"What sounds should my child be making for his age?"
"My child can't say the /k/ sound! Is that normal?"
"Friends & family can't understand my child"
These are just some of the most frequently asked questions that I get when parents bring their child in with concerns around their speech development. If you have similar questions about your child's speech, you have come to the right place!
Speech Sounds Development
Children are expected to be able to produce a variety of speech sounds based on their age. Speech sounds that are easier to produce are most likely to be acquired at an earlier age as compared to that of sounds that are trickier to produce.
A child aged 3 years is expected to be able produce the following speech sounds: h, p, b, t, d, k, g, m, n, f, y, w, and ng.
A child aged 4 years is expected to be able to produce following speech sounds: h, p, b, t, d, k, g, m, n, f, y, w, ng, v, s, z, l "sh" as in ship, "ch" as in church, and "j" as in "bridge".
A child aged 5 years is expected to be able to produce the following speech sounds: h, p, b, t, d, k, g, m, n, f, y, w, ng, v, s, z, l "sh" as in ship, "ch" as in church, "j" as in "bridge", r, "th" as in they, and "zh" as in measure.
A child aged 6 years is expected to be able to produce the following speech sounds: h, p, b, t, d, k, g, m, n, f, y, w, ng, v, s, z, l "sh" as in ship, "ch" as in church, "j" as in "bridge", r, "th" as in they, "th" as in "thigh", and "zh" as in measure.
Click on the picture above to download a PDF version of the Speech Milestones handout
If your child substitutes certain sounds and you are wondering if it is part of the normal development of their speech, click here to find out more!