Phonetic articulation disorder
Does your child mispronounce one or a few sounds — a lisping /s/, a difficult /r/? With an articulation disorder, a sound is motorically not formed correctly. Often easily remediated with targeted practice.
What is an articulation disorder?
An articulation disorder is a speech disorder in which one or a few sounds are produced incorrectly in terms of motor skills: the tongue, lips, or jaw are not in the right position. The sound system in the brain is fine — it is about the execution.
What does this mean in concrete terms? Think of a lisp (the /s/ between the teeth), an /r/ that does not work out, or a sound that sounds distorted. Usually it concerns a limited number of sounds and your child is otherwise easily intelligible.
Important distinction. Unlike a phonological disorder (patterns in the sound system), this concerns the motor production of a specific sound. That difference is important, also for the reimbursement.
Mogelijke signalen
Do you recognize some of these signs? That does not automatically mean there is a disorder — an intake appointment helps to look together at what is going on.
- lisps (e.g., the /s/ or /z/ between the teeth)
- cannot form a specific sound or forms it in a distorted way (e.g., the /r/)
- the error is always in the same sound(s)
- is otherwise easily intelligible
When is help useful?
- Typical support question: "Our son/daughter lisps" or "the /r/ just isn't working".
- Who refers: the school, the CLB, the (general) practitioner or the dentist/orthodontist.
- Age: some sounds only develop later; we take into account what is normal for the age.
Step by step
- 1Registrationyou / parent
You contact the practice.
- 2Medical prescription for the assessmentGP/specialist
A medical prescription for the speech therapy assessment.
- 3Intake & speech therapy assessmentspeech therapist
Introduction, the support question and discussion of the history. A targeted assessment is conducted using standardized tests.
- 4Analysis & conclusion
The results are combined into a diagnostic picture. A report is made of the assessment.
- 5Medical prescription for the therapy
Having a medical prescription for the treatment signed by a specialist. The application form is sent to the health insurance fund.
- 6Decision of the advisory physician
The health insurance fund approves the reimbursement.
- 7Tailored therapyspeech therapist + child + parent
Teaching and automating the correct sound production.
- 8Completionspeech therapist
When the sound is fluently and spontaneously correct.
Assessment & testing
The assessment is targeted: we look at which sounds your child does and does not produce correctly and in which positions.
Which sound(s) are produced incorrectly
Speech therapist · Niet terugbetaalbaar
The therapy
- Goals
- Teaching correct sound production, practicing it, and generalizing it to spontaneous speech.
- Frequency
- Usually 1 session per week.
- Session duration
- 30 minutes (individual).
- Role of the parents
- Short, daily practice together makes a big difference in the pace.
- Pathway duration
- Often relatively short, depending on the sound and its persistence.
What does it cost?
Important: a pure articulation disorder is generally not reimbursed by the RIZIV.
You only pay the patient co-payment (±€2 with increased reimbursement). Your health insurance fund reimburses the major part.
The full fee, e.g., when RIZIV conditions are not met.
There are two exceptions where there is RIZIV reimbursement: when the articulation problems are the result of a structural anomaly (dysglossia), or when they coincide with an orthodontic treatment (orofacial myofunctional therapy). In most cases you pay for the session yourself; many health insurance funds provide a reimbursement of approximately €10 per session through their complementary insurance. We will look at your specific situation during the intake.
Indicative rates 2026 (30 min). You can find the exact, indexed amounts and the full explanation on the services page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a medical prescription from the doctor?
Not for the intake. For reimbursed therapy, a medical prescription is generally required — we will explain step by step which documents you need.
How long does a session last and how often do we come?
An individual session lasts 30 minutes. The frequency (usually 1 to 2 times a week) is agreed upon together, tailored to your child.
Can the therapy take place at school or at home?
In consultation, therapy at school is sometimes possible; support at home is assessed on a case-by-case basis.
What if my child does not (yet) have a diagnosis?
That is not necessary. During the intake and a potential assessment, we will look together at what is going on and what makes sense.
Ready for a first step?
Are you still unsure if this suits your child? Make an appointment without obligation — together we will take a calm look at it.