SPEECH PROBLEM?

I often receive referrals with concerns about “speech problems.”

“I can’t understand my son… He has a speech problem.”

But what do you mean by “speech problem”? Is it a language issue or an articulation issue?

This is often when parents realize there’s actually a difference between language and speech sounds. Well…Let’s talk about speech sounds today.

Speech sounds are the individual sounds we use to form words. We produce these sounds using our voice box, oral muscles, jaw, lips, teeth, and tongue. It’s important to note that speech sounds are not the same as letters. For example, the word "shape" (/ʃeɪp/) has five letters but consists of only three sounds: 'sh', 'a', and 'p'.

Some sounds develop earlier, while others emerge a bit later. Here is a reference,

Category	Speech Sound
Early sounds (Acquired between 2;0 and 3;11)	/b, p, n, m, d, h, w, t, k, ɡ, f, ŋ, j/ /b/ - ball /p/ - pen /n/ - nose /m/ - moon /d/ - dog /h/ - hat /w/ - wet /t/ - tea /k/ - cat, kite /g/ - girl /f/ - fox /ŋ/ - ring /j/ - you
Middle sounds (Acquired between 4;0 and 4;11)	/v, ʤ, l, ʧ, s, ʃ, z/ /v/ - vet /ʤ/ - jam /l/ - leg /ʧ/ - chair /s/ - sun /ʃ/ - sheep /z/ - zebra
Late sounds (Acquired between 5;0 and 6;11)	/ʒ, ɹ, ð, θ/ /ʒ/ - Asia /ɹ/ - rain /ð/ (voiced) - that /θ/ (voiceless)- three

Based on Crowe & Mcleod, 2020

Source: Crowe, K., & Mcleod, S. (2020). Children's English Consonant Acquisition in the United States: A Review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1-15. doi:10.1044/2020_ajs|p-19-00168

Is there another way to determine if my child has trouble with speech?

We can also assess the overall speech intelligibility of the child in daily conversations to see if he or she needs additional support for speech sound development.

Here is a reference guide,

Age	Intelligibility Level
19-24 months	25-50%
2-3 years	50-75%
3-4 years	75-100%
4+ years	100% with only a few articulation errors

Source:

McLeod, S., & Baker, E. (2017). Children’s speech : an evidence-based approach to assessment and intervention. Pearson.

 Peña-Brooks, A., & Hegde, M. N. (Mahabalagiri N. ). (2015). Assessment and treatment of speech sound disorders in children : a dual-level text (Third edition.). PRO-ED, an international publisher.

Book a consultation with us to get further information and guidance.