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.
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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.
Perspectives
This publication represents an important shift away from an English-centric view of speech sound disorders. The findings demonstrate that although broad indicators of speech severity may generalize across languages, the specific ways children produce speech errors are deeply influenced by the phonological rules of their native language. One of the most valuable contributions of this work is its emphasis on distinguishing language differences from speech disorders. This distinction is critical for clinicians serving increasingly diverse populations, particularly in under-resourced settings where standardized assessments may not exist. The review also highlights a significant research imbalance: despite including nine languages, the evidence base remains heavily weighted toward Indo-European languages. Future work should prioritize underrepresented languages and dialects to develop more inclusive models of speech development and disorder. Ultimately, this publication reinforces the idea that effective clinical practice requires both universal knowledge of speech development and a nuanced understanding of language-specific phonological systems. It provides a strong framework for researchers, educators, and clinicians seeking to improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce disparities in speech-language services.
Carolyn Glasser
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Language-Common and Language-Specific Error Patterns in Children With Speech Sound Disorders: A Systematic Review, Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, June 2026, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),
DOI: 10.1044/2026_jslhr-25-00850.
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