The relationship between how children listen to sounds, say sounds, and know and use words

What is it about?

Many children have difficulty saying speech sounds correctly. Some of these children also have difficulty listening to sounds. We found that children's vocabulary (i.e., knowledge and use of words) was linked to their ability to listen to sounds. Their knowledge and use of words also had more influence than their ability to say speech sounds correctly--even for children with speech impairment.

Featured Image

Photo by Charlein Gracia on Unsplash

Photo by Charlein Gracia on Unsplash

Why is it important?

When working with children with speech impairment, it is important to provide assessment and therapy that meet each child's individual needs. Sometimes speech-language pathologists mainly focus on assessing the speech sounds of children with speech impairment. This research suggests it is important to assess and understand different abilities of children with speech impairment, including vocabulary and their ability to listen to sounds. This can then help speech-language pathologists provide therapy specific to each child.