Phonological Processes : an introduction

There are two different types of speech sound issues - articulation disorders and phonological disorders.

An articulation disorder is when a child cannot say a certain sound, and needs to learn how to say it by learning how to move the articulators (mainly the lips and tongue). For example, a child may be saying /s/ with a lisp - and must be taught the more common production of the /s/ phoneme.

A phonological disorder, on the other hand, is when a child consistently makes a very specific speech sound error pattern over and over again. We call this speech sound error pattern a phonological process. For example, substituting a sound with another sound (like substituting /k/ for /g/) or eliminating sounds or syllables in a particular position of a word (like taking away the consonant at the beginning or ending of a word) are phonological processes.

The funny thing about phonological processes is - they are actually normal steps in developing speech sounds! We've all heard toddlers, for example, say "I wuv you" instead of "I love you." Phonological processes exist in the beginning as helpful substitutes. However, they generally fade by certain ages. And if they have not faded by a particular age (it varies per process), that is when a child may need help correcting them.

Phonological processes require advanced intervention - especially if multiple are present in a child's speech. So, if a phonological process is suspected, it is highly recommended to see an SLP near you.

But meanwhile for reference, here is a breakdown of the most common phonological processes, and when they usually fade by, to see if a child may need help with speech sounds. Please note that a printable version of this information is available under the "free stuff" tab of this website, or can be downloaded here.

1. Final Consonant Deletion - this is when the last consonant sound in a word is eliminated. For example, saying "ca" instead of "cat" or "do" instead of dog. This usually fades by age 3.

2. Devoicing - This is when a voiced consonant is produced with a very close, voiceless substitute. /G/ would be substituted with /k/, /d/ would be substituted with /t/, and /v/ would be substituted with /f/. For example, "dove" would become "dof". This usually fades around age 4.

3. Cluster Reduction - This is when a consonant cluster, or a combination of sounds, is simplified to just one of the sounds. For example, "drive" would become "dive." This usually fades around age 4-5.

4. Backing - when /t/ becomes /k/ and /d/ becomes /g/. For example - "Tom" is "Kom" and "girl" is "dirl". This is actually a severe phonologial disorder, and is not seen in typical speech sound development.

5. Fronting - this is when /k/ becomes /t/ and /g/ becomes /d/. For example - "cat" is said as "tat" and "dog" is said as "gog." This process usually fades around age 4.

6. Stopping - when more complex sounds like /s/, /sh, ch, juh/ and /f,v/ are substituted with /p, b/ , /t,d/ or /k,g/. For example - "salt" becomes "talt" or "juice" becomes "doos". This usually fades around 4-5 years of age.

7. Depalatization - when /sh, ch, juh/ are substituted with another sound. For example, "dish" becomes "dis" or "dit". This usually ends around 5 years of age.

8. Gliding - when /l/ or /r/ or both are substituted with /y/ or /w/. For example, "rabbit" is "wabbit" or "light" is "yight." This usually fades by age 7.

If a child is exhibiting one or more of these processes, please see an SLP today for a structured, effective approach to increasing speech sound accuracy.

Happy Talking!

Disclaimer : Smarter Speech is a pediatric speech therapy / speech-language pathology practice for toddlers and children providing in-home and teletherapy services in and around Mountain View, CA and Los Gatos, CA. Smarter Speech Blog aims to provide free speech and language tips for parents educators and therapists. However, this post is not providing speech-language pathology services. This is general information, not speech -language pathology or speech therapy. This article does not assume or create a client – SLP relationship. The author is not liable for any losses or damages due to actions or failure to act based on the content in this article. If you need assistance with a child’s speech or language needs, please contact a speech-language pathologist in your area.