Speech

What is an Articulation Disorder: An Articulation Disorder is a developmental disorder or delay caused by structural differences of the speech-sound articulators (e.g., jaw, tongue, lips, teeth, palate, soft palate) or by misuse of these structures when producing speech-sounds.  As children mature and gain greater control over the fine motor movements required for speech, articulation–…

What is Phonological Disorder? A Phonological Disorder is a child’s persistent use of error patterns that extends beyond the time-frame expected for typical development. Most children use error patterns in early childhood while they develop the sound system specific to their language or languages, but these errors are expected to fade. Examples of phonological processes…

What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech? Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a developmental, neurologic disorder of motor planning that disrupts a child’s ability to produce and sequence speech sounds, syllables, and words. The child knows what he / she wants to say, but the brain does not send the correct instructions to move the…

What is a Fluency Disorder? A Fluency Disorder (e.g., stuttering/stammering or cluttering) is a disruption to the functional flow of speech. Stuttering can be characterized by frequent repetitions of speech sounds, syllables, words and/or phrases, prolongations of speech sounds, and blocks (feeling that a sound is “stuck”). A person who stutters may or may not…