Articulation
Articulation refers to the physical ability to produce individual sounds and sound patterns, using the mouth, lips and tongue. Speech sounds are typically acquired in a certain order and children who have not achieved one or more of these sounds by the typical age are likely to experience a speech delay or disorder. Being able to produce speech sounds correctly, is not only important for children to be understood by others, but also later down the track when they are learning to read and write. Below is a table of typical speech development.
Fluency
This involves the rhythm of speech and commonly relates to stuttering. Stuttering can be characterised by repetitions of sounds (b-b-big), syllables (but-but-butterfly) or whole words (we-we-we-want). Also prolongations, where we hold on to a single sound (wwwhere) or blocks of air flow/voicing where no sound comes out when the person is trying to say a word. Disfluencies in speech can be part of typical speech development, however, if you have concerns it is recommended you contact a Speech Pathologist.
Voice
Voice refers to how the vocal folds (cords) and breath are used to make sounds, and we use sounds to make words and sentences. Concerns regarding voice quality can present as abnormal pitch, loudness, and reduced quality of sounds which affect the speech production. Often Speech Pathologists work alongside Ear Nose and Throat specialists to provide assessment, intervention and strategies.