01/15/2024
Speech Sound Development Chart
Have you ever wondered if your little one needs speech therapy for pronunciation?
💥There are many things to consider -
👄Intelligibility in comparison to peers (intelligibility is a child’s ability to be understood by others- primary caregivers may understand more than strangers!)
🦻🏼Age & sounds the child can and cannot say (shown here!)
And - social and academic factors! 🏫 👯♀️
Research shows that “Social impact assessments are an important portion of a speech sound evaluation; however, they are often overlooked. The social impact of an SSD includes the child's perceptions, feelings, and attitudes about how others view his or her communication, as well as the perceptions, feelings, and attitudes held by those who interact with the child. These perceptions may limit children's access to typical social interactions in the school setting, which, in turn, may limit the child's participation in the educational setting. Researchers have consistently found that having a communication disorder results in long-term negative academic outcomes (Lewis & Freebairn, 1992; Sices, Taylor, Freebairn, Hansen, & Lewis, 2007) and social interactions (McCormack, Harrison, McLeod, & McAllister, 2011; McCormack, McLeod, McAllister, & Harrison, 2009). Negative academic outcomes and social interactions may lead to a reduction in quality of life through adulthood (Feeney, Desha, Ziviani, & Nicholson, 2012).”
In short, there’s more to assessing a kid’s speech than a graph or a test. If you’re wondering if you should take your child for an evaluation, the answer is probably YES. There’s no harm in having an evaluation and if treatment is needed, you’re already in the right place.
How old is your little one? What sounds is he or she able to say?⤵️
✨Chart info from Crowe, K., & McLeod, S. (2020). Children's English consonant acquisition in the United States: A review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.
