What is one symptom of poor phonological awareness?

One symptom of poor phonological awareness is articulation errors. Phonological awareness involves the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds in spoken language. A fluent grasp of this skill allows individuals to break words into their constituent sounds (phonemes), which is essential for effective communication. When a person struggles with phonological awareness, they often have difficulty producing specific sounds correctly, leading to articulation errors, where words may be mispronounced or syllables may be blended or divided incorrectly. This reflects a lack of awareness of the sound structure of language, directly affecting their speech clarity and communication abilities.

In contrast, excessive vocabulary use, strong visual memory, and high reading speed do not necessarily correlate with phonological awareness. A rich vocabulary or the ability to read quickly does not imply a firm understanding of sound structure. Similarly, having strong visual memory may aid in other areas of learning but does not influence phonological skills itself. Therefore, articulation errors serve as a clear indicator of difficulties in phonological awareness.