Dyslalia is a specific voice and speech disorder characterized by the presence of errors in the articulation of certain consonant sounds. It should be noted that this is frequently a temporary dyslalia. The most common errors presented by people suffering from dyslalia are characterized by the presence of omissions, substitutions or distortions that affect the consonants “r, s, l, k, z, ch” and that also affect the symphonies (two consonants in the same syllable).
If you suspect that your child may suffer from dyslalia, you may find this article from very useful: What is dyslalia: definition, causes, types and treatment.
What is dyslalia
What is dyslalia? Dyslalia is a specific speech difficulty and the voice, specifically, the production and/or articulation of one or more phonemes. The phonemes that are frequently affected in children suffering from dyslalia are the already mentioned consonants “r, s, l, k, z, ch”. It is common for this disorder to affect children’s learning, therefore, it is recommended that it be treated early.
Thus, children who suffer from dyslalia tend to eliminate, replace and/or distort the sounds of one or more phonemesso sometimes it can be difficult to understand the word they are saying.
Causes of dyslalia
What are the causes of dyslalia? This disorder has a multifactorial origin, that is, there are multiple causes of dyslalia:
- Causes organic: alterations in a specific organic function.
- Causes environmental: living in an environment that does not favor the fluency of language and communication.
- Causes psychological: These types of causes occur when a psychological aspect influences the appearance of dyslalia. Among these causes of dyslalia, we can find affective disorders, effects of family maladjustment, trauma, effects of an overprotective environment, among others.
- Another cause of dyslalia is found in the hereditary factors.
- Lack of auditory understanding or discrimination: difficulties in differentiating certain sounds.
- Difficulties in perception of space and time, since, consequently, the person will also have problems perceiving the movements necessary to produce a sound.
- Lack or decreased hearing: Correct articulation requires good hearing, therefore, if hearing fails, it hinders its development.
Types of dyslalia
Next, we will classify the different types of dyslalia that exist:
Organic dislalias
These types of dyslalias are due to organic alterations, which are classified depending on the area that is affected or altered. Thus, organic dyslalias include dysglosia, dysarthria, and audiogenic dyslalia.
- The dysglosia It is characterized as a joint disorder due to physical injuries or malformations of the peripheral articulatory organs. These malformations can be genetic or congenital, that is, they are not acquired, but are born with the person.
- dysarthria It is a disorder that occurs as a result of damage to the body and is characterized by a loss of motor control and muscle weakness. This type of organic dyslalia can be due to a brain injury or from the person’s birth. Dysarthria is usually a serious disorder.
- Audiogenic dyslalia It is due to hearing problems. This type of dyslalia is characterized by the existence of difficulties and alterations in the articulation of words.
Evolutionary dyslalias
These types of dyslalias are characterized by an inability to correctly produce phonemes. They are usually due to brain immaturity and inadequate development of the phonoarticulator apparatus, the apparatus that allows us to emit our voice. It is common for these difficulties to occur when, therefore, dyslalia should not be considered until the age of four, since at this age it is considered that people should present correct articulation of phonemes.
Functional dyslalia
Functional dyslalia refers to alterations in the articulation and pronunciation of certain sounds, which are due to incorrect functioning of the articulatory organs, but without any organic cause. Functional dyslalia can be caused by an unfavorable environment. The most common and common type of dyslalia is functional dyslalia.
Dyslalia treatment
The main objectives of the treatment of dyslalia are for the patient to learn to correctly articulate sounds and to acquire greater phonological awareness. Therefore, before starting treatment, it is important to know what type of dyslalia the patient has. The level of articulation that the patient has must also be evaluated, in order to adapt and personalize the treatment of dyslalia to their particular needs.
In order to achieve the fulfillment of these objectives, it is recommended to carry out exercises that can promote correct joint, a fact that involves working on psychomotor skills, so that it enables an improvement in oral and facial agility, auditory distinction, which allows us to identify sounds, the emission of all joints and good control of breathing. In addition, it is also interesting to work on relaxation, in order to eliminate tension and rigidity and facilitate the patient’s articulatory movements.
Some examples of the useful exercises for the treatment of dyslalia are to reproduce oral movements and postures, lip and lingual exercises, differentiate and compare sounds, among others. In order for the patient to be able to distinguish different sounds, it could be useful for the professional carrying out the treatment to alternate the correct articulation of the phonemes with the incorrect articulation that the patient produced, until the patient is able to differentiate the sounds.
During the treatment of dyslalia, it is important to keep in mind that the phonemes that were affected in the patient should not be corrected, but rather they should be taught new ones, as if starting from scratch. The purpose of the treatment of dyslalia is to teach and/or stimulate the patient’s ability to execute the correct postures to produce certain sounds and, at the same time, promote the improvement of the coordination of the movements necessary to reproduce those sounds.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
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- Hurtado, MJ (2009). Language disorders. Innovation and educational experiences, 16, 1-11.
- Moreno, R., and Ramírez, M.Á. (2012). The rooms of dyslalia. ReiDoCrea, 1(5), 38-45.
- Rivera, C. (2009). Intervention with students who present dyslalias. Innovation and educational experiences, 14, 1-9.
- Zamora, SD (2008). Dyslalia in early education: strategies for teacher use. University of Azuay.