APPROXIMATE AGES FOR SPEECH SOUND DEVELOPMENT
By around 6 months, babies make cooing sounds such as 'ee', 'oo', 'ah' etc. They also turn towards sounds and gives eye contact when they hear an adult speaking or making sounds
By around 2 years, children say the following sounds in words- /p/, /b/, /m/, /n/, /t/, /d/. Examples at this stage include "gar" or "tar" for car or "ta" for "tap"
By around 3 years, children say the following sounds in words-/p/, /b/, /m/, /n/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/, /f/, /s/, /y/, /h/. Examples at this stage include "ephant" for “elephant” or "sop" for 'shop'. Unfamiliar listeners may still have difficulty understanding the child message.
By around 5 years, children say
the following sounds in words – /p/, /b/, /m/, /n/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/, /f/,
/s/, /y/, /h/, ‘sh’, ‘ch’, ‘j’, /z/, /l/, /v/. By this age speech should be mostly clear and easy to understand, but some immaturities may still be noted such as with ‘r’ and ‘th’ sounds
POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS IF SPEECH MILESTONES ARE NOT ACHIEVED
The ability to produce sounds to form words and sentences which can be easily and clearly understood by others is incredibly important.
Some common implications of delayed speech sound development and unclear speech include...
Difficulties being understood by others, including reduced ability to communicate wants and needs
Can affect social interaction with parents and peers
In early years can an affect oral muscle tone (i.e. of the tongue, cheeks, lips)
Frustration due to not being understood
Can affect fluency and clarity of speech
Difficulties with spelling due to articulation errors
Can affect expressive language development (e.g. leaving sounds off the end of words affecting verbal grammar)
If you're concerned about your child speech development or for more information get in touch today using the button below...