Speech - Youthrive

About speech development

A speech delay or difficulty is when a person has difficulties with forming speech sounds.

Articulation refers to difficulties producing particular sounds due to poor coordination of the articulators (i.e. lips, tongue, mouth). Phonology refers to patterns of speech errors that can develop typically and resolve as children grow. It becomes a delay, difficulty or disorder if these do not resolve as expected.

Children typically acquire speech sounds at certain ages/miltones and should acquire most speech sounds by the time they turn 5 years of age (excluding ‘r’ and ‘th’ sounds). Children also often go through similar patterns of errors as they develop speech sounds, which are not inherently a concern, unless they do not resolve (e.g. tat for kat, bish for fish).

Typically children are 50% intelligible by 2, 75% intelligible by 3 and 100% intelligible by 4-5 years old.

How and when to seek support

If you have concerns about your child’s speech development, it’s best to speak with a professional. You could discuss your concerns with your child’s GP, paediatrician, teacher or early educator. You could also make an appointment directly with a speech pathologist.

It Is best to seek support if:

You have difficulty understanding your child
Your child doesn’t say words the way you’d expect for their age
They become frustrated or upset when you or others don’t understand them
They have hearing loss
They only use a few speech sounds
A speech pathologist will complete an assessment of your child’s speech to determine strengths and possible areas for support. Following the assessment they may:
Suggest individual or group therapy sessions
Offer compensatory strategies to use when a communication breakdown occurs
Provide home practice strategies to support caregivers

With consent, collaborate with your child’s teacher/early childhood educator to build understanding and offer ways to support in the classroom