The phonological disorder can happen when kids have difficulty making letter sounds thus making it even more difficult for them to read and pronounce words later on. This can happen for a variety of reasons that you as a parent should be familiar with. With the help of speech therapy, this disorder can be eliminated. Learning more about phonological disorder is often the first step in assisting your child to overcome this issue.
Phonological disorders result from phonological processes
Phonological processes are described as patterns of sound errors that are usually made by children in order to simplify the way by which they develop their speech. It can either involve adding a consonant to the usual word or omitting a syllable in a complete word. Take for instance they say ‘nana’ instead of banana’ or ‘flame’ instead of ‘fame’. With the presence of such phonological processes, phonological disorders will be more likely to develop.
Phonological disorders can worsen through time
Some parents will usually visualize the way they children talk as normal since they know that there are other children undergoing the same development. Hearing their kids say a word in a shortened pattern is not that alarming to them. Well, when the phonological process seems to be there until that age when they are expected to pronounce words in a clearer manner then there is reason to be alarmed. This can mean a delay in their phonological development.
Using syllables repeatedly to describe a certain thing other than the word that is supposed to fit into the picture is a clear manifestation of a phonological disorder. For instance, they will say ‘papa’ instead of ‘paper’, and ‘wawa’ instead of ‘water’. In other cases, the child may also drop off the beginning letter or sound of a word to complete the word that he is supposed to say clearly. This will also indicate a phonological disorder.
Too much use of these processes is an indicator of phonological disorder
It will be quite easier to comprehend with what your child is trying to say if he only commits errors on certain processes from time to time. However, when you notice that your child is already having multiple phonological processes, that is, he repeats syllables to complete a word and omit a syllable in a complete word then the phonological disorder can worsen. This can affect the way by which he is supposed to understand a certain scenario in the future.
How to overcome phonological disorder
As a parent, you can start by teaching your kids the proper way to pronounce words as early as that time when they can already talk or make sounds at the very least. Using baby talk will not do them any good. When you notice that your child still has difficulties with the way he articulates words, then you need to ask help from speech therapists.
Speech therapy is a good solution to the phonological problem that your child is having at the moment. You have to consult a therapist so he can look into your child’s specific situation and assess what your child needs. The earlier you tap on this solution, the better it will be for your child’s speech development.
