Abstract: Objective To explore the phonological characteristics of lateral misarticulation in children with functional articulation disorders and the rehabilitation approaches for them. Methods From June, 2013 to December, 2014, 44 children with lateral misarticulation were assessed and the phonological characteristics of lateral misarticulation were analyzed. They accepted targeted rehabilitation training. The correlation was analyzed between lateral misarticulation and age as well as severity of disorder. Results The frequency of lateral misarticulation was the most in Blade-palatals (75.00%), and then the dentals (65.91%), lingua-palatals (56.82%) and blade-alveolar consonant (20.45%). Thirty-eight cases were cured and 4 cases improved after 1 to 5 courses of rehabilitation. The overall cure rate was 86.36% (38/44), and it was 100% (11/11), 86.67% (13/15), 77.78% (14/18) in those with mild, moderate and severe disorder, respectively. There was no significant correlation between lateral misarticulation and age (r=0.100, P=0.752) as well as severity (r=0.257, P=0.092). Conclusion Lateral misarticulation in children with functional articulation disorders mainly occurs on blade-palatals, dentals and lingua-palatals. The targeted speech rehabilitation training is beneficial.

Key words: functional articulation disorders, lateral misarticulation, phonology, rehabilitation