So you’ve heard a speech therapist toss around the word “articulation” and it’s got you scratching your head. What does articulation mean? You may feel like you have a general idea of it from the dictionary’s definition – “formation of clear and distinct sounds in speech” (Oxford Dictionary). But what about articulation disorders? What about articulation therapy? Let’s dive into everything!

What is Articulation?

Articulation is simply what the parts of our mouth are doing when we’re talking. The articulators (tongue, teeth, lips, palate) work together to shape airflow into speech. Articulation is how we pronounce sounds and words.

I usually explain it to parents as pronunciation or how well a child actually says the sounds in speech. This means it has nothing to do with the content of their message.

Articulation is not about what the child says but rather how the child is saying it.

Are they making a /w/ sound instead of a clear /r/ sound? Does their /s/ sound a little slushy? Are they dropping a sound whenever two sounds come together like /bl/? These kind of errors are things speech-language pathologists (SLPs / speech therapists) look for when evaluating a child for speech therapy.

How Do You Test It?

A speech therapist can test someone’s articulation skills by listening to their speech, recording errors, and noting error patterns or areas to work on. Typically, therapists use a standardized assessment. Examples include the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation (GFTA) or the Arizona Articulation Phonology Scale.

These assessments involve the client looking at pictures and either labeling items or answering questions. The tests have the client produce every sound in every position. Positions are – beginning of a word, middle of a word, and end of a word. There are also sections like producing sentences or speaking in conversation. Testing at the word level is most common with younger children.

While the client is saying each word, the therapist will record any errors. Sounds have various ‘point values’. Their value depends on factors like – age of acquisition (when children typically develop the ability to produce the sound) or how frequently it is used in the English language. Once the scores are calculated, a therapist will find a total ‘raw score’. Then he/she can translate it into a ‘standard score’ using a chart in the manual. The authors/researchers of the test evaluated a ton of children when creating the test. They looked at all ages/genders to create standard scores of what is ‘expected’ for that age/gender.

(How they calculate standard scores goes into statistics and bell curves so I won’t dive too deep into that. But please feel free to email/dm me if you want more info on that aspect!)

Once therapists have standard scores or other testing data, they can use their clinical judgement to determine if a child needs therapy. Different insurance companies, school districts, etc. all have different policies on how low a standard score must be for a child to qualify for therapy.

How Do You Improve It?

There is SO much I could share about improving articulation skills. But articulation therapy is indvidualized. Not everyone who “can’t say their R’s” has the same issue that needs to be corrected. That’s why a professional (a speech-language pathologist) is needed to get to the root of the error. They can also try a multitude of strategies to see what works best for that child.

Important note. One and two year olds shouldn’t be expected to say later developing sounds (like /th/) correctly. It is developmentally appropriate for them to have certain errors! Another reason why you should see a speech therapist – they can let you know if your child’s errors are ‘normal’ or not!

I don’t want to overwhelm you with too much information, but I’m happy to answer any questions! ASHA is a great resource or you can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube using the handle – chloebschoolslp

For more info on speech therapy, check out this blog post – I compare School Therapy services and Private Practice services!

-Chloe B | School SLP