What is the difference between articulation and phonological processes?

Articulation and phonological processes both impact how we sound.

Articulation errors involve a specific sound.  People often refer to these as “a lisp” or a “wobbly R”.  This would sound like wabbit for rabbit.

A phonological process is a pattern of sound errors.  People often say that the child “sounds funny” but can’t define why.  Some of these processes are normal and disappear by age three.  They include:

Syllable deletion:  Children leave out an unstressed syllable.  This is why children say “nana” for banana.

Final consonant deletion:  Children leave off the last sound of a word.  A child may say “ba” for bed.

Assimilation:  Children make sounds in a word the same.  Your child may say “lelo” for yellow.

Reduplication:  A syllable is repeated.  Parents usually hear “baba” for bottle.

Fronting:  The K and G sounds are made at the back of the mouth.  Instead children make them in the front of the mouth as a T or D.  This makes duckie sound like “dudie”