How Speech Sound Errors Differ and Overlap Across Languages in Children with SSD

What is it about?

This systematic review examines how children with speech sound disorders (SSDs) make speech errors across different languages. Rather than focusing only on English-speaking children, the authors analyzed findings from 28 studies representing nine languages and multiple dialects, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Turkish, Korean, and Chinese. The review explored three common ways clinicians evaluate speech difficulties: Percent Consonants Correct (PCC): how accurately children produce consonant sounds. SODA error profiles: the types of errors children make, including substitutions, omissions, distortions, and additions. Phonological processes: predictable patterns children use to simplify speech, such as deleting sounds or replacing difficult sounds with easier ones. The findings showed that some error patterns are common across languages. For example, substitution errors were the most frequent type of speech error regardless of language. However, many phonological processes differed depending on the specific sound system and structure of each language. Overall speech accuracy, measured by PCC, was relatively similar across languages.

Why is it important?

This publication addresses an important gap in speech-language pathology research. Although more than 7,000 languages are spoken worldwide, most research on speech sound disorders has focused on English-speaking children. As societies become increasingly multilingual due to globalization and migration, clinicians are more likely to work with children who speak languages other than English. Without evidence about how speech disorders appear across languages, there is a risk of misdiagnosis such as mistaking normal language differences for disorders or overlooking genuine communication needs. What makes this review unique is its direct comparison of speech error patterns across multiple languages using common outcome measures. By identifying which patterns are universal and which are language-specific, the study provides a foundation for more culturally responsive assessment practices and more equitable speech-language services worldwide. The review also arrives at a particularly timely moment, as professional organizations and global health initiatives increasingly emphasize health equity and improved access to rehabilitation services for multilingual populations.