Speech is the physical process of producing sounds so we can talk. It relies on the coordination of five key systems:

• Respiration – breathing to support speech

• Phonation – producing sound with the vocal cords

• Articulation – using the lips, tongue, and mouth to form sounds

• Resonance – shaping sound as it travels through the throat, nose, and mouth

• Prosody – the rhythm, tone, and melody of speech

 

When there is a disruption in one or more of these areas, a child’s speech may be difficult to understand — this is known as reduced speech intelligibility.

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Our Role as Speech Pathologists

Speech pathologists diagnose and treat speech difficulties in children. Therapy begins with a thorough assessment to determine:

• Which sounds a child has difficulty producing

• What type of speech disorder may be present (e.g., articulation difficulty, phonological delay, or childhood apraxia of speech)

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In some cases, children may have difficulty with motor planning for speech — this means the brain struggles to coordinate the movements needed to say sounds and words accurately. This is seen in children with childhood apraxia of speech.

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Based on these insights, we create a personalised therapy plan, which may include:

• Articulation therapy – helping a child learn to make specific sounds correctly

• Phonological intervention – targeting patterns of sound errors to improve overall speech clarity

• Motor-based approaches – supporting the development of accurate and consistent speech movements

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