Home > Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders > Phonological disorder

Definition

Phonological disorder occurs when a child does not develop the ability to produce some or all sounds necessary for speech that are normally used at his or her age.

Description

Phonological disorder is sometimes referred to as articulation disorder, developmental articulation disorder, or speech sound production disorder. If there is no known cause, it is sometimes called "developmental phonological disorder." If the cause is known to be of neurological origin, the names "dysarthria" or "dyspraxia" are often used. Phonological disorder is characterized by a child's inability to create speech at a level expected of his or her age group because of an inability to form the necessary sounds.

There are many different levels of severity of phonological disorder. These range from...