ATTENTION
Functional Foundations Speech Therapy is currently functioning as a virtual practice. We will be taking on new patients for evaluations beginning in May of 2026. Currently all articulation sessions will be done virtually, but this may change in the future. Stay tuned!
If you would like to get on the waitlist for a virtual speech therapy evaluation, or you would like to be notified if we begin to offer in-person evaluations and therapy sessions, please get in contact here.
Articulation Therapy
"Speech sound disorders is an umbrella term referring to any difficulty or combination of difficulties with perception, motor production, or phonological representation of speech sounds and speech segments." (definition taken from ASHA Practice Portal).
Articulation disorder: Difficulty with the production of the sounds needed for speech. Typical treatment focuses on the errors being made in the production of these sounds and teaching oral movements for correct sound production.
Phonological disorder: Inaccurate speech production which consists of "predictable, rule-based errors." Phonological processes are a normal part of language acquisition that we see in children - it is when these processes continue past a certain age that it is red flag. True phonological processing disorders negatively impact a person's understanding of the sound classes of a language and, for this reason, can coincide with reading difficulties.
Some examples of phonological processes:
Fronting = Substituting /t/ for /k/ (as in "tate" for "cake") or /d/ for /g/ (as in "doat" for "goat")
Stopping = Replacing a fricative (a sound in which air continues to be pushed out of the mouth) with a stop as in "tick" for "sick" or "pun" for "fun"
Additional resources:
https://littlehandspediatrictherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/phonological_processes_8.5x11.pdf
There is growing evidence that many people diagnosed with an articulation and/or phonological disorder may in fact be presenting with those errors due to an underlying myofunctional disorder. Here at Functional Foundations Speech Therapy, PLLC we look at every patient with the understanding that oral-motor patterns and overall facial musculature can impact everyday speaking tasks. We are here to help you determine the root cause of your symptoms and not just slap a bandaid on the issue. If you or your child have been in speech therapy for years with little to no progress please contact us. A full evaluation may help to discover underlying factors which have kept you from reaching your full potential.