What Sounds Should My Child Be Able to Say? An Articulation Guide for Parents.

Not sure if your child should be saying certain sounds yet? Think your child might have an articulation disorder? This blog provides an overview of the developmental milestones for speech-sound acquisition, the definition of an articulation disorder, the evaluation process, and effective treatment approaches.

Developmental Milestones

Typically, children acquire speech sounds in a predictable sequence. Understanding these milestones helps distinguish between typical development and potential articulation disorders. Here is a general guideline for speech-sound acquisition so you know approximately when your child should be saying each sound:

- 0-6 Months: Infants produce cooing and babbling sounds, such as “aaah” and “ba-ba,” which lay the foundation for later speech development (Oller, 2000).

- 7-12 Months: Babbling becomes more complex, including repetitive consonant-vowel combinations like “ba-ba” or “da-da” and varied consonant-vowel combinations like “ba-da.” By the end of this period, infants may produce their first recognizable words (Jusczyk, 1997).

- 13-24 Months: Jargon (strings of babbling with sentence-like intonation) develops, and children use a variety of vowels and some consonants (usually /p, b, m, n/) within their speech production (Paul & Norbury, 2012).

- 2 Years: At this age, about 90% of children can produce: /p, b, d, m, n, h, w/ within a single word (McLeod & Crowe, 2020).

- 3 Years: At this age, about 90% of children can produce: /k, t, y, g/ and “ng” within a single word (McLeod & Crowe, 2020).

- 4 Years: At this age, about 90% of children can produce: /f, v, s, z, l, j/ and “ch, sh” within a single word (McLeod & Crowe, 2020).

- 5 Years: At this age, about 90% of children can produce: /r/ and “th” voiced (“the”) within a single word (McLeod & Crowe, 2020).

- 6 Years: At this age, about 90% of children can produce: th voiceless (“thumb”) within a single word (McLeod & Crowe, 2020).

It is important to recognize that these milestones can vary from child to child. Variations within the expected age range may still fall within normal development; however, persistent difficulties could indicate an articulation disorder. If you have concerns, contact Language and Literacy Corner, LLC (Maryland residents only) or your local speech-language pathologist.

What is an Articulation Disorder?

An articulation disorder involves challenges with producing specific speech sounds correctly. Children with this disorder might distort or substitute sounds, which impacts the clarity of their speech (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 2016). For instance, a child with an articulation disorder might say “wabbit” instead of “rabbit” or “thun” instead of “sun.” These deviations can impact communication and social interactions, making it essential to address and manage them effectively. Accurate identification and assessment of these disorders are crucial, as well as implementation of evidence-based treatments (McLeod & McKinnon, 2007).

If I Think My Child Has an Articulation Disorder, What Should I Do?

A comprehensive evaluation by a speech-language pathologist (SLP) is essential for accurately diagnosing an articulation disorder. The evaluation process generally includes a case history to understand your child’s development and medical background, standardized assessments to determine how your child’s speech production compares to age-matched peers based on normative data, a speech sample to see if/how intelligibility is impacted, an oral-motor examination to assess the structure and function of the articulatory structures, and a dynamic assessment to see what interventions or cues your child might respond well to in therapy if needed.

If My Child Needs Speech Therapy, What Would That Look Like?

Your child would meet with their speech-language pathologist consistently (usually on a weekly basis, although your speech-language pathologist might recommend a higher frequency). Intervention for articulation disorders relies on evidence-based practices that are tailored to the individual needs of the patient. Some approaches include:

Articulation Intervention: This involves direct instruction in the correct production of speech sounds. Therapy typically includes teaching sound production through visual, tactile, and auditory cues as well as practice in various contexts (Kung et al., 2021).

Phonological Awareness Integration: Teaching phonological awareness helps children understand and manipulate sounds at the level of phonemes and syllables. Activities may include rhyming, segmenting, and blending sounds. Integrating speech-sound production and early literacy skills builds a stronger phonological (sound) system, which leads to more effective results (McNeill, 2009).

Functional Communication: Integrating articulation practice into everyday communication scenarios can make learning more relevant and engaging. For example, practicing sounds during play or at the dinner table helps reinforce correct sound use in natural contexts (Washington, et al., 2012).

Family and Educator Involvement: Involving families and teachers in the therapeutic process ensures consistency and support for the child’s speech development. Providing strategies and activities for practice at home and in the classroom can reinforce therapy goals.

What Do I Do Next?

In summary, refer to the developmental milestones to see if your child is producing the sounds within their age range. If not, contact Language and Literacy Corner, LLC (Maryland residents only) or your local speech-language pathologist to schedule an evaluation or ask any questions you may have regarding articulation disorders.

References:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2016). Articulation disorders. Retrieved from https://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589935337&section=Assessment

Jusczyk, P. W. (1997). The discovery of spoken language. MIT Press.

Kung, K., & Ugas, M. (2021). Critical Review: Is DTTC an effective therapy approach for improving intelligibility in children with apraxia of speech?.

McLeod, S., & Crowe, K. (2020). Speech sound disorders: A practical guide for clinicians. Springer.

McLeod, S., & McKinnon, D. (2007). The importance of early intervention for children with speech sound disorders. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 9*(1), 34-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549500601157656

McNeill, B. C., Gillon, G. T., & Dodd, B. (2009). Effectiveness of an integrated phonological awareness approach for children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 25(3), 341-366.

Oller, D. K. (2000). The emergence of the speech capacity. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Paul, R., & Norbury, C. F. (2012). Language disorders from infancy through adolescence: Assessment and intervention. Elsevier.

Washington, K. N., Thomas-Stonell, N., McLeod, S., & Warr-Leeper, G. (2012). Parents' perspectives on the professional-child relationship and children's functional communication following speech-language intervention. Canadian Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, 36(3), 220-233.