According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) "articulation is the process by which sounds, syllables, and words are formed when your tongue, jaw, teeth, lips, and palate alter the air stream coming from the vocal folds".  In simplest terms, speaking and producing sounds.  In Nebraska, we use the Iowa-Nebraska Articulation Norms to determine if a child is developmentally delayed in his/her speech.  Children who show a need for articulation therapy have difficulty producing certain speech sounds at a certain age.   Common errors are substitutions, omissions, and additions. 

If a child has difficulty using correct articulation, he/she may have some of the following characteristics:

*Substitutes one sound for another sound (e.g., “ The ball is wed.” for “The ball is red.” or “The cwown is thilly.” for “The clown is silly.” ) *A sound is omitted in a word (e.g., “Pay the piano.” for “Play the piano.”) *An extra sound is inserted in a word (e.g., “bulue” for “blue”) *Distorts or mispronounces words or sounds when speaking (not attributed to dialect or accent)*Has difficulty imitating speech sounds *Student is aware of own speech errors and shows signs of frustration when he/she is frequently misunderstood *Speech sound errors distract you from what he/she is saying *Speech is markedly delayed in comparison with that of his/her classmate *Has sound discrimination problems