What is a Phonological Process?
A phonological process is a consistent pattern of error in a system of speech sounds.
For example, when a child replaces all of their “g” sounds with “d” sounds - “fod” for fog - this process is called Fronting.
There are approximately 20 known phonological processes, many with distinct subsets, in the English language.
There are many phonological processes which are part of normal development and are to be expected in your child’s speech depending on their age. Most of these disappear between the ages of 3 and 3 1/2 years and should not occur more then 40% of the time once your child is past the typical age range of assimilation.
However, there are also phonological processes which are not part of typical development and are indicative of a phonological disorder. These should not occur more than 10% of the time. Whether your child has a phonological disorder or delay should be determined via a thorough evaluation with a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist.
Phonological delays are diagnosed when there is a delay in assimilation, or the child is holding onto those processes present in typical development longer than expected; whereas phonological disorders are diagnosed when there is a presence of abnormal or unexpected phonological processes in the child’s speech. Symptoms of phonological delay or disorder may include:
Familiar and/or unfamiliar people (teachers, peers, extended family members, parents) having difficulty understanding the child’s words, phrases, and sentences.
Difficulty in the child’s ability to be understood when telling what he/she wants or needs
Difficulty in the child’s ability to be understood when answering or asking questions
Difficulty in the child’s ability to be understood when commenting on his/her environment or initiating conversations with peers
Phonological processes, although speech-sound based, are considered to be a symptom of language impairment (rather than articulation). This is because phonological delays and disorders involve patterns throughout speech (at the word level) which impact the sound system as a whole, rather than pronunciation of specific sounds, and thus have an impact on the fundamentals of the child’s language system.
At what age should I be concerned about my child's speech errors?
Phonological Process Milestones:
Phonological Processes present in typical development:
Reduplication (2-3 years)
Final Consonant Deletion (up to 3 years)
Prevocalic Voicing (up to 3 years)
Fronting (up to 3.5 years)
Epenthesis (up to 3.5 years)
Assimilation (up to 3.5 years)
Stopping (3-5 years)
Stridency Deletion (3.5 - 4 years)
Devoicing (up to 4 years)
Gliding (up to 4 years)
Cluster Reduction (up to 4 years)
Weak Syllable Deletion (up to 4 years)
Vowelization (up to 5-7 years)
Phonological Processes not part of typical development, indicative of a phonological disorder:
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