My son is 5 years old and has a an Articulation Disorder? Anyone else have this problem?

Question:

He is going to a Speech Therapist, and has got alot better but sometimes people still have problems understanding him..and yet it seems that sometimes he back tracks..is there anything else that i could try..I've even been told to have his tonsils removed..I dont want him to go through that unless i have proof its worked before..even a little...any ideas?

Answers:
Hey, there are lots of "normal" 5-year-olds that don't speak clearly enough to be understood.

Speech therapy is the best approach.
Has your son had a thorough exam -- medical and dental? Have they ruled out any clefts in his palate, jaw misalignment or protrusion. These physical issues can be minor enough not to be visible, but still impact speech.

It's probably also a good idea to get his hearing checked. (Maybe he's saying words the way he hears them.)

Who suggested removing his tonsils and why? Enlarged tonsils can impact breathing -- especially at night -- but it's not likely they're affecting his speech.

My 17-year-old has an articulation disorder as well. He had his tonsils and adenoids removed for other reasons, and there was absolutely no change in his speech (except for the fact that he wouldn't talk at all for a couple of days because it hurt).

I'd suggest just sticking with the speech therapy and not stressing about it too much.

I wouldn't worry about it too much right now because he is still very young. I would recommend talking to the speech therapist and see what he/she has to say about his progress. You didn't say what kind of articulation disorder he has (though I don't know much by just hearing the name of disorder anyway) but I know a lot of younger kids have problems with certain sounds and it's not uncommon (especially with the r sounds). Just have the therapist keep you informed, but by the sounds of it you are on the right track. Also, with the tonsils, I personally don't see how they could be causing him that much trouble since articulation in the english language mainly has to do with the tip and middle part of the tongue. Once again ask the therapist about the tonsils because he/she will be the most informed about this. If you are still concerned you might take him to a doctor or specialist to make sure there is nothing wrong with the shape of his mouth like the hard palate or the part closer to the teeth (sorry, i learned the word in my french phonetics class and can't think of the english word) but the doctor would know. Otherwise all you can do is wait. Good luck and I hope you find the help you are looking for.

My son is 5 years old and has a an Articulation Disorder? Anyone else have this problem?

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