Dyslalie: Warum Eltern früh hinhören sollten

They understand each other blindly and silently: Parents and young children sometimes seem to develop their own secret language when they communicate. Even if the child doesn’t use the right sound or misses it out entirely, they will still get what they want.

However, problems with pronunciation lead to difficulties later on when the child discovers the world and wants to interact with other people. It is important to talk to a speech therapist. 

Dyslalia is a speech defect that inhibits the pronunciation of certain distinct sounds in children and young people. However, this term is hardly used today. It is more commonly referred to as a “pronunciation or articulation disorder.”

Speech therapy differentiates between two types of dyslalia: phonetic and phonological. The phonetic type of dyslalia includes, for example, lisping. In this case, individual sounds, here the “s” are not formed correctly.

With a phonological disorder, sounds can be formed correctly, but not used correctly.
be applied. The children leave them out or replace them with others
Sounds: "pot" then becomes "head", for example. Or “shopping” becomes “lopping”.
And “daring dad” is spoken as “raring rad”.

Both speech disorders can occur separately or simultaneously, mildly or severely. Sometimes only one sound is affected, sometimes so many that the child is difficult to understand. 

Some children have hearing difficulties, so they can’t hear how the sound should be spoken properly. Others have problems with their mouth muscles. Or they suffer from a cleft palate or issues with their jaw or teeth. In some cases, it’s about having difficulty distinguishing between similar sounds.

Other factors causing speech disorders include family problems, developmental delays or a disability. 

An articulation disorder is usually diagnosed in children between the age of four and six. Some 14% of children are affected. Edith Volmer, vice president of the German-speaking Swiss Speech Therapists Association (DLV), says that it is best when speech development disorders are identified and addressed before children start kindergarten to make sure they don’t lose time when they start school.

Parents should therefore listen. And ask yourself: "Will my child be misunderstood by other children in the playground?" Or: “Do children of the same age already pronounce words and syllables differently?”. Or: "Does the child not understand what the other children are saying?" It is clear and completely normal that a child will not immediately form all the sounds correctly when learning to speak.

Every child goes through similar speech development milestones at their own pace. However, there are general guidelines that parents can follow: At 18 – 24 months, young children should already have built up a vocabulary of 50 words.

At this age, children should also already be starting to combine words. For example, they might say “Mummy working” or On the whole, a child who is developing normally should be well understood at the age of four and speaking correctly when they are six years old.

Edith Volmer advises: "As soon as parents start to worry or are approached by caregivers, they should definitely contact a speech therapist." It is not necessary to take a detour via a pediatrician. On the contrary: "Unfortunately, there are still doctors who wait and see. but this is not a good idea from a speech therapy perspective, because early treatment has a positive impact on speech development.”

“Parents can have a hand in encouraging their child’s general speech development,” says Volmer. “Interact with your child, talk to them and play a lot,” because speech development and play development are closely linked.

Screen time and audio books don’t have the social component needed to learn language: “Children have to learn that they can express their needs and wishes and that speech helps them be heard.” So, let your child play a part when you’re reading aloud to them. “Don’t just read the book from start to finish with no opportunity for interaction. Let your child get involved and ask questions.”

If the child is diagnosed with dyslalia, don’t make a big drama out of it and correct them constantly. “This creates unnecessary pressure,” says the speech therapist.

If your child asks: “Mummy, do you want to go lopping?”, simply repeat the word correctly: “Yes, let’s go shopping.” This is known as corrective feedback. The child doesn’t have to repeat the word correctly. Hearing this is enough.

If children with more complex articulation disorders or speech development disorders don’t get the right treatment, they are poorly understood, which means they cannot express their needs clearly or defend themselves properly. “This causes some children to shut themselves off or become violent. The problems get worse at school, because speech is crucial for success in almost all areas,” warns Volmer.

“It is very challenging for the child if written language is added to the mix while they are still struggling with articulation. Getting the letters right may become a  guessing game.” And it’s important to remember that, even when the child has overcome dyslalia, they still have to learn to assert themselves – through language. This process should be completed before school starts. Therefore, the earlier speech therapy is started, the better. 

Fortunately, articulation disorders are often identified and treated correctly, because incorrect pronunciation is noticed sooner or later. Few people still suffer from dyslalia into adulthood.

However, Volmer also points out: “Dyslalia affects only a very small area of communication. And it’s mostly just about pronunciation. Speech development disorders with limited vocabulary, poor comprehension and faulty grammar have more of an impact on children and young people in their daily lives.”