Speech Sound Disorders

At Expressable, we’ve helped thousands of children and adults with articulation and speech sound disorders improve their clarity of speech. Our speech sound disorders program teaches you evidence-based strategies to improve your intelligibility in everyday, conversational speech.

Many children have a difficult time saying certain sounds or words. But when these errors continue past certain ages, an articulation disorder, also called a speech sound disorder, may be diagnosed.

Adults can have difficulty with clear speech due to articulation disorders that were not treated as a child, such a lisp. Speech sound problems can also be caused by a medical event such as a stroke or traumatic brain injury. 

This guide explains Expressable’s clinical approach to evaluating and treating speech sound disorders. Learn about the techniques used in speech therapy for improving speech production in children, teens, and adults. You can also view our complete guide to speech sound disorders to learn more about the causes, symptoms, and types of articulation problems, as well as speech therapy exercises to try at home.

1Why is speech therapy important for speech sound disorders? 2How Expressable treats speech sound disorders in children and adults 3Practice articulation strategies at home with the Expressable portal 4The benefits of online speech therapy for speech sound disorders 5See what people with speech sound disorders are saying about our therapists 6Get matched with a speech therapist today

Why is speech therapy important for speech sound disorders?

Learning to speak clearly, using the correct sounds, isn’t always as easy as you might think. Articulation requires coordination of the lips, tongue, mouth, teeth, breath, and voice. Some children and adults need help learning to do this from a speech-language pathologist, also called a speech therapist. 

When a person’s speech isn’t easy to understand, it can harm their self-confidence and willingness to communicate. They may be less involved in conversations or social situations, such as at school or work. Safety is also a concern related to speech clarity. If someone is in an emergency situation, they need to be able to express what happened, if they’re hurt, or who to call for help. 

The longer a speech sound disorder continues, the harder it can be to treat and correct. That’s why it’s so important to get help from a speech therapist as soon as possible.

While each person’s treatment plan will be tailored to their goals, the Expressable articulation disorder program focuses on:

• Evidence-based techniques for improving speech production

• Building empowerment and confidence in communication

• Educating parents and caregivers so they can support their child’s speech at home

• Making it easy to practice articulation exercises in everyday life, so you make faster progress

How Expressable treats speech sound disorders in children and adults

Expressable matches families and adults with a licensed speech therapist trained to evaluate and treat speech sound disorders. All therapy is delivered online via face-to-face video conferencing on Zoom. Many studies have shown that online speech therapy works just as well as in-person therapy for speech sound disorders. Online speech therapy is convenient, offers wider access to speech therapists, and makes it easier for parents and caregivers to be involved with their child’s care. At Expressable, parent coaching is a key part of our speech sound disorders program for children who need help in this area. You’ll learn the techniques your child is practicing in speech therapy so you can help them practice at home. The more often your child practices speech sounds, the faster progress they’ll make.

For both children and adults, the speech therapist will provide activities or tasks that target exactly what they need at that stage in their treatment. Typically, more achievable tasks like practicing single sounds or words are targeted first. Over time, the complexity will increase to tasks like practicing sentences and conversational speech. 

Expressable’s clinical approach to evaluating speech sound disorders

Speech therapy for articulation and speech sound disorders begins with an evaluation. Your speech therapist will choose from a variety of standardized or norm-referenced tests for the evaluation. One test that’s commonly used is the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation, 3rd Edition (GFTA-3). Tests like the GFTA-3 assess:

• Single-sound production of consonants and vowels

• Word-level production

• Phrase-level production

• Sentence-level production

• Conversational speech production

The results will be used to develop a personalized care plan, which typically includes two speech therapy sessions per week.

Evidence-based strategies for learning to speak clearly

To learn how to produce a speech sound correctly, your speech therapist will first teach "articulatory placement." This includes things like tongue placement, lip shape, voice use, and tongue tension. The goal is to learn the “motor pattern” for accurately saying the sound. When a person can say the sound correctly in isolation (for example, “sss”), it lays the foundation for saying the sound correctly at more complex levels (“hot soup”). The techniques used in articulation therapy include different types of “cues.” Cues can be verbal, such as explaining the tongue or mouth placement for the sound. Your therapist might discuss how the tongue moves up for the "l" sound, or how the top teeth rest on the lips for the "f" sound. Your speech therapist may also use visual cues. These involve showing the correct placement of the mouth and tongue, rather than explaining it with words. Your speech therapist might model, or show, how the tongue stays hidden for the "s" sound. Or they might use a picture of how the tongue is placed for the "r" sound. Cues that involve touch or gestures can be helpful, too. There are many possible cues for each sound. Your speech therapist will try different cues to determine which works best for you or your child. To see cues in action, take a peek at this real-life session with a child working on his "f" and "v" sounds!

Speech therapy for articulation is set up like a hierarchy, with one skill building on another.

Speech therapy for articulation is set up like a hierarchy, with one skill building on another. As mentioned above, once you can say a sound correctly by itself, you’ll learn to say the sound in syllables or words. After these early levels are completed, the speech therapist will move on to practicing phrases, sentences, and last, conversation. You or your child will learn how to “generalize” these new speech skills so you can use them in everyday conversations at home, school, work, or in the community. As you or your child move through the levels, your speech therapist will provide cues and help you notice any speech errors. The goal is for the person to need less and less help over time. Your speech therapist will slowly back away from providing support so that you can become more independent in your speech.

Speech therapy that’s play-based and child-led

At Expressable, speech therapy for kids is child-led. Building a positive, playful relationship with your child is the foundation for their learning. We meet your child where they are, using their interests and motivations to help them grow their communication skills and confidence. 

This is often done by using toys, games, or activities to keep them engaged. Maybe your child will do a scavenger hunt for items that start with the "s" sound, or play the game “I Spy” and focus on “s” words. An older child might read an article about their favorite sports team out loud, focusing on the words that contain their target sound. Kids often have so much fun in speech therapy that they don’t realize the amount of work they’re doing! 

Practice articulation strategies at home with the Expressable portal

Changing a speech pattern is all about frequent repetition. The more often children and adults practice their speech sounds, the better. 

At Expressable, speech therapy doesn’t stop when your session ends. You’ll have ongoing text messaging support so you can ask questions or get tips from your speech therapist throughout the week. You’ll also have access to our client portal, which makes it easier to practice speech exercises at home. More practice leads to faster progress!

In the portal, you’ll find Learning Paths that explain and reinforce strategies for articulation, such as how to practice specific sounds:

You can watch videos that show real speech sound techniques in action, such as visual or gestural cueing:

Your speech therapist will assign personalized home practice activities you can do during your everyday routines, such as practicing sounds at mealtime or during a game:

The benefits of online speech therapy for speech sound disorders

Multiple studies over several years have shown the effectiveness of online speech therapy. Not only does it work as well as in-person speech therapy, there are lots of reasons people tend to prefer it:

1 Wider access to qualified speech therapists

With online speech therapy, it’s not hard to find a speech therapist who’s right for you. Whether it’s someone who specializes in lisps or has experience working with teens,  you have access to an entire network of speech therapists who are licensed to treat in your state. This is especially beneficial for people who live in more rural areas, or in areas with long waitlists for speech therapy.

2 Convenience and flexibility

Between school, work, errands, and everyday life, it can be hard to regularly attend in-person therapy sessions. Not only is there the commute time, but most speech therapy clinics are only open during normal business hours. With work schedules and after-school activities, for many people, that just doesn’t work.

Online speech therapy removes this problem. At Expressable, you can schedule sessions on the days that work best, at the times that are most convenient, including evenings and weekends. 

3 The comfort of home

If you or your child feel embarrassed or shy when it comes to speech therapy, you’re not alone. Many people feel unsure in new situations, especially when they’re face-to-face with someone new, like a speech therapist. With online speech therapy, doing sessions from the comfort of your own home can put you or your child at ease. If you’re a caregiver, you can be right beside your loved one the whole time.

No matter their age, when a person feels comfortable, their speech therapy sessions will be more effective!

4 Affordability

In-person speech therapy clinics have many expenses that aren’t directly related to your care, such as rent, utilities, and other operational costs. As with any business, these costs are often passed down to the consumer. The cost of speech therapy will vary by provider, but generally, the cost of online speech therapy will be less than an in-person practice—even though you receive the same quality of treatment. At Expressable, we offer transparent self-pay pricing and partner with major health insurance plans around the country, making it easier than ever to access speech therapy treatment.

See what people with speech sound disorders are saying about our therapists

We’ve treated thousands of children and adults with speech sound disorders around the country. Our speech therapists consistently earn ratings of 4.9 out of 5 stars from their clients. Here’s just a sampling:

“A HUGE difference in his speech and his confidence” “Mrs. Karyn is amazing with my son! She is always so kind and patient. Her updates are detailed and let me know exactly what we need to work on throughout the week. My son loves her and is always ready to jump on the call for his therapy sessions. She has made a HUGE difference in his speech and his confidence with speaking. I highly recommend this service to everyone!”

“Diligent about getting me to speak correctly” “I am very pleased with Jacqueline’s method of speech therapy. She is diligent about getting me to speak correctly and with confidence. She always gives me homework and tests me on the materials given during our sessions. When I speak, she catches every error and goes over it. She is doing an excellent job.”

“She’s showing amazing progress” “Our baby loves her therapist. She is only 4 and able to pay attention with little redirection. She’s showing amazing progress with sound production despite a history of significant oral trauma. We are so grateful to Ms. Alethea!”

“Progress not just in their speech, but also in their confidence” “Amber, we are truly grateful for the care, patience, and expertise you’ve shown our children. Your ability to connect with them and make each session engaging has made a real difference. We've seen wonderful progress not just in their speech, but also in their confidence. Thank you for your dedication and for being such an important part of their journey.” “A convenient and approachable way to get speech therapy” “Expressable was a very convenient and approachable way to get speech therapy, which I had been considering for a long time. My speech therapist, Clarissa, was amazing to work with. She was very supportive and gave me encouragement throughout the process of correcting my lisp. Overall, it was a great experience.”

Get matched with a speech therapist today

We’re here to support you or your child in achieving clearer, more confident speech. Find the right speech therapist for your needs here.