What is articulation? Is is the movement of the jaw, lips, tongue, and the speech organs necessary to make speech sounds.

Articulation disorder is when there are problems or difficulty making sounds. This could be sounds being substituted, added, left off, or changed.

An example, a young child may say “nana” instead of banana, or instead of “rabbit” they may say “wabbit”

If these errors continue without improvement past a certain age, it is considered an articulation disorder.

If you think your child may have a articulation disorder, don’t worry, you’re not alone. The latest research shows articulations disorder affects almost 75% of school age children. Unfortunately, this can have a negative impact on a child, they often don’t interact in conversations, classroom discussions, it can even affect how peers and teachers perceive them.

Activities to encourage Articulation skills

Take a walk

While taking a walk in the park, around the block, even in the grocery store, you and your child look for items with your target sound. Make a game out of it by seeing who can spot the most things. For instance, if you are working on the “r” sound, look for a “red car”, “rabbit”, or “tree”.

Play “I Spy”

This is a great game! Take turns describing an object you see. Without saying the object out loud, try and find an item with the target sound and describe. Have your child ask questions to guess the object.

Plan and prepare meals

Have your child help you plan and prepare a meal. Let them participate by naming each food. Ask if it is a vegetable or fruit, and what comes next?  Have them get involved by naming the cooking process, slicing or chopping.

Road trip

Even if it is just for a picnic lunch at the park, ask your child what you need to pack. Make a game out of it by describing a function of what you need to pack.

For instance, What are we going to do out of a, “cup”? What are we going to eat with, “fork”? As you are driving, help your child identify landmarks or street signs. Not only is it a fun activity, it will improve their articulation and communication skills.

How can you know for sure if your child has a speech or articulation problem?

If you have concerns or questions about your child’s speech or language skills, we encourage you to contact First Words Speech Therapy.