ARTICULATION OF SPEECH SOUNDS

Articulation is how we say speech sounds. We use our lips, tongue, teeth, and jaw to produce sounds.

Speech sounds develop at different ages so it is important to get your child assessed if they are demonstrating difficulties producing sounds. If children continue to have speech sound difficulties when they begin school, they can then have literacy (reading and spelling) difficulties later on.

 We aim to support a child’s speech sound development by:

• Helping children learn how to make specific speech sounds clearly, like ‘s’, ‘r’, or ‘th’.

• Working with children to correct common speech sound mistakes, like substituting sounds (e.g. saying “wabbit” instead of “rabbit”).

• Teaching children how to hear the differences between sounds, which helps them recognise and produce them accurately.

• Helping with reducing speech patterns like lisping or dropping final sounds (e.g. saying "ca" instead of "cat").

• Supporting children in becoming more confident speakers, so they feel comfortable using their speech in different settings.