Childhood dyslalia is the most common language disorder in childhood, the best known and the easiest to identify. It is estimated that it may have an incidence of 5-10% among the child population. It usually occurs between three and five years of age, with alterations in the articulation of phonemes. It refers to poor pronunciation in children , a disorder in the articulation of phonemes.

All studies have focused on two main hypotheses:

1. DYSLALIA AND MEMORY

Raine and his team are the pioneers in relating articulation disorders to decreased short-term memory capacity, shorter word length, and reduced articulatory motor activity (Raine, Hulme, Chadderton, & Bailey, 1991). Recently, prosodic problems, auditory memory alterations and difficulties in repetition and in auditory and visual rhythms have been found in subjects with articulation problems (Wells and Peppe, 2003; Baldo and Dronkers, 2006).

On the other hand, there is a great consensus in recommending the systematic exploration of memory (through the repetition of series of numbers, words and phrases) within the speech therapy evaluation of dyslalic children due to the influence that memory aspects, in general, exert. on the development of oral language (Bruno, 1985) and the influence that immediate auditory memory, in particular, has on articulation difficulties (Mendoza and Carballo, 1990).

2. DYSLALIA AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS.

Joint problems have also been studied as secondary symptoms to various neurological disorders. Thus , mnestic, attentional, visual-constructional and executive function problems have been found related to pronunciation difficulties in the framework of specific language disorders (SLI) (Arboleda-Ramírez et al., 2007; Crespo-Eguilaz and Narbona, 2009). , in that of acquired aphasias and dysphasias (Conde-Guzón, Conde-Guzón, Bartolomé-Albistegui and Quirós-Expósito, 2008), in that of dyslexias (Conde-Guzón, Conde-Guzón, Bartolomé-Albistegui, Quirós-Expósito and Cabestrero-Alonso, 2009), in that of learning problems associated with cognitive and behavioral problems (Álvarez-Arenal and Conde-Guzón, 2009) or in children with epilepsy according to the type of seizure and pharmacology (Conde-Guzón, Bartolomé-Albistegui, Quirós-Expósito and Cabestrero, 2007).

Our own experience in daily work with dyslalic children has led us to suspect the existence of a certain difficulty in the ability to memorize and concentrate. A good immediate auditory memory makes it possible for the articulatory scheme to be easily remembered, reaching automation.

To test this hypothesis, Jiménez in 1988 designed a study with 178 children from Early Childhood Education and ^1st grade and related immediate memory ( auditory sequential memory, digit sequential memory, word memory, object evocation and visual sequential memory ) with dyslalic problems. He noted a high correlation between the inability to immediately retain auditory information and the presence of functional dyslalia. Consequently, in the author's words, "the hypothesis that dyslalias are frequent in schoolchildren with poor auditory sequential memory can be confirmed."

To conclude, we point out a recent study (Conde-Guzón, Bartolomé-Albistegui, Quirós and Cabestrero, 2006) that, intentionally and systematically, studies the memory functioning of 150 Spanish children with articulation problems of diverse etiology. In this research we conclude that children with speech articulation problems present significant difficulties in memory functioning characterized by deficits in remote memory, immediate visual, auditory and logical memory , this being the first study in which visual memory deficits are found. immediate in children with articulation problems.

There is a time, as we have already mentioned, when we do not have to be alarmed because our child does not pronounce correctly, and even because many of the things he tries to say to us are unintelligible, since up to the age of three it is normal for them not to be able to communicate correctly. . However, after the age of three, children should communicate more fluently and we should understand them almost completely and without problems.

On many occasions we try to help our children to pronounce well, and we could correct it only in the case in which dyslalia does not exist, but is simply a normal evolutionary process of language, but if the problem is caused by the disorder of dyslexia , we will have to provide them with specialized treatment to correct it.

The importance of early attention , once again, becomes more valuable when we talk about language disorders such as childhood dyslalia, since if the child is not able to make himself understood well or has problems with articulation or pronunciation of some phonemes, he may suffer teasing from their schoolmates, which can aggravate the problem and add another problem in which self-esteem is affected. affected , their academic performance or their ability to relate to others.

Cristina Oroz Bajo