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Is Your Child Falling Behind?

Speech Clarity

Poor communication can lead to a troubled and confused child. Unclear speech, sentences that don’t make sense, and not understanding others are all signs that your child is having trouble communicating. Below is a guide so you can judge if your child’s speech and communication skills are progressing normally.

Between birth and three years your child will attempt:

  • Lip sounds: p,b,m,w
  • Tongue tip sounds: t,d,n
  • Back of mouth sounds: k,g
  • Other sounds: h,y

It’s important to note that most children will say these sounds clearly by the time they are three.

Here’s How To Help Your Child’s Development:

Sucking, learning to bite and chew, as well as putting the odd item into their mouth are all important activities for your child to undertake.

That’s because these behaviours help your child to become aware of the different mouth parts they possess and also it helps to control and change mouth positions… this is an important learning step for your child.

By four and a half years, your child will also attempt:

  • Tongue tip sounds: s,z
  • Middle of the mouth sounds: sh, ch
  • Other sounds: l, j, f

Most children can be easily understood by this age. However, if your child is tired, a bit off colour, or just plain excited, then of course his or her speech may be less clear.

Here’s How To Help Your Child’s Development:

Singing, playing rhyming games, playing and reading books are all fun ways to help your child sort out different word and sound patterns. Even just talking and playing with other children will help your child’s normal development.

By eight and a half years your child can say:

  • All of the sounds clearly.
  • The last sounds to develop are: v, th, r

It’s important to note that some children may take extra time to blend all of the sounds together. Especially with such words as tree, plane, desk and so on.

Here’s How To Help Your Child’s Development:

Reading to your child every day, interacting with him or her and generally just listening and talking about their day, will help your child to develop normally.