Understanding My Child’s Speech

HELP!!!

How much of my child’s speech should I understand? What’s normal and what is disordered? These are questions that I get asked A LOT! As your child progresses from their first birthday on, you will hear more and more words. The more our little ones talk, the more we ask ourselves, “Is this normal?”.  Well, what is “normal”......... Sometimes it’s hard to say as the spectrum of normal can be quite wide! These guidelines are a good indication of where your child should be from 12 to 48 months.

 *It is always approprieate to seek out a speech and language evaluation if you are concerned about your child’s speech*

12 months: Around 12 months of age you should start to hear those first few words,  “mama” & “dada” being the most common!  This is a great time to start incorporating simple signs if you choose to do so because baby is using meaningful gestures such as clapping, waving, and pointing. Adding in gestures can help with understanding your babies wants and needs! 

18 months: By 18 months you should start to  understand about 25% of your child’s speech. This is when many parents start to have that first inkling that maybe their child’s speech is a bit behind. Remember that early intervention is SO helpful!!! Trust your gut! 

24 months: By now your child should be using at least 50 words and combining words into simple phrases (i.e. “more apple” “bye-bye momma”).  Your child’s speech should be at least 50% intelligible to unfamiliar listeners. Your child should be producing consonants  p,b,m, t, d, n, h, & w with relative ease in connected speech. 

36 months:At around 3 years of age we start to hear our little ones using longer phrases and simple sentences. By three years of age your child should be at least  75% intelligible to unfamiliar listeners! If you find that family members and friends often can’t understand most of what your child is saying, it’s a good idea to get a speech and language evaluation! 

48 months: By 4 your child should start to have “adult-like speech”. Speech should be almost 100% intelligible to unfamiliar listeners. Your child should be able to tell you a story ( the crazier the better!!). Your child should be able to produce most consonants correctly, with the exception of a few later developing sounds such as  /r/ and “th”.

 ** Although /r/ and “th” have been labeled “later developing sounds”,  I believe that early intervention pays off. If a child is demonstrating the ability to sit and attend to a task, 4 years of age is a great time to start early intervention for speech sounds!** 

If you are concerned about your child’s speech, talk to your pediatrician or contact a local speech therapist! It is always best to get a speech and language evaluation from a licensed Speech & Language Pathologist to determine your child’s individual needs!