When counseling the parents of a child who has an articulation disorder, which can the SLP cite developmental norms to show?

When counseling the parents of a child who has an articulation disorder, which can the SLP cite developmental norms to show?

• A. The child's misarticulation will interfere with reading skills.
• B. A certain percentage of children of a certain age can correctly articulate the misarticulated sound.
• C. The misarticulation is caused by faulty learning.
• D. The misarticulation is not physically based.

Answer: (B)

The selected answer is accurate because citing developmental norms allows the Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) to provide evidence-based information regarding the typical speech development milestones for children at a certain age. By referencing established statistics regarding what percentage of children can correctly articulate specific sounds by certain ages, the SLP can help parents understand that their child's misarticulation may fall within a range of normal developmental variation. This information can be reassuring for parents, helping them see that their child's speech patterns may not be unusual for their age group. In contrast to this, the other options address different aspects of the disorder. While they may have relevance in a broader context of the child's speech and language development, they do not utilize developmental norms to provide insight into what is considered typical performance in articulation skills. This distinction clarifies why the reference to developmental norms focuses specifically on the percentage of children able to articulate a sound correctly, fostering a clearer understanding for parents.

The selected answer is accurate because citing developmental norms allows the Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) to provide evidence-based information regarding the typical speech development milestones for children at a certain age. By referencing established statistics regarding what percentage of children can correctly articulate specific sounds by certain ages, the SLP can help parents understand that their child's misarticulation may fall within a range of normal developmental variation. This information can be reassuring for parents, helping them see that their child's speech patterns may not be unusual for their age group.

In contrast to this, the other options address different aspects of the disorder. While they may have relevance in a broader context of the child's speech and language development, they do not utilize developmental norms to provide insight into what is considered typical performance in articulation skills. This distinction clarifies why the reference to developmental norms focuses specifically on the percentage of children able to articulate a sound correctly, fostering a clearer understanding for parents.