Symptom 9: Difficulty Moving Between Sounds – The Missteps in DVD’s Dance
Have you ever watched a ballet dancer flawlessly move from one position to another, with each transition as captivating as the poses themselves? That’s what our mouths do when we speak – a delicate dance of transitioning between sounds. But for children with DVD, these transitions often turn into missteps, highlighting difficulty moving between sounds as a key symptom.
Think about saying the word “cat”. Your lips start in a neutral position for ‘c’, move forward for ‘a’, and press together for ‘t’. It’s a quick sequence of movements that we typically perform without thinking. But for a child with DVD, coordinating these transitions can be like learning a complex dance routine.
This struggle often results in distorted or substituted sounds. For instance, the child might intend to say ‘cat’, but it comes out as ‘tat’ because they couldn’t transition from the neutral lip position to the ‘c’ sound. These inaccuracies can make their speech sound slurred or unclear, adding to their communication challenges.
This symptom can be particularly frustrating for the child, as they know what they want to say but can’t get their speech muscles to cooperate. It also poses unique challenges for speech therapists, as traditional articulation therapy techniques might not be as effective for these children. (9)
