Which of the following is categorized as a speech disorder?

An articulation disorder is categorized as a speech disorder because it specifically involves difficulties in the physical production of speech sounds. This can manifest as problems with pronouncing certain consonants and vowels, which can affect intelligibility in communication. Individuals with articulation disorders may substitute sounds, omit sounds, distort sounds, or add extra sounds when speaking.

In clinical practice, articulation disorders are assessed based on the ability to produce specific speech sounds correctly, making this category distinct from language disorders, which focus more on the usage of words and sentence structures. Language delay, vocabulary delay, and phonological awareness skills are more aligned with language development issues rather than articulation or speech production challenges. Thus, recognition of articulation disorder as a speech issue helps clinicians target appropriate interventions to improve the clarity of a person's speech.