Speech Sound Development
Speech sound development unfolds from the earliest moments of a child's life. Just like mastering a musical instrument, the journey of articulation and phonological prowess is an intricate process that shapes the way we communicate and connect with the world around us.
In this blog, we'll delve into the intricate dance of vocal and speech sound development and uncover the milestones, challenges, and triumphs that mark the developmental path of speech sounds. From the babble of infancy to the development of articulation skills in complex words, each stage contributes to the harmonious balance of spoken language.
Laying Foundation for Speech (Birth to 1 year)
Vocal Development
0-2 Months is called the Reflexive Stage. This is where your baby will produce vegetative sounds like burps and hiccups, and produce fixed vocal signals including crying and fussing.
1 - 4 Months is the Control of Phonation Stage. This is where your baby will begin to ‘coo and goo’. They will produce consonant-like segments including raspberries, clicks, isolated consonants, vowel-like segments, chuckles, and sustained laughter.
3 - 8 Months is the Expansion Stage. This is where your baby will produce isolated vowels, two or more vowels in a row, vowel glides, ingressive sounds, squeals, and marginal babbling.
5-10 Months is the Basic Canonical Syllables Stage. This is where your baby will produce single consonants like vowel syllables, whispered production, and CV-C or CVCV syllable structures (consonant/vowel).
Transitioning From Words to Speech (1 year to 2 years)
9-18 Months is the Advanced Forms Stage. This is where your baby will produce complex syllables (VC, CCV, CCVC) jargon and begin to use diphthongs (ie., ay, oy, ow, owe). Common consonants used are h, d, b, m, t, g, s, w, n, k, j p.
Intelligibility is the ability to be understood. A child who is 18-24 months is ‘typically” 25-50% intelligible by unfamiliar listeners.
The Growth of the Inventory (2 to 5 Years)
“Children across the world acquire consonants at a young age. Five-year-old children have acquired most consonants within their ambient language; however, individual variability should be considered” (McLeod & Crow, 2018).
From 2;0 to 3;11 years of age your child will typically develop and master the following sounds: p, b, m, d, n, h, t, k, g, w, ing, f, j. Your child’ intelligibility is roughly 50-75%.
From 4;0 to 4;11 years of age your child will typically develop and master the following sounds: l, j, ch s, v, sh, z. Your child’s intelligibility is roughly 75-90%.
Mastery of Speech and Literacy (5+ years)
By 5+ years of age, your child will develop and master the following sounds: r, th. Their intelligibility rating is typically 90%.
We often see that schooling and literacy have profound effects on speech sound development by fostering phonological awareness, vocabulary growth, literacy skills, oral language proficiency, and exposure to diverse language models. These aspects collectively contribute to the refinement of an individual's speech-sound abilities throughout their educational journey. Here at Fx Therapies, early intervention in speech sound disorders is key to taking advantage of the brain's heightened plasticity during the critical period of language development. It aims to address issues promptly, prevent potential challenges, and lay the foundation for strong communication skills, ultimately enhancing a child's overall development and well-being.
BUT WAIT…there’s more.
Children can also produce phonological processes. A phonological process refers to a systematic and rule-governed pattern of sound errors that children use as they develop their speech and language skills. These processes are considered normal aspects of early speech development, and most children naturally outgrow them as they mature and refine their articulation and phonological abilities. However, in some cases, persistent use of phonological processes beyond the expected age range may indicate a speech sound disorder and further assessment by a speech-language pathologist may be recommended.
Please be advised, that this list does not include ALL phonological processes, however, it does include a list of the most common phonological processes and has been gathered from the following resources. Throughout research, there can be a significant difference between ages of elimination.
Processes of Assimilation: Suppressed by 3 -4 years of age.
Consonant Harmony - When one sound in the word becomes similar to another sound in the word. For example, dog = dod.
Pre-Vocalic Voicing - When a voiceless consonant in the beginning of a word like /k/ or /f/ is substituted with a voiced consonant like /g/ or /v/. For example, pig = big, comb = gomb.
Word Final De-Voicing - When a voiced consonant at the end of a word like /b/ or /d/ is substituted with a voiceless consonant like /p/ or /t/. For example, pig = pick.
Processes of Substitution:
Stopping/Suppressed by /f,s/ = 3 years, /z,v/ = 4 years, /sh, ch, j, th/ 5 years - When a fricative or affricate consonant (f,v, ch, j) are produced as a stop consonant (t, d, p, b). For example, sun = ton, four = pour
Fronting / Suppressed by 4- Back consonants (k/g) are produced as front consonants (t,d). For example, car = tar.
Deaffrication/Suppressed by 4 years - Affricates (ch, j) are realized as fricatives (sh). For example, chair = shair.
Depalatization/ Suppressed by 5 years - When a palatal sound (sh, r,) is produced with a nonpalatal usually alveolars. For example, fish = fis.
Gliding /Suppressed by 5 years- When liquid sounds (l/r/) are replaced with a glide /w, j/, or another liquid. For example, rabbit = wabbit, one = run, weg = leg. 5 years
Processes of Syllable Structure:
Final Consonant Deletion / Suppressed by 3 Years - Deletion of the final consonant/sound in the word. For example, dog = do
Cluster Reduction / Suppressed by 4 years without /s/ and 5 years with s - deletion of the consonant in a consonant cluster. For example, plane = pane, spoon = poon.
Weak Syllable Deletion/Suppressed by 4 years - Deletion of unstressed syllable. For example, elephant = efant, potato = tato, banana = nana
Speech therapy can help children develop correct sound production, improve intelligibility, and enhance overall communication skills. It's important for parents, caregivers, and educators to be aware of typical speech development milestones and seek professional guidance if concerns about intelligibility persist beyond the expected age range.
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Bernthal, J.E., Bankson, N.W., & Flipsen Jr, P. (2017). Articulation and Phonological Disorders Speech Sound Disorders in Children. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Bowen, C. (2011). Table1: Intelligibility. Retrieved from http://www.speech-language-therapy.com/
Lanza, J.R., & Flahive, L.K., (2008). LinguiSystems Guide to Communication Milestones. Illinois: LinguiSystems, Inc.
McLeod, S. & Crow, K. (2018). Children’s consonant acquisition in 27 languages: A cross-linguistic review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Retrieved from https://pubs.asha.org 68.82.63.124
