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Articulation and Phonology Therapy

For articulation and phonological-based therapy sessions, our speech therapists at Rock Therapeutic Services will perform a variation of Establishment, Generalization, and Maintenance. If you are having difficulty understanding what your child is saying, schedule an evaluation with us!

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What is Articulation Therapy?

Articulation is the process by which sounds, syllables, and words are formed when your articulators (jaw, teeth, tongue, lips, and palate) alter the sound that is produced. If you are having a difficult time understanding what your child is saying, or their speech sounds funny, they may have an articulation disorder.

Contact our Seattle Speech Therapists for your consultation.

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How We Can Help.

The four main components of articulation disorders

1

Substitution - your child may make substitutions of one or more sounds
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Omission - when a child doesn't produce a sound in a word
3

Distortion - when the air escapes over the sides of the tongue and into the cheeks
4

Addition - one or more extra sounds are added or inserted into a word

Common Questions & Helpful FAQs

What causes speech sound disorders like Articulation and Phonology?

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), there are no known causes of articulation and phonological disorders. Some risk factors have been investigated, such as gender, pre and perinatal problems, and family history.

Are speech and language disorders the same?

Speech is how we say sounds and words, which includes articulation (how we make speech sounds using lips, tongue, and mouth), voice (how we use our vocal folds and breath to make sounds), and fluency (the rhythm of speech). A child with a speech disorder would have trouble saying sounds, and stuttering when they speak or have voice difficulties.

Language refers to the words we use and how we use them to share ideas and request what we want. Language disorders are when a child has trouble understanding what others mean, difficulties sharing thoughts and feelings, and how to put words together.

Children can have difficulties with speech, language, or both.

Are there signs that I should look for?

Children who show indicators of articulation or phonological disorders will express them in different ways. This could be that your child may make substitutions of one or more sounds, such as “wabbit” for “rabbit” and “thing” for “sing.” Other children may replace sounds originally in the back of the mouth, occurring in the front of the mouth. For example, “tar” for “car” and “date” for “gate.”

If your child reaches a certain age and still omits consonants in words, it may be best to speak with your pediatrician.

My child is this age but doesn’t say this sound yet. Is that okay?

All children develop speech sounds gradually. Some sounds may come earlier than others or later than other sounds. It is important to remember that customary ages of sound production can vary for speakers of multiple languages of one language, and those milestones are estimates! It is vital to speak with your pediatrician about your child’s speech development and let them know of any worries in their consonant production.

How do I help my child?

There are a multitude of ways that you can assist your child! If you feel your child is having difficulties with speech or language, it is best to speak with your pediatrician versus waiting and seeing. You can read with your child at home, and teach your child how to say the sounds of letters and words that may challenge them!

From Our Clients

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I have been so very impressed by the providers at this establishment. My daughter is completely nonverbal and is nine years old and can have some behaviors that are hard to deal with. The two speech therapist we work with here continue to surprise me with their ingenuity. Every session they come prepared with multiple activities already planned out. We have seen speech therapist in downtown Seattle and driven hours to see speech specialists. I am so happy to have fabulist speech therapist so close to home. Elvina and Michael are amazing! The continuity of care has exceeded my expectations.

Nina Obrien- Google Reviews

I really value what they do and as a Mother and sister of two family members who needed services I can say it has completely changed our family. Rock is very friendly, professional, clean, and welcoming. I would highly recommend them – even if you just ‘wonder’ if they can help, it’s worth it to make the call!

Debbie Chadwick- Google Reviews

I can’t say enough good things about Rock Therapeutic Services. My 3-year old daughter has some speech delays. Trying to get a toddler to focus is hard but Adrienne is so patient and gets down to her level to interact and play games with her while they work on her speech. Our daughter is so happy and looks forward to her appointments. All the staff that work there are so friendly. I would highly recommend!

Megan Soha- Google Reviews