Speech Sound Disorders
What are Speech Sound Disorders?
Speech sound disorders refer to symptoms - specifically that a child does not produce speech correctly. The degree can vary widley: it can mean that very little of what a child says can be understood or it can mean that an older child is unable to produce the "r" sound correctly.
What causes a Speech Sound Disorder?
If an adult develops a speech sound disorder, the cause is nearly always identified as a brain injury, stroke or progressive disease. However, in children, the cause of a speech sound disorder is not usually evident. Speech sound disorders are often classified as an articulation disorder or a phonological disorder. Articulation disorders are rooted in motor behaviors while phonological disorders are language-based. Another type of speech-sound disorder is Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). This is a comparatively rare diagnosis and is due to problems with planning and programming motor movements necessary for intelligible speech.
Diagnosis and Treatment
A standardized speech sound assessment is required to diagnose a speech sound disorder. However, that is only a partial picture as speech intelligibility can change dependent on context. Thus a child may produce single words fairly well but become very difficult to understand in conversation. Types of errors must be analyzed to identify the nature and course of treatment best suited to improve speech.
Dr. Patten has taught courses in speech-sound disorders at the University of Tennessee and the University of North Carolina. She is well versed in diagnosis of underlying factors, as well as experienced in a wide range of treatment types.