Why Can’t My Child Say Certain Sounds? A Parent’s Guide to Speech Sound Disorders

Speech sound disorders are among the most common communication challenges in children. These disorders affect how sounds are produced, combined, and understood in speech. Early identification and support from a speech-language therapist can make a significant difference in a child’s communication skills.

What Are Speech Sound Disorders?

Speech sound disorders (SSDs) refer to difficulties with producing speech sounds correctly and clearly. These issues can arise from problems in:

• Perception: how the brain hears and processes sounds
• Motor planning: how the brain tells the muscles to move
• Articulation: how the mouth, lips, tongue, and jaw form sounds
• Phonology: understanding the rules of sound patterns in a language

Children with speech sound disorders may be hard to understand or may develop frustration when trying to communicate.

Types of Speech Sound Disorders

1. Organic Speech Sound Disorders

These are caused by an identifiable physical or neurological condition, such as:

• Cerebral palsy or other motor planning disorders (e.g., childhood apraxia of speech)
• Cleft lip or palate
• Hearing loss or auditory processing disorders

2. Functional Speech Sound Disorders

These disorders do not have a known physical cause. They typically involve:

• Articulation difficulties – issues forming specific sounds
• Phonological process errors – using incorrect sound patterns, such as saying “tat” instead of “cat”

Functional disorders may result from delays in speech development or unclear speech habits that persist over time.

Signs and Symptoms of Speech Sound Disorders

• Substituting one sound for another (e.g., “wabbit” for “rabbit”)
• Omitting sounds (e.g., saying “ca” for “cat”)
• Distorting sounds (e.g., a lisp)
• Difficulty being understood by unfamiliar listeners
• Frustration or reduced confidence when speaking

If your child is over the age of 3 and still difficult to understand, it may be time to consult a speech therapist.

How Speech Therapists Help Children with Speech Sound Disorders

Speech and language therapists (also called speech-language pathologists) use a variety of techniques to help children improve their sound production, including:

• Play-based activities to keep children engaged
• Visual aids like pictures or mirrors to show mouth movements
• Tactile cues to teach tongue and lip placement
• Repetition and practice of target sounds in words, sentences, and stories

Therapy is often fun and interactive, helping children build confidence while learning how to speak more clearly.

Why Early Intervention Matters

The earlier a speech sound disorder is identified, the better the outcome. Early support can:

• Improve speech clarity and language development
• Boost social skills and self-esteem
• Prevent academic struggles related to reading and writing

If you’re unsure whether your child needs help, a speech-language evaluation can provide clarity and peace of mind.

Speech and language therapists, like special teachers for speech, help with this. They use games, exercises, and fun activities to teach how to make sounds correctly. They might show how to move the lips, tongue, and jaw in the right way for each sound. Sometimes they use pictures or toys to make learning more enjoyable.

In therapy sessions, speech therapists and their clients practice saying sounds together. They might also practice saying sounds in words and sentences. With practice and support, people with speech sound disorders can improve their speech and be better understood by others.