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Your health: Speech delay in children



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Children develop speech sounds in the same order and at approximately the same age.

What is Articulation?

Articulation refers to a child’s ability to correctly produce sounds through appropriate placement of the tongue, lips, teeth, jaw and soft palate. Some children have trouble producing speech sounds correctly for their age.

What is Phonology?

Phonology refers to the specific rules that determine how sounds are put together to form words. "Phonological processes" are speech patterns that a child uses to simplify the adult production of a word and are considered normal in the development of a child’s speech. For example, it is normal to say ‘wabbit’ instead of ‘rabbit’ until about five years of age. As a child’s speech develops and matures, these processes disappear and speech becomes more intelligible. For some children phonological processes persist for longer than they should for their age.

What causes some children’s speech sounds to be delayed?

  • Hearing difficulties – children can suffer from fluctuating hearing levels due to middle ear infections and wax compaction. Hearing difficulties can distort the sounds that are heard and cause articulation delay.
  • Physical problems with the teeth, hard and soft palate, jaw and tongue can make it difficult to make speech sounds correctly.
  • There may be a family history of speech difficulties.
  • Language delay (i.e. delayed understanding of spoken language or delayed use of spoken language).
  • Gender - more boys have trouble with speech sounds than girls.
  • Dyspraxia of speech – where children have difficulty planning and coordinating the production of speech sounds. It is often difficult to diagnose and requires long term treatment.
  • Unknown causes

What are the consequences of articulation and phonological delay?

  • Children may become frustrated if others cannot understand what they are saying
  • They may be teased by other children
  • Difficulties with phonology may impact upon literacy development

How can a Speech Pathologist help?

Speech Pathologists can assist children to understand and say the appropriate speech sounds for their age. They may assist children by teaching them about the speech sounds, and by assisting them to know what to do with their lips, tongue, teeth and voice in order to make the target sound correctly. Speech Pathologists also train parents to help their children to practice their speech sounds each day at home.

When should you see a Speech Pathologist?

As children develop speech sounds the clarity of their speech varies. As a guide, the listener can expect the following:
  • By 3 years: familiar people will understand the child
    The first sounds children learn for 0 – 3 years; m, n, p, b, t, d, w, y, k, g
  • By 3 ½ – 4 years: people who see the child regularly will understand them
    Children learn these sounds in preschool, around 3 ½ - 4 ½ years; f, sh, ch, j, l, s, z
  • By 4 – 4 ½ years: unfamiliar listeners should be able to understand the child
    The following sounds are developed during school-aged years, around 5 – 8 ½ years; r, v, th and sound blends (pl, sl, tr, gr etc).

Contact details for Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Health Service Speech Pathology are on this website.

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Last updated 11 May 2005

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