Speech Sound Development

Below are the sounds that are typically mastered by the ages represented. This is a general guideline for checking on the developmentally appropriate sounds for each age.

Your child’s sound errors might be a process rather than a misarticulated sound…

Phonological Processes are patterns of sounds errors, substitutions, or omissions. The following are some of the developmental phonological processes that are typically suppressed by the following ages.

Before age 3
Deletion of Initial Consonants “ouse” for “house”
Deletion of Final Consonants “cu” for “cup”
Syllable Deletion “puter” for “computer”

Before age 4
Fronting “tan” for “can”

Before age 5
Stopping “tun” for “sun”
Consonant Cluster Reduction “top” for “stop”

The above information is an estimate of sound development. Additional factors are considered when determining if your child has a speech sound disorder.