As your toddler begins forming sounds into words and phrases over time, you may experience enormous moments of joy for the human they are quickly growing up to be! Don’t let this happy time screech to a halt if your child is having a little difficulty with clearly saying the /th/ sound. 

This sound is a particularly tricky one, but a very commonly used speech sound. Maybe it’s small words like “the”, “there”, or “they”, but these short sounds still pack a punch and take a special, new skill for the vocal cords to develop and perform properly.

In speech language pathology, this form of your child’s development is studied as speech sound acquisition, which varies among all children. If you’re worried or concerned about how your child is pronouncing the /th/ sound, we have many suggestions for you.

Why is the /th/ sound so hard, should I be concerned?

If your child has experienced frequent ear infections, these have been a documented trigger of hindering language and sound development.

If your child has difficulty, you may find yourself concerned and wondering, “what is it called when you can’t pronounce /th/ sound?”. This comes down to clearly articulating new sounds into clear language.

“Articulation” refers to how you position your lips and tongue against your teeth to make clear sounds and pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth in order to clearly speak words. Difficulty in pronouncing the /th/ sound would be formally categorized as an “articulation disorder”. 

If your child isn’t able to clearly say /th/ words, this may be just a temporary problem, or reason to be concerned about a more significant condition.

Don’t worry — this condition isn’t necessarily cause for alarm, but ensuring your child has a plan in place to work through challenges in articulation will be practical, helpful, and provide peace of mind.

What age does the /th/ sound develop for kids?

The /th/ sound is among the most difficult speech sounds for children to master, ranking at the top alongside /j/, /ch/, /r/, and /zh/. Along these lines, another sound we commonly hear from clients whose child has difficulty with, you’ll find a variety of activities and information on how to help your child with the /r/ sound.

It is not uncommon for children to begin grasping the /th/ sound around age four, but still face challenges with overcoming or stumbling on certain words for several years.

If your child still has difficulty with clearly articulating words with the /th/ sound at seven or eight years old, we encourage you to try the exercises below at home. 

We also recommended you schedule your introductory call today in order to evaluate your child’s needs and prevent any serious speech issues in the future.

Are there different /th/ sounds?

It’s important to recognize the different words that your child may have difficulty when articulating different /th/ sounds.

Some fall into the category of “voiceless” or “unvoiced” /th/ sounds, in words like thing, thank, or thumb.

This is a harder sound created by placing the tongue between or behind the teeth. When air passes through the mouth and teeth, the sound is made.

Other words with /th/ sound that requires a louder “voiced” /t/h sound include words such as this, that, there that is more pronounced. A softer sound, this one is made possible when the vocal cords work to project the sound.

The biggest difference between these sounds is whether or not the vocal cords are used in creating the sound.

How do I teach /th/ sound therapy speech for my child?

Practicing sounds with your child is a great way for them to learn the /th/ sound. It’s important to be encouraging, patient, and understanding. 

Because there are two different /th/ sounds, you’ll want to demonstrate using a variety of words, including they, them, there, this, though, thank, and theater.

Give the exercises below a try, and with a little commitment, you may have some success!

Activities to Encourage the /th/ Sound

As a parent who just wants their child to learn to “speak normally”, you likely catch yourself wondering “how do I get my child to say the /th/ sound?”.

It’s important to make practicing speech sounds fun and engaging for your child. You can help your child at home to improve speech, pronunciation, refine articulation, and make strides to a more confident child. We recommend starting with the following activities to teach and encourage the /th/ sound:

• Maybe your child enjoys blowing bubbles. Have them stand in front of the mirror and practice blowing bubbles, but before bringing over the bubble bottle, ask them to stick their tongue out between their teeth and blow air. They’ll be in the mindset to start blowing bubbles, and after giving the activity a few tries at making the /th/ sound, you can reward them with a fun game!
• Try having your child say “zzzzz” first, and direct them to move their tongue gradually forward to the front of their teeth. This will help stimulate the voiced /th/ sound!
• If your child opts for /f/ or /v/ sounds instead of /th/, ask them to try and use their tongue and teeth to make the sound, without their teeth and lip touching.
• While you’re out and about, driving around or walking in the neighborhood, you can ask your child “What is that thing over there?”, and ask them to reply using this form language: “I think that thing is ________”. This reply full of /th/ sounds may be a challenge, but over time, as your child practices they’ll enjoy how it may help them.

Each of these activities is very effective when performed in front of a mirror. You can demonstrate these exercises for your child, and they’ll watch their progress over time.

Coaching your child to great speech can be a positive, rewarding experience with strong commitment and attention to detail, but you may not be confident that you’re performing these exercises correctly on your own.

How can speech therapy and activities for the /th/ sound help my child with their language skills?

Every child is different, learns at a different pace, and may have unique challenges with pronouncing and articulating certain words. As experts in speech language pathology, our specialists are trained to work with your child to make measurable improvements and surpass speech goals together.

An individual consultation will determine if articulating the /th/ sound can be improved with specialized attention, guidance, activities, and expertise.

Get started today and schedule your introductory phone call. We look forward to sharing with you about how our services can benefit you and your child’s development.

Though communication begins with babbling, the actual art of articulation involves incredible coordination of many body parts including your tongue, lips, jaws and vocal chords. Try making the sound of the letter B with your tongue in the front of your mouth instead of the back. With a slip of the tongue, you have totally imparted the wrong message.

And while certain speech mispronunciations can be viewed as part of a child’s charm when they are younger, there are specific speech milestones. Each sound is expected to be produced clearly by a certain age. Interestingly it is different for boys and girls.

Does your child have a speech disorder?

Here are some revealing questions to ask yourself:

• Is he/she easily understood by others?
• Do people perceive them as being younger because of speech difficulties?
• Is he/she experiencing frustration when trying to communicate?

There is a common misperception that speech disorders can be outgrown. And sometimes they can. But generally, articulation disorders, like saying “lellow” instead of “yellow” requires the intervention of a licensed speech and language therapist who specializes in working with children specifically on articulation. And while saying “nana” instead of “banana” may be endearing at age three, by age four that pattern of speech should be corrected.

Early detection and treatment can positively impact your child, both academically and socially. A simple screening may give you the answer you need.

Speech disorders can affect anyone at any point in time, no matter their age, race, or gender.

We tend to associate speech impediments with young children. After all, nearly 6 million children under the age of 18 have a speech or language disorder.

However, speech disorders in adults do exist. It’s estimated that 1 in 10 Americans has experienced some form of a speech disorder in their lives.

There are various types of speech disorders, including lisps, stuttering, and even muteness. People with speech impairments can elongate words, add extra sounds, and blink or pause while talking. Some people even become frustrated when trying to speak.

The symptoms of speech disorders are often indicative of a particular speech disorder. In this article, we’ll explore 7 causes of speech disorders that exist in both children and adults.

1. Genetics

Genetics determine a lot in a person’s life. They can determine how tall a person will grow, their eye color, and whether they’ll develop certain diseases later in life. Genetics can also determine a person’s speech and language patterns.

A child is more likely to develop a speech disorder if a parent currently has or has experienced one. Genetics can cause some forms of stuttering, developmental verbal dyspraxia, and even SLI.

Early prevention can help children with family histories of speech disorders or impaired voice.

2. Delayed Child Development

Every child develops at their own pace. Some children start walking or talking earlier than other children.

Some children experience delays in their developmental milestones. This is a developmental delay and it can affect a child’s vision, motor skills, and cognitive abilities. Developmental delay can also affect a child’s speech and language patterns.

Causes of developmental delay can range from neglect to autism spectrum disorders. Sometimes, there is no known cause for a child’s developmental delay. Often, children who live in multilingual homes experience delays in their language patterns.

Developmental delay often results in stuttering and other speech disorderss later on in childhood. Signs of speech and language delays in babies under age 1 include:

• Unresponsiveness to sounds and loud noises
• Little to no babbling or sound imitation

By age 2, children should be able to speak at least 15 words. They should also be able to speak two-word phrases and communicate more than their needs.

3. Hearing Loss

A person’s ability to speak significantly depends on their hearing abilities. This is why hearing loss can cause different types of speech impediments.

There are different types of hearing loss that can range from mild to deafness. Some forms of hearing loss affect the eardrums, middle ear, or the outer ear. Other forms of hearing loss can cause ringing, ear pain, and muffled sounds.

Hearing loss and deafness can result from any of the following:

• Ear infections
• Birth defects
• Head trauma
• Exposure to loud noises
• Infections (measles, meningitis, scarlet fever, mumps)
• Aging

Children with mild hearing loss can have trouble hearing higher-pitched sounds, such as “s”, “sh”, “t”, “th”, or “f”. As a result, their ability to speak becomes impaired because they’re unable to learn these types of sounds. They can also struggle to build their vocabularies.

Speech disorders in adults can also stem from hearing loss developed later on in life.

For example, Meniere’s disease is a rare disorder that disrupts a person’s balance and causes hearing loss. Many adults who develop Meniere’s disease go on to learn sign language to adapt to their hearing loss.

4. Degenerative Diseases

A degenerative disease causes cells in tissues and organs to deteriorate over time. Some degenerative diseases develop with age, while others result from abnormal metabolic rates or unhealthy lifestyles.

Muscles associated with speaking can weaken due to degenerative diseases like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Some degenerative diseases can cause dysarthria, a motor speech disorder.

Those with dysarthria often slur or drag their words when they try to pronounce them. Dysarthria can often lead to a complete loss of speech known as anarthria.

5. Brain Damage

There are many degrees of brain damage that range from mild to severe. Brain damage can result from disease, a stroke, injuries, or even substance abuse.

A person can become impaired in many ways due to brain damage. When damage occurs to parts of the brain associated with speech, a person’s ability to communicate can become impaired. It’s not only the brain that’s affected, but the muscles associated with speech, such as the tongue, lips, and mouth.

For example, aphasia is a speech and communication disorder that often arises after a person suffers a stroke. Those with aphasia have difficulty understanding and using words. They’ll often slur their words and have difficulty completing their thoughts.

6. Cleft Palate

Structural abnormalities often cause impaired speech and disrupted language patterns. Cleft palate, for example, is one structural abnormality that can directly impact speech.

A cleft palate refers to a split in the lip. This split causes an opening to form between the upper lip and nose. Cleft palates develop when a baby is in the womb.

Those with cleft palates not only have trouble speaking but may make repeated sound mistakes. This is an articulation disorder and it can affect a person’s intelligibility.

Cleft palates can lead to frequent ear infections, which may result in hearing loss, as well.

7. Neurological Diseases

A person’s ability to speak can decline as a result of certain neurological diseases. Neurological diseases can affect anyone at any age. However, some neurological diseases don’t develop until later on in life.

For example, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and occurs in older adults. Those with Alzheimer’s disease in the later stages often struggle to form the right words. They can also struggle to speak in full sentences.

CBS, or corticobasal syndrome, is a rare neurological disorder that affects the motor system and cognition. Those with CBS often struggle to find the right words. They can also develop speech articulation problems.

Understanding Types of Speech Disorders

Speech disorders not only affect speech but a person’s quality of life. However, people can overcome their speech impediments and reach their full potential, and it all begins with understanding the causes of different speech disorders.

To learn more about the different types of speech disorders, please visit our blog today!