Lynch, J.I., Brookshire, B.L., & Fox, D.R. Confusion about speech sound norms and their use. Australian Journal of Human Communication Disorders, 6, 1, 23-30. (1978) Articulation development in children aged three to nine years. San Deigo: Singular Publishing Group, Inc. Kent (Eds.), The new phonologies: Developments in clinical linguistics. A practical guide for families and teachers. Two phonological process errors, one year or more below. The manner in which the speech sounds are producedīack to Speech Therapy Services Provided Referencesīowen, C, (1998). Speech is characterized by phoneme error(s) 1-2 years below developmental age/chronological age. The terms fricative, glide, stop, nasal, liquid and affricate refer to the way the sounds are made, or the "manner of articulation".Īges by which 75% of children tested in a study accurately used the speech sounds listed in Column 2 in single words. The term 'voiceless' is applied to sounds that are made without vocal cord vibration. In column 3, the term 'voiced' refers to the vibration of the vocal cords while the sound is being made. The aging process begins to fade: the 2-year-old process should be eliminated by: 4 years of age. Airplane year flag fag spoon splash plash when the undressing syllable in the sound is not produced. Phonological processes are usually ‘gone” by the time a child is five years of age, though there is individual variation between children.Īges by which Phonological Processes are Eliminated The aging process begins to fade: the 2-year-old process should be eliminated by: reducing cluster sounds such as sp or fl 3 years. In these examples, /f/ in "funny" is replaced by /p/, and 'j' in "jump" is replaced by /d/. In these examples, /r/ in "real" is replaced by /w/, and /l/ in "leg" is replaced by 'y'.Ī fricative consonant (/f/ /v/ /s/ /z/, 'sh', 'zh', 'th' or /h/), or an affricate consonant ('ch' or /j/) is replaced by a stop consonant (/p/ /b/ /t/ /d/ /k/ or /g/). The liquid consonants /l/ and /r/ are replaced by /w/ or 'y'. In these examples /s/ has been deleted form "spider" and /n/ from "ant". In cluster reduction part of the cluster is omitted. In this phonological process, weak syllables are omitted when the child says the word.Ĭonsonant clusters occur when two or three consonants occur in a sequence in a word. In "telephone" and "tidying" the second syllable is "weak" or unstressed. Syllables are either stressed or unstressed. In these examples: (1) the /b/ in "cupboard" causes the /k/ to be replaced /p/, which is the voiceless cognate of /b/, and (2) the /g/ in "dog" causes /d/ to be replaced by /g/. The pronunciation of the whole word is influenced by the presence of a particular sound in the word. 'sh' is replaced by /s/, and 'zh' is replaced by /z/. The fricative consonants 'sh' and 'zh' are replaced by fricatives that are made further forward on the palate, towards the front teeth. Hence /k/ is replaced by /t/, /g/ is replaced by /d/, and 'ng' is replaced by /n/. In these examples, /m/ is omitted (or deleted) from "home" and /f/ is omitted from "calf".Ī velar consonant, that is a sound that is normally made with the middle of the tongue in contact with the palate towards the back of the mouth, is replaced with consonant produced at the front of the mouth. The final consonant in the word is omitted. Here, /d/ has been replaced by /t/ and /g/ has been replaced by /k/. Other examples might include /t/ being replaced by /d/, or /f/ being replaced by /v/.Ī final voiced consonant in a word is replaced by a voiceless consonant. In the examples given, /p/ is replaced by /b/, and /k/ is replaced by /g/. PHONOLOGICAL PROCESS (Phonological Deviation)Ī voiceless sound is replaced by a voiced sound. Phonological Processes in Normal Speech Development These “errors” are sometimes called phonological processes, or phonological deviations. The gradual process of acquiring adult speech patterns is called phonological development.Īll children make predictable pronunciation errors (not really “errors” at all, when you stop to think about it) when they are learning to talk like adults. If patterns persist, therapy is usually warranted as multiple sound errors can greatly impact a child’s ability to be understood.Search Speech and Articulation Skills Checklist These patterns are normally eliminated by the time a child reaches 4 years of age. Phonological processes are typical developmental patterns children use to simplify speech as they are developing language. Multiple sound disorders are often seen in the form of a Phonological Process disorder.
Children can have a single sound articulation disorder or multiple sounds. Children with an articulation disorder may change one sound to another in their speech (substitutions), or may eliminate the sunds entirely (omissions). Articulation refers to the production of speech sounds.