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MAY IS BETTER HEARING AND SPEECH MONTH
What Did You Say?

Written by Dorothy P, Dougherty,
MA, CCC-SLP, Speech/Language Pathologist

May, Better Hearing and Speech Month, is a great time to take a close look at your child's ability to speak clearly. Learning to say all sounds correctly is a gradual process and often a young child's pronunciation of sounds is endearing and not a cause for concern. However, if your child's speech sounds significantly different from his age peers, or he frequently avoids talking because he is hard to understand, he may have a speech sound disorder.

Articulation disorders, difficulty saying speech sounds correctly, is identified in approximately one million preschool children each year. Research suggests that problems with articulation, if left unchecked, can lead to reading and spelling difficulties, social challenges, and self-esteem problems.

What Did You Say?

Below you will find guidelines or the predictable order that many children develop their ability to speak clearly. You should be able to answer yes to the questions listed below that pertain to your child's
age level.

1. Do you understand approximately 25 percent of what your
eighteen-month-old child is saying?

2. Do you understand approximately 60 -75 percent of what your two-year-old child is saying?

3. Do family members and caregivers understand your three-year-old child's speech? Does he correctly produce vowels and such sounds as: p/, /b/, /m/, and /w/ in words. Does he repeat, when not understood, without becoming frustrated?

4. Do people with whom you do not associate with regularly understand your four-year-old child when he speaks? Does he correctly produce the /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/ and /f/ sounds?

5. Is your five-year-old child's speech understood my most listeners in all situations?

6. Is your child, who is eight to nine years of age, able to make all the
sounds of his language correctly, including /r/, /s/, /z/, and consonantal
blends (For example: /pl/, /tr/, /st/, and /sk/).

Are you Helping Your Child Learn to Talk?

The strongest resource any child can have is a well-informed parent
who knows which speech sounds are normal, which are not, and
how to help a child say speech sounds when they are developmentally ready. Review the following questions and answers, and take a close look at how you interact with your child.

 

1. Do you speak clearly, naturally, and most of all, correctly?
Yes No
Answer

2. Do you ask your child to repeat a word she has said incorrectly?
Yes No
Answer

3. Do you praise your child often?
Yes No
Answer

4. Do you pretend to understand your child even when you don't?
Yes No
Answer

5. Do you educate others about your child's speech difficulties?
Yes No
Answer

6. Do you prepare your child for new situations?
Yes No
Answer

Finding Help

As most children mature, their overall speech patterns usually become more understandable. However, some children need speech therapy. A speech/language pathologist is trained to assess, treat, and help prevent speech and language problems in children (beginning at birth) and adults. This professional may work in a variety of settings, including colleges or universities, hospitals or medical clinics, local public schools, and private offices. It is certainly not necessary or wise to wait until you child is in kindergarten to seek help. If your child meets state requirements, your local school district or county health department is required to provide appropriate free services for children from birth to five years of age.

To find a private speech/language pathologist close to your home, you can look in the yellow pages, call the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (1-800-638-8255), or go to the ASHA website www.asha.org and click on "Find a Professional." This will certainly set your mind at ease if you learn your child is developing as he should, or getting help, at an early age, will make treatment easier. You can relax and have fun helping your child reach his true potential.

Other Articles
By Dorothy P. Dougherty

WebChat with
Author and Speech/Language Pathologist
Dorothy P. Dougherty
May 17, 2005

Click here to read a transcript
of the web chat.

May Is Better
Hearing And Speech Month

Pretend Play - Don't
Throw it Away

Sites to See

American Speech
Language-Hearing Association