Phonological Processing Disorder (PPD)
Phonological processes are patterns of sound errors that children make as they develop their speech and language skills. They do this because they may have difficulty coordinating their lips, tongue, teeth, palate and jaw for clear speech. As a result they simplify complex words in predictable ways until they develop the coordination required to articulate clearly. For example, they may reduce consonant clusters to a single consonant like, “sake” for “snake” or delete a syllable in a word saying, “nana” for “banana.” A phonological processing disorder (PPD) is when these patterns of errors continue past the age by which they should be eliminated. For example, the process of fronting (see description below), is expected to be eliminated by age 3.5.
There are many different patterns of simplifications or phonological processes which significantly impacts the ability to communicate effectively. Children with a PPD may struggle with articulation, which is the ability to produce specific sounds or sound sequences. They may also have difficulty with reading and writing, as these skills rely heavily on phonological awareness.
Therapy for PPD may involve a combination of techniques, such as phonological awareness training, articulation therapy, and auditory processing training. Phonological awareness training focuses on improving a child's ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds of language. This may involve activities such as rhyming, blending, and segmenting words.
Articulation therapy focuses on improving a child's ability to produce specific sounds or sound sequences. This may involve targeted practice with specific speech sounds and sound patterns, as well as strategies for improving motor planning and coordination.
Auditory processing training focuses on improving a child's ability to process and interpret auditory information. This may involve activities such as auditory discrimination tasks and listening comprehension exercises.
There are 11 different phonological processes:
Final Consonant Deletion: This is when a child omits the final consonant sound in a word. For example, "ca" instead of "cat."
Cluster Reduction: This is when a child simplifies a consonant cluster by omitting one of the sounds. For example, "poon" instead of "spoon."
Fronting: This is when a child substitutes a sound produced at the back of the mouth with a sound produced at the front of the mouth. For example, "tup" instead of "cup."
Backing: This is when a child substitutes a sound produced at the front of the mouth with a sound produced at the back of the mouth. For example, "gog" instead of "dog."
Gliding: This is when a child substitutes a glide (a sound produced by the movement of the tongue from one vowel sound to another) for a liquid (a sound produced by the tongue and lips, such as "r" and "l"). For example, "wabbit" instead of "rabbit."
Stopping: This is when a child substitutes a stop consonant (such as "p", "b", "t", "d", "k", or "g") for a fricative or an affricate consonant (such as "f", "v", "s", "z", "sh", or "ch"). For example, "dun" instead of "sun."
Deaffrication: This is when a child substitutes a fricative for an affricate. For example, "shun" instead of "chun."
Depalatalization: This is when a child substitutes a non-palatal consonant for a palatal consonant. For example, "dot" instead of "jot."
Vocalization: This is when a child substitutes a vowel sound for a syllabic consonant, such as "l" or "r." For example, "bottle" instead of "bottle."
Epenthesis: This is when a child adds an extra sound, usually a vowel, to a word. For example, "bu-lue" instead of "blue."
Metathesis: This is when a child switches the order of sounds in a word. For example, "pasghetti" instead of "spaghetti."
It's important to remember that while some of these phonological processes are typical in a child's language development, others may indicate a speech disorder. A qualified speech-language pathologist can help identify and treat any underlying issues, as well as provide strategies for improving speech and language skills.
