As they grow older, some sounds become easier for children to produce, like the letters p, m, or w. Others are more difficult, such as z, sh, or th. By the age of five, most children should be able to pronounce almost all types of speech sounds. However, when a child experiences difficulty saying sounds or words correctly past a certain age, this can be a sign of a speech sound disorder. As a caregiver, it can be stressful to watch a loved one struggle to coherently communicate their thoughts and ideas. Adults too can struggle with speech sound disorders. Some adults have problems that were started as a child and never properly treated, causing them to persist overtime. Others may have developed as a result of a stroke or traumatic brain injury. Producing speech sounds correctly requires both the knowledge of a desired speech sound, as well as the ability to coordinate the jaw, tongue, and lips with breathing and vocalizing. A speech sound disorder often makes it difficult to understand someone's words, in many cases, it can affect a person’s social, academic, and professional development. There are two types of speech sound disorders, functional and organic. Functional - The cause is unknown: Articulation Disorders: People with articulation disorders have difficulty using motor functions to physically produce the correct speech sounds. The result is the inability to form understandable words past a certain age. Sounds may be distorted or switched around. Phonological Disorders: Phonological disorders are characterized by a regular pattern in which a person may be able to produce individual sounds correctly, but they have difficulty putting these sounds together to form words. For example, they may be able to produce the ‘d’ sound, but may swap it out for the ‘g’ sound for certain words, prouncing “doe’ instead of ‘go.’ Organic - There is a known cause: Motor/Neurological: Motor speech disorders occur when the muscle coordination or strength is impacted. Motor speech disorders can be developmental or acquired after neurological damage, such as a stroke or traumatic brain injury. Structural: Differences in the oral and facial structures can impact speech sound production, as is the case for cleft lip and palate. Structural differences can also be caused by trauma or surgery. Sensory/Perceptual: Hearing impairment can subsequently cause speech sound difficulties, as people aren’t able to hear the sounds the way they are produced.