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) are vowel distortions, segmentation and/or equal stress, awkward movement transitions and error behavior in words and phrases. On the other hand, children with only phonological impairment may make substitution errors of exhibit phonological processes that are fairly consistent.  The movements for those incorrect sounds will be accurate though, and rate and prosody are typically good.  For more information on this topic, see the March 2017 issue of The ASHA Leader “Appraising Apraxia”.

If you are concerned about your child’s speech or language be sure to contact an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist for an evaluation.   A list of providers can be found at http://www.ASHA.org

Dispelling the 3 Most Common Myths About Speech Language Development in Children

Laura LeBlanc MA, CCC/SLPLeave a comment

There are many myths about most things in life, one being speech and language development in children.  Read on to find out what the biggest misconceptions are.

1-No words by the age of 1= RED FLAG

Truth: Most children say their first words between the ages of 12 and 18 mths.  Often these words are still unintelligible.  Causes for concern, however, are if your child has yet to speak a single word by 18 mths and 2 years,  or  if your child had been speaking then suddenly stops, or his language skills no longer expand.

2-The Use of “Baby Talk” Slows Down Language Development

Truth: The use of “Motherese”,  or “baby talk” has been shunned for years with many recommending using “adult style” speech to newborns.  The truth is this-any type of engagement with young children is beneficial.  Some studies even show that babies actually react well to baby talk from parents.

3- Sign Language “Speeds Up” Language Development

Truth: Using sign language does not translate to accelerated language acquisition for children.  According to a study from the University of Hertfordshire, Dr Liz Kirk found “Although babies learn the gestures and used them to communicate long before they started talking, they did not learn the associated words any quicker than the non-gesturing babies, nor did they show enhanced language development.”

If you have questions  or concerns regarding your child’s speech or language, contact an ASHA Certified Speech Language Pathologist in your area.

3 Reasons Your Child Has Reading Comprehension Difficulties

Laura LeBlanc MA, CCC/SLPLeave a comment

Approximately 85% of children diagnosed with learning difficulties have a primary problem with reading and language skills.  What baffles many parents is the “where” and “why” the process breaks down. Problems may occur in any area -decoding, comprehension, or retention.  Many experts, however, believe the root of reading problems lies in decoding.

Decoding Difficulties

Decoding is the process by which a word is broken into individual phonemes (sounds) and recognized based on those phonemes.  For example, a proficient reader will separate the sounds “fr” “aw” and “guh” in the word “frog”.  Someone who has difficulty reading may not hear and differentiate these phonemes.  Even experts do not understand why this is.

Signs of decoding difficulty:

  • trouble sounding out words and recognizing words out of context
  • confusion between letters and the sounds they represent
  • slow oral reading rate
  • reading without expression
  • ignoring punctuation while reading

Comprehension Difficulties

Comprehension relies on mastery of decoding; children who struggle to decode find it difficult to understand and remember what has been read. Because their efforts to grasp individual words are so exhausting, they have no resources left for understanding.

Signs of comprehension difficulty:

  • confusion about the meaning of words and sentences
  • inability to connect ideas in a passage
  • omission of, or glossing over detail
  • difficulty distinguishing important information from minor details
  • lack of concentration

Retention Difficulties

Retention requires both decoding and comprehension of what is written. This task relies on high level cognitive skills, including memory and the ability to group and retrieve related areas. As students progress through grade levels, they are expected to retain more and more of what they read. From third grade on, reading to learn is central to classroom work. By high school it is an essential ask.

Signs of retention difficulty:

  • trouble remembering or summarizing what is read
  • difficulty connecting what is read to prior knowledge
  • difficulty applying content of a text to personal experiences

 

 

Articulation in Children Top 5 Speech Questions

Laura LeBlanc MA, CCC/SLPLeave a comment

What is articulation?

Articulation is the ability to make speech sounds clearly. Children learn correct sound production by listening and imitating appropriate speech role models. Articulation develops gradually over a period of 8 years.

When should I be concerned about my child’s articulation?

Under the age of 3, it is common for children to make quite a few sound errors and substitutions.  By age 3, a child should be using at least 200 words, using 3-5 word phrases and be understood at least 80% of the time.  By age 4, a child should be 100% intelligible even if they continue to have some articulation errors.  Sounds which are “later developing” include “sh”, “ch” “j” and “th”.  Sometimes the “s” and “r” sounds are more difficult to remediate and require more speech therapy.

What sounds do children learn to produce first and in what order?

Most children are able to produce the “bilabial” sounds (made with the lips) of “b”, “p” “m”and “w”. They may also produce sounds such as “d”, “t”, and “n” early on as well.  Child acquire sounds developmentally and by age 8 should have mastered all of the sounds.

What causes an articulation disorder?

Although the cause is often unknown, the following are may cause an articulation disorder:

  • Hearing loss
  • Illness
  • Developmental Disorder (ie Autism)
  • Neurological Disorder (ie Cerebral Palsy)
  • Genetic Disorder (ie Down Syndrome)

How do you treat an articulation disorder?

If you feel that your child is in need a speech evaluation, it is vital to seek treatment from an ASHA (American Speech Hearing Association) Certified provider who will conduct a comprehensive evaluation and provide services as needed.