Speech-Language Development
Speech-Sound Development
The chart below shows at what age 90% of the boys and girls can correctly produce the English language speech sounds at the beginning and end of words. Vowels or correctly produced by the age of 4. All children do not develop at the same time or in the same way, so we cannot expect correct speech from every child in the lower primary grades.
The following are norms according to Smit (1990), Shriberg (1993), and Grunwell (1997).
The chart below shows at what age 90% of the boys and girls can correctly produce the English language speech sounds at the beginning and end of words. Vowels or correctly produced by the age of 4. All children do not develop at the same time or in the same way, so we cannot expect correct speech from every child in the lower primary grades.
The following are norms according to Smit (1990), Shriberg (1993), and Grunwell (1997).
Phonological development
Other considerations
Speech and Language of The Two Year Old
Speech and Language of The Three Year Old
Activities to stimulate language at this age
Speech and Language of the Four Year Old
Activities to stimulate language at this age
Speech and Language of the Five Year Old
Activities to stimulate language at this age
Mary Brooks and Deedra Engmann, 1976
Other considerations
- Final Consonant deletion absent by age 3.
- Intelligibility should be at least 67% by age 3.
- ·Omissions are absent by age 4.
- Substitutions are absent by age 7
- Errors of phonological processes should be absent by age 7
Speech and Language of The Two Year Old
- · Understands simple questions and directions
- · Identifies body parts
- · Uses mainly names of things, actions, persons and situations in his/her language
- · Asks “what’s this?”, “what’s that?” and “where’s my?”
- Reading books with simple colorful pictures
- Repeating new words over and over
- Talking about what you are doing
- Asking questions to stimulate additional thought and language
Speech and Language of The Three Year Old
- Has a sentence length of about 3 words
- Begins to obey prepositional phrases like “put the block under the table”
- May repeat sounds, words and phrases, which is perfectly normal at this age
- Asks “what” questions frequently
Activities to stimulate language at this age
- Continuing to extend conversation
- Talking about similarities and differences
- Encouraging your child to tell stories using books and pictures
- Letting your child play with other children
Speech and Language of the Four Year Old
- Begins to identify colors and shapes
- Follows commands even though objects are not present
- Asks “who?” and “why?”
- Uses past tense correctly
Activities to stimulate language at this age
- Help you child classify objects and things (ex. What kinds of things can you ride in?)
- Helping you plan activities such as what you will make for supper
- Read longer stories
- Let him/her tell and make up stories
Speech and Language of the Five Year Old
- Defines objects by their use
- Knows common opposites like big/little and hard/soft
- Understands same and different
- Questions for information
Activities to stimulate language at this age
- Commenting on what you did or how you think your child feels; this will stimulate more speech than a direct question
- Encourage your child to use language to express his feelings, ideas, dreams, wishes and fears.
- Continue to read longer stories
Mary Brooks and Deedra Engmann, 1976
