Dyslalia: types, symptoms, causes and treatment

The term dyslalia refers to difficulties in pronouncing certain sounds, which can occur in children of different ages. According to the new international classifications for the diagnosis of mental disorders, it is a speech sound disorder.

In this article we will see what dyslalia is, what are its types and causes, as well as some ways to perform evaluation and treatment.

• Related article: "The 8 types of speech disorders"

Language development

Oral language is the set of sounds that are articulated to express what we need, feel or think. It is both a behavior and a cognitive ability, and we develop it from the first years of life. Its manifestation is related to the maturation of the nervous system, specifically sensory and motor area. In itself, it is related to the affective and social bonds that we establish, and with the development of other cognitive abilities.

Artigas and García-Nonell (2008) tell us that the development of language skills correspond to the chronological age of the child. Thus, between 0 and 3 months of age, the emission of monochord sounds is expected. Between 9 and 12 months denials are understood and caregivers are named (usually mom and dad). From the age of 3, simple questions are expected and their speech is understood by the family nucleus. By the age of 5, he can tell what is happening to him and use articles; and by the age of 7, verbal fluency and the use of conjunctions are expected.

Nevertheless, It may happen that in some cases the chronological age does not correspond to the development of languageIn other words, not all children acquire the same skills at the same time. For example, some children may begin to understand what people say to them, but with limitations in explaining themselves. It may also happen that children express verbally slowly, or with little fluency, or it may happen that they express themselves so fluently that their language is intelligible. Likewise, among the possibilities that are included within the development of language is what we have called “dislalia”.

You may be interested: "Bradilalia: what is it, causes, treatment and associated symptoms"

What is dyslalia?

The word dislalia comes from the Greek "dys", which means "difficulty"; and "lalein" which means "to speak". Is about a difficulty producing certain sounds or groups of sounds in the manner deemed appropriate. It can be detected, for example, when a child frequently resorts to the omission of a certain sound by means of silence or vocal lengthening. Or if the child always substitutes the same sound for a similar one, which is a case of substitution.

Likewise, it can be made visible by distortion, that is, when the child frequently resorts to the emission of an approximate sound, but that is not the one that fits with their conversation. Finally it may happen that the child inserts a sound as support.

Recent international definitions

The term "dyslalia" has recently been displaced from international classifications of disorders. mental, nevertheless continues to be used in everyday and specialized language to refer to to the phonetic difficulties that some children have.

For its diagnosis, the DSM-V considers the latter no longer as “dyslalia” but as a “Speech Sound Disorder” (TSH). It is a set of central alterations and characteristic of the phonological component that occur at the level of the pronunciation of some phonemes.

6 types and causes

Although the classifications may vary, according to Aguilar-Valera (2017); Hernández and Rubalcaba (2017), there are the following types of dyslalia: physiological or evolutionary, organic, phonological, functional and mixed. Likewise, dyslalia can be divided according to the difficulty in specific pronunciation.

1. Physiological or evolutionary

An evolutionary dyslalia is considered to be the case in which the child he does not repeat by imitation those words he hears, even though its development and chronological age are considered adequate for this. Its development is therefore due to a specific maturation of the brain and the phonoarticulator apparatus. It usually occurs around 4 years of age and is visible by a phonetic incorrect repetition.

2. Organic

It is a functional dyslalia when the joint is related to the peripheral organs that control speech. In this case the children use substitution more frequently, the omission or distortion of the sound that is expected to be pronounced.

3. Audiogenic

As the name implies, it is about dyslalia that is a consequence of hearing impairment.

4. Functional

It results from the functioning of the gnostic recognition system and the practical production system, so its etiology is related to the development of cognitive processes.

5. Mixed

As its name implies, a mixed dyslalia is one in which the manifestations of the previous types occur simultaneously.

6. According to pronunciation

According to the specific difficulties for pronunciation according to the alphabet, Peña-Casanova, 2014 (cit in Hernández and Rubalcaba, 2017), tells us that dyslalia can be divided as follows:

• Betacism: in the pronunciation of the B
• Deltacism: pronunciation of the D
• Gammacism: pronunciation of the G
• Kappacism: pronunciation of the K
• Mystacism: pronunciation of the M
• Rotacism: pronunciation of the R
• Sigmatism: pronunciation of the S

Possible causes, evaluation, and treatment

Dyslalia has a multicausal development and course. That is, it is caused by the presence of different elements, among which some function can be found. determined organic, and also a parenting style that is not favoring fluency in language and communication.

Can be evaluated through the Glatzel Test, which takes into account nasal patency and phonoarticulation; or by the Rosenthal Test that considers the respiratory mode. It is also important to carry out qualitative evaluations based on the observation of the expression and reception of speech, in order to determine the needs for support in communication.

Treatments include speech therapy and muscle exercises necessary for the articulation: the lips, the tongue, the palate, the tonsils, the frenulum. The same exercises include activation of the nasal and oral apparatus, and it is important that they are planned with a frequency and a determined rhythm, in correspondence with the needs and the zone of development near the boy. Otherwise, far from favoring its development, it can hinder and cause impatience or manifestations of anxiety.

To determine an appropriate treatment, it is important to start by knowing the causes of dyslalia as well as the immediate needs of both the child and the family or their closest environment.

Bibliographic references:

• Aguilar-Valera, J.A. (2017). Communication disorders from DSM-V. The need for differential diagnoses. Neuropsychology Notebooks (11) 1: 144-156.
• Hernández, A. and Ruvalcaba, I. (2017). Language disorders. Retrieved July 31, 2018. Available in https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/51549900/ORL-Transtornos-del-lenguaje.pdf? AWSAccessKeyId = AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A & Expires = 1533037090 & Signature = grC1KSPM7lu6uMiWTjlnBZEU9VQ% 3D & response-content-disposition = inline% 3B% 20filename% 3DTrastdamientos_del_languaje_Universidad_dedf.