Articulation Articulation refers to the way we use individual sounds to form words.

Expected age of sound acquisition:

Age 3: m, p, b, d, h, w, n, y

Age 4: k, g, v, f, ch, j, t, ng

Age 5: l, r, th, sh, s, z, dj

• Variation may occur, however children should be able to make all sounds accurately by 8 years old.

When to be concerned:

• Parents and/or strangers cannot understand what the child is trying to say.
• The child learns speech sounds at a significantly slower rate than peers.
• The child is frustrated that people cannot understand him/her.
• The child exhibits a speech pattern that is not developmental (ex. lateral lisp or nasal speech).

How to help:

• Model correct sound production
• Make “funny faces” in front of the mirror as you talk about how to form a sound correctly
• When a child says something incorrectly, repeat it using a correct model.
• Ask a speech therapist for help

Source:

Peterson, Sarah (2009). Current Best Strategies to Help Speech Language Pathologists Better Meet Student Needs. Bureau of Education and Research.