When Speech Impediments Stop Being Cute--And Start Being Real

When children are learning to talk, speech errors are common. Maybe your child has a lisp or a stutter, or they’re mispronouncing certain sounds or words. While some children will “outgrow” their speech impediments over time, others do not. Ongoing speech issues can affect your child’s confidence, school success, and ability to clearly express their thoughts, feelings, and opinions. That’s why it’s important for parents to know the signs that speech therapy may be needed.

Key takeaways

• A speech impediment is a disorder that affects how clearly a person can speak. 

• Common speech impediments include articulation disorders, lisps, stuttering, and voice disorders.

• Some speech impediments can persist or worsen as children grow older.

• The longer an incorrect speech pattern persists, the harder it might be to correct.

• Talk with your pediatrician or a speech therapist if your child is struggling to communicate, is hard to understand, or has speech errors that don’t improve with time.

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What is a speech impediment?

Has your child ever said something incorrectly and all you can think is, “How cute was that?” It’s true that mixed-up syllables and speech sounds can sound pretty adorable. But there comes a point when parents should pay attention to speech impediments. 

A speech impediment is a disorder that prevents a person from being able to speak clearly. It affects the physical output of voice and speech sounds. A speech disorder is different from a language disorder. A language disorder refers to a person’s difficulty in either understanding what’s said to them (receptive language) or communicating verbally or nonverbally (expressive language).

Abby Barnes, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech therapist at Expressable. She explains, “You can think of it like this: A language disorder is related to difficulty communicating your thoughts and ideas, or getting your message across. A speech impediment is related to the physical way you deliver that message through voice, speech fluency, or articulation.”

Types of speech impediments

Children can experience a range of communication challenges as they develop their speech abilities. Below are a few common disorders that routinely get brushed off as “cute” or “charming.” These deserve close attention because of their probability to persist or worsen as children enter their school years.

Articulation disorders

Children with articulation disorders have a hard time pronouncing certain letters and sounds compared to other children their age. Articulation errors can include:

• Leaving out certain sounds (such as saying “cool” instead of “school”)

• Adding sounds (saying “joosk” instead of “juice”)

• Substituting sounds (saying “wabbit” instead of “rabbit”)

• Distorting sounds, which is common in people with a lisp

“In general, children should be able to correctly pronounce all sounds by 8 years of age,” Barnes says. “However, speech therapy is usually recommended before age 8 if a child’s speech patterns are atypical.”

Lisp

A lisp is a common speech sound disorder that’s often overlooked. People who lisp have difficulty pronouncing the /s/ or /z/ sound. It’s true that many children use the “th” sound instead of /s/ or /z/ when they’re very young. However, if a lisp isn’t properly addressed early on, it can persist into adulthood, affecting the person’s ability to be understood as well as self-confidence.

Stuttering

Stuttering can be a natural part of speech development. Many of us experience a short period of disfluency, or disrupted speech, at some point in our lives. People who stutter may repeat sounds and syllables, prolong sounds, or routinely pause or use interjections (like “um”) when speaking.

Unfortunately, nearly 25% of people who stutter in childhood will not outgrow it. “This can have a major impact on their daily lives,” Barnes says. “People who stutter often feel anxiety related to their speech at school, at work, or in social interactions. They may feel a loss of control or worry about being teased or bullied.”

Voice

Voice is another area that might be affected with a speech impediment. Voice disorders are related to poor functioning of the vocal folds. This can affect the quality of the voice’s pitch, loudness, or resonance.

How do you fix a speech impediment?

No two children are the same. Some toddlers who seem to have a speech delay will be talking a mile a minute within the next few months. Others who show quick progress early on can suddenly experience a bump in the road.

What’s important is not to ignore or brush off speech issues. Common speech errors that may seem harmless can become more serious over time. In other words, what’s cute today may be a challenge later on, affecting your child’s school success, self-esteem, and ability to clearly express their needs, thoughts, and ideas.

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The longer an incorrect speech pattern persists, the harder it might be to correct. It’s a good idea to talk with your pediatrician or a speech therapist if you notice that your child:

• Is struggling to communicate

• Is hard to understand by people who don’t know them well

• Has speech errors that don’t improve with time

• Seems to be lagging behind other children their own age

A speech-language pathologist a communication specialist trained to evaluate, diagnose, and treat speech and language problems. The sooner you can begin speech therapy, the more quickly your child will make progress toward improving their speech.

If you're concerned about your child's communication development, you can also take our self-screener to find out if a speech evaluation is recommended. You can discuss your results with a licensed speech therapist for free.

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Get matched with a speech therapist

If your child’s speech is hard to understand or you have other concerns about their communication, contact us here at Expressable. We’ll match you with the right speech therapist for your child so they can begin their journey toward clearer communication.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What causes a speech impediment in a child?

This depends on the speech impediment. For example, an articulation disorder may be caused by developmental delays, hearing loss, or problems coordinating the mouth or tongue. Stuttering can be linked to genetics or brain differences. Sometimes there is no known cause for a speech impediment.

What qualifies as a speech impediment?

A speech impediment is a disorder that affects how clearly a person can speak. It impacts the physical output of voice and speech sounds. Examples of a speech impediment include an articulation disorder, lisp, stuttering, or a voice disorder.

Is a speech disorder autism?

No, a speech disorder does not mean a child has autism. While many autistic children do have issues with clear speech, a child can have a speech impediment and not be autistic. A speech therapy evaluation can help identify the cause of your child’s speech challenges.

How do I know if my child has a speech disorder?

It’s helpful to know the speech milestones for your child’s age so you can better understand if their speech errors are typical. However, the best way to learn if your child has a speech disorder is through a speech therapy evaluation. You can also take our free online screener to find out if your child is on track.

When should I worry about my child’s lisp?

Lisps can go away on their own, and some types of lisps can be a normal part of childhood speech development. However, if a lisp persists past 5 years of age, speech therapy may be needed to correct it.