Speech is the verbal means of communicating.
Speech consists of the following:
- Articulation
- How speech sounds are made (e.g., children must learn how to produce the "r" sound in order to say "rabbit" instead of "wabbit").
- Voice
- Use of the vocal folds and breathing to produce sound (e.g., the voice can be abused from overuse or misuse and can lead to hoarseness or loss of voice).
- Fluency
- The rhythm of speech (e.g., hesitations or stuttering can affect fluency).
If you are wondering what sounds you child should be able to produce by a certain age, here is your answer!
Keep in mind that all children are different and that co-existing conditions may play a role in your child's ability to produce certain speech sounds. If you have concerns that your child's speech-sound production if affecting his/her ability in the classroom, feel free to inform your child's teacher or the school's SLPs.
Initial sounds occur at the beginning of a word: bug
Medial sounds occur in the middle of a word: robot
Final sounds occur at the end of a word: tub
