All About Articulation: When Your Child Can't Say Their Speech Sounds

Children have A LOT to learn when starting to speak! Articulation, the sounds a child makes when speaking, is an important aspect of a child’s expressive communication that may require help from an expert.

When a child struggles to produce speech sounds by a certain age, a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) can help them improve their articulation (pronunciation) in fun and motivating sessions tailored to your child’s specific needs. This article will help you understand speech sound development and when to contact an SLP if your child is having difficulty saying their speech sounds.

What is articulation therapy?

Articulation therapy is a type of speech-language support that helps children learn to produce speech sounds correctly. If your child is having difficulty saying certain sounds, a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) can assess their development and guide them step by step toward clearer speech.

Early speech development

Did you know babies first begin to learn the sounds of a language before they are even born? They do! A baby listens to the sounds they hear in their mother’s voice.

Once out of the womb, babies begin “cooing” by making vowel-like sounds around 4-6 months of age. Their first real consonant speech sound appears around 6-10 months and is called “babbling” – when they start to combine consonants and vowels together. Considering the chart below, it is not surprising that a child’s first word is often “mama!”

When should my child be able to say their speech sounds?

The following speech sound development chart will give you an idea of which speech sounds you can expect your child to start making, and the age they should be mastering each sound by. If you’d also like a broader look at early language development, our guide on speech delays and when to start speech therapy has more detail.

Speech sounds	Typically starts making	Mastered by
P, B, M, H, N, W	First sounds (around 6 months)	3 years
K, G, D	2 years	4 years
T, NG (as in sing)	2 years	6 years
F, Y	2.5 years	4.5 years
R, L, S	3 years	6.5 years
CH, SH, Z	3.5 years	7.5 years
J, V	4 years	7.5 to 8 years
Voiceless TH (as in think)	4.5 years	7.5 years
Voiced TH (as in this)	5 years	7.5 years
ZH (as in measure)	6 years	8.5 years

Source: Speech-Language and Audiology Canada (SAC)

Young children are naturally harder to understand

You may notice that you have a hard time understanding young children’s speech, and that’s normal! As children develop their speech sounds, they increase their intelligibility, or ability to be understood by others. Their intelligibility increases approximately by 25% every year from their 1^st birthday. When they are 1 year old, you can expect to understand approximately 25% of what they are saying, at 2 years old (50%), 3 years old (75%), and when the child is 4-5 years old, you should be able to understand everything they are saying.

Parents can use the speech sound development chart above, as well as an intelligibility rating, to help them determine if it’s time to reach out to an SLP. An SLP will conduct a speech sound assessment and take a language sample to determine whether therapy is recommended.

When to talk to a Speech-Language Pathologist

Consider reaching out if your child is not producing expected sounds by the ages in the table above, if strangers have consistent difficulty understanding them, or if you notice your child avoiding words they find hard to say. If you’re also wondering about overall language development and late talking, our post My Child Is Not Talking Yet covers early language milestones in more detail.

A free phone consultation is a low-pressure first step, and early support often makes a real difference.

Chart showing speech sound development milestones in children by age, from Arbutus Speech Therapy

What will an articulation assessment uncover?

An SLP will listen and observe the way your child forms their speech sounds to determine whether your child is on track or delayed in their speech sound development. If a delay is observed, the cause of the speech difficulties will relate to a Speech Sound Disorder or a Phonological Impairment.

Speech Sound Disorder vs. Phonological Impairment

Speech sound disorders are related to the coordination of the muscles of the mouth. When a child is using an inappropriate position to make a sound, this results in a speech sound error. There are a few different types of errors that a child can make that include: substitution, omission, addition, or distortion.

Some common speech sound disorders involve difficulty pronouncing: R, L, S (lisps), and Y.

Phonological impairments are different to speech sound disorders in that they are not related to the motor coordination of the articulators, but instead to a neurological misunderstanding of the patterns of sounds in a language. If your child is diagnosed with a phonological impairment, they are likely producing errors that follow one or more of the following processes (or patterns):

Substitution Processes (replacing sounds with other sounds)

Fronting: Sounds made at the front of the mouth with the tip of the tongue are replaced with sounds made at the back of the mouth with the back of the tongue e.g., “guck” for “duck.”
Backing: Sounds made at the back or mid-mouth with the back or middle of the tongue are replaced with sounds made at the front of the mouth with the tip of the tongue e.g., “got” for “dot”; “tip” for “ship.”
Stopping: Sounds made with a constant airflow are replaced with sounds made by stopping the airflow, e.g., “pin” for “fin”; “dunk” for “chunk.”
Other substitution phonological processes include: Affrication, Deaffrication, Alveolorization, Depalatalization, Vowelization, Gliding, Labialization

Assimilation or Syllable Structure Processes:

Devoicing: a voiced consonant (made with phonation) is replaced with a voiceless consonant, e.g., “cap” for “cab.”
Cluster reduction: A consonant cluster (two consonants making a single sound) is reduced to a single consonant, e.g., “top” for “stop.”
Other assimilation or syllable structure processes include: final or initial consonant deletion, weak syllable deletion, epethesis, and dimunization

How an SLP can help:

If your child has a Speech Sound Disorder, your SLP will first identify if your child has a difficult time hearing the difference between the sound they are producing and the sound they are trying to produce. This is called auditory discrimination. Once discrimination is achieved at near-perfect levels, your SLP will develop a treatment plan to target appropriate positioning of the articulators (tongue, lips, teeth, and jaw) to produce an accurate speech sound. See below for a better idea of what articulation looks like.

If your child has a Phonological Impairment, your SLP will first identify the specific patterns that your child’s speech follows. Once identified, your SLP will help your child build up their awareness for the differences between how they are currently making their speech sounds and how to accurately produce their speech sounds. This typically begins with a more in-depth education period for the child related to different linguistic elements of speech (e.g., phonological awareness, phonation, positioning of articulators). SLPs have creative and fun ways to make this learning fun and engaging!

What does Articulation Therapy look like?

Articulation therapy at Arbutus Speech Therapy entails fun and engaging lessons that help children learn about and practice making accurate speech sounds in a step-by-step way. Your Arbutus Speech Therapist will work through several levels during articulation therapy, starting with ensuring an accurate sound production in isolation and progressing until the sound is generalized to conversational speech. Once your child can create the sound in conversation, it is considered mastered!

Steps in Articulation Therapy

Producing an accurate speech sound in isolation (on its own)
Practicing the target sound in syllables (adding a vowel to the beginning or end)
Practicing the target sound in words, at the beginning, middle, and end of words
Practicing the target sound in short phrases
Practicing the target sound in sentences
Practicing the target sound in stories or fun activities
Using the target sound in generalized conversation and in all communicative contexts (automatic use of accurate speech sounds)
Mastery!

Frequently Asked Questions about Articulation Therapy

When should I contact an SLP about my child’s speech?

A good starting point is the sound development table above. If your child is not producing expected sounds by the listed ages, if strangers consistently have difficulty understanding them, or if you notice your child avoiding words they find hard to say, it is worth reaching out to a Speech-Language Pathologist. A free phone consultation is a low-pressure first step.

Who is more likely to have a speech sound disorder or phonological impairment?

According to Speech-Language and Audiology Canada (SAC), factors that increase the risk include: a family history of speech-language delays, disorders, or reading difficulties; an identified language impairment; or difficulties with phonological awareness (sounding out letters in words). If any of these apply to your child, speaking with an SLP early is a good idea.

How long will my child need articulation therapy?

Every child’s speech is different. How long therapy takes depends on the type and number of speech sound errors, your child’s current intelligibility, their motivation, and the time spent practicing between sessions. Your SLP will give a clearer sense of timeline after completing an assessment.

Can I help my child practice at home?

Yes, and it makes a real difference. Practicing regularly between sessions helps your child’s brain build muscle memory for accurate sound production. Your SLP will give you specific exercises and games tailored to your child’s current level.

Concerned about your child’s speech sounds?

Articulation therapy can help children learn how to accurately produce their speech sounds. A Speech-Language Pathologist is an expert in identifying the root cause of a speech disorder and building a treatment plan tailored to your child.

Book a free phone consultation