Parents often ask questions about their child’s speech sound development and what is expected for their age. Some of the questions we get asked are “My four year old child cannot pronounce the /l/ sound and says yemon for lemon. Is this okay?” or “Should my three year old child be saying his /th/ because he says fum for thumb?”
A child’s speech sounds gradually develop with age. Although the development of sounds can vary slightly, most children attain certain sounds by certain ages. Here is a general outline of when children develop the different sounds:
| Ages | Sound Development |
| Between 1 and 2 years | /p/, /b/, /m/, /n/, /t/, /d/ |
| Between 2 and 3 years | /m/, /b/, /p/, /y/, /w/, /d/, /h/ |
| Between 3 and 6 years | /t/, /ng/, /f/, /v/, /k/, /g/, /ch/, /j/ |
| Between 5 and 8 years | /l/, /r/, /s/, /z/, /th/, /sh/ |
You can use this as a general guideline to see if your child is more or less following the pattern.
If you have concerns about your child’s speech sound development, contact a speech pathologist and book an appointment. The speech pathologist will be able to tell you if your child is presenting with any speech difficulties or if your child is following the typical speech sound development.
Early intervention is important for improving your child’s clarity of speech.
Written By Tasneem Abdulsamad, Speech Pathologist
