My child's speech is hard to understand
Children learn to make sounds by listening to and interacting with the people around them. Even before birth, babies start to focus on voices and begin experimenting with sounds, like cooing, gurgling and making squeaks. As they grow, this playful sound-making turns into babbling, which eventually develops into longer strings of sounds and, later, their first words. It is common for children to continue using babbling as they start to form real words.
Which speech sounds should my child be able to say?
Learning to pronounce sounds correctly and using them in words takes practice. Some children can say words clearly from the start, while others need more repetition before their words become understandable.
Speech sound development can vary widely among children. Early sounds like p, b, and m are usually learned first, while sounds like ch, j, th, and r tend to develop later. In fact, some of these sounds may still be developing up until after the age of 8. Many sound substitutions are developmentally appropriate, so they are expected up to a certain age.
What types of errors can children make?
For some children, learning to say sounds and use them in words can be challenging. They might substitute one sound for another or leave out sounds at the beginning or end of words. Some children may be able to repeat a sound on its own but struggle to use it in words. For most children, these sounds continue to improve over time.
Children often are not aware when they are mispronouncing words and may become frustrated if others cannot understand them.
How can I help?
There are lots of ways that you can help your child to communicate effectively and to reduce their frustration when trying to get their message across.
- Show your child that you are listening
- Model the words back to them but do not correct them
- Repeat back the last bit that you understood
- Do not say “say …” (asking them to repeat the word just to say it clearer)
- Offer choices
- Admit when you cannot understand
- Ask them to show you
- Use gestures
- Lose the dummy
Consider how your child is speaking right now:
Which sounds do they struggle to say or use?
Can most people understand what they are trying to communicate?
How do they react when others do not understand them?
What strategies have you tried so far to help your child express themselves?
As parents, you know your child better than anyone! You understand their favourite activities, what toys they enjoy and what brings them joy. By adding simple strategies into your daily routines, you can help support your child’s speech sound development.
What should I do if I’m worried?
Try implementing the advice on this page for a couple of months. It may take time for both you and your child to adjust to new activities or ways of communicating with each other.
If, after a couple of months, you are still concerned about your child’s speech sounds, please talk to your child’s teacher (or the ALNCO at school). Schools may be able to offer additional support to help your child. If both you and the school remain concerned about your child’s speech, we suggest the school refer to our service, providing information about how the speech difficulties are affecting your child’s learning.
Useful Links: