Severe phonological disorder is a speech disorder highly common in young boys. In this condition, children are unable to organize sounds in a proper pattern. Their brain either excludes a sound in a word or disarranges the words. Also, they cannot pronounce the correct sounds of words.
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For instance, when children are learning to speak, they usually exclude a syllable or word because their brain couldn’t process that sound. Also, they cannot understand the two-consonant words.
Types of Severe Phonological Disorder
Although children face problems pronouncing phonetics at an early age, many learn to cope with the problem. However, some cannot cope with these developmental issues. Here are some types of phonological disorders:
1. Consistent Phonological Disorder
When a child is suffering from a consistent phonological disorder, they follow one or two error patterns that are non-developmental which are unusual at their age.
2. Inconsistent Phonological Disorder
When a child is suffering from an inconsistent phonological disorder, they follow many error patterns that are non-developmental which is unusual at their age. Furthermore, they use multiple pronunciations for a single word. They create many phonological errors and fail to recognize the difference between words.
How Early Schools Help with Phonetic Problems
Schools for young children teach phonetics to improve the development process. The goal of early school is to help a child through phonological speech processes. Many schools have comprehensive phonics programs for children to help them recognize different sounds and words. But, English contains numerous irregular words that are hard to understand for children.
These words are known as high-frequency words or sight words. These irregular words don’t follow the standard rules of phonetics. Thus, children struggle to understand those words. However, if a child is suffering from a severe phonological disorder, their brain cannot process the difference even if they try hard.
Causes of Phonological Disorder
Severe phonological disorder is more common in boys than girls. Since there are few studies, the actual cause of this disorder is still unknown. In a few cases, doctors found that close relatives of children suffering from severe phonological disorder had the same problem, which indicates that it’s a genetic disorder. Many parents who can’t afford to enroll their children in early-age schools notice this problem in their children.
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Children with severe phonological disorders have damaged nerves or brain parts. These nerves control the muscles to create speech. For instance, problems with cerebral palsy can cause severe phonological problems.
Symptoms of Phonological Disorder
When your child fails to develop a normal speech pattern at a certain age, they might have a severe phonological disorder. For instance, if your child reached the age of three and a stranger can’t recognize the words they are saying, you should take them to a doctor.
By the age of 4 or 5, a child should pronounce complicated sounds such as th, sh, and ch. If they can’t produce these sounds, they need help. If your child is unable to pronounce difficult words by the age of 7 or 8, they have a severe phonological disorder. For instance, if they say “fiend” instead of “friend”, you should take them to a professional doctor.
Family members can easily recognize these problems with the child, but outsiders can’t identify it as an error. If your child makes any of the above-mentioned mistakes, they have severe phonological speed disorder.
Conditions such as tinnitus, misophonia, and severe phonological disorder are not life threatening diseases, but you should take them serious. If your child develops any of these diseases, it will disrupt with their development process.
Severe Phonological Disorder: Conclusion
When you identify that your child is suffering from a severe phonological disorder, you should visit a specialist who can help your child with pronunciation problems. The Misophonia Cognitive Center™, founded by Stephen Geller Katz specializes in sound disorders such as misophonia and tinnitus. If you want more information about the severe phonological disorder, you should give us a call at 646-585-2251.
Stephen Geller Katz LCSW-R
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New York, NY 10001
646-585-2251
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