Speech Sound Development From Ages 2 to 7

Speech sound development of a child begins in the early years of childhood; and understanding its acquisition milestones can be of great help to the parents, care providers, and educators.

In this article, we will explore the typical progression of Speech Sound Development from the ages 2 to 7, based on the Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation-2 (GFTA-2).

Speech Sound Development at Age 2: The Building Blocks
Speech Sound Development at Age 3: Expanding the Repertoire
Speech Sound Development at Age 4: Fine-Tuning Skills
Speech Sound Development at Age 5: Mastering Complex Sounds
Speech Sound Development at Age 6: Developing Fluency
Speech Sound Development at Age 7: Refining Articulation

Speech Sound Development at Age 2: The Building Blocks

At age 2, kids start to produce some of the interesting foundational sounds that will act as the building blocks for more complex speech. Well, these early sounds are typically produced at the beginning (initial), middle (medial) and end (final) of words.

Initial Sounds:

/b/ as in "ball"
/d/ as in "dog"
/h/ as in "hat"
/m/ as in "mom"
/n/ as in "nose"
/p/ as in "pig"

Medial Sounds:

/b/ as in "baby"
/m/ as in "hammer"
/n/ as in "dinner"

Final Sounds:

/m/ as in "home"
/p/ as in "cup"

At this stage, children start to experiment with their vocalizations and are quite eager to communicate their needs and wants.

Speech Sound Development at Age 3: Expanding the Repertoire

By this age, a child’s speech sound repertoire expands significantly. By now, they begin to produce quite a wider variety of sounds, which allows for more complex word formation.

Initial Sounds:

/f/ as in "fish"
/g/ as in "goat"
/k/ as in "kite"
/t/ as in "top"
/w/ as in "water"

Medial Sounds:

/f/ as in "sofa"
/g/ as in "wagon"
/k/ as in "bucket"
/ŋ/ as in "singing"
/p/ as in "apple"
/t/ as in "butter"

Final Sounds:

/b/ as in "crab"
/d/ as in "bed"
/g/ as in "dog"
/k/ as in "duck"
/n/ as in "sun"
/t/ as in "cat"

Speech Sound Development at Age 4: Fine-Tuning Skills

At the age of 4, kids now continue to fine-tune their speech sounds and they begin to produce much more complex sounds and sound combinations.

Initial Sound:

/kw/ as in "queen"

Medial Sound:

/d/ as in "ladder"

Final Sound:

/f/ as in "leaf"

These advancements help children articulate their thoughts more clearly which leads to better understanding by others.

Speech Sound Development at Age 5: Mastering Complex Sounds

By this age, children are mastering more complex sounds and blends, which quite significantly improves their speech clarity.

Initial Sounds:

ch as in "chair"
j as in "jump"
/l/ as in "lamp"
/s/ as in "sun"
sh as in "shoe"
y as in "yes"
/bl/ as in "blue"

Medial Sounds:

ch as in "teacher"
j as in "cage"
/l/ as in "yellow"
/s/ as in "buses"
sh as in "washing"
/z/ as in "easy"

Final Sounds:

/l/ as in "ball"
/ŋ/ as in "ring"
ch as in "beach"
j as in "cage"
/s/ as in "house"
sh as in "dish"
/r/ as in "car"
/v/ as in "love"
/z/ as in "buzz"

Speech Sound Development at Age 6: Developing Fluency

At age 6, children develop fluency in using more complex consonant clusters and sounds. This enhances their ability to engage in more sophisticated conversations.

Initial Sounds:

/l/ as in "love"
/v/ as in "van"
/br/ as in "bread"
/dr/ as in "drink"
/fl/ as in "flower"
/fr/ as in "frog"
/gl/ as in "glass"
/gr/ as in "green"
/kl/ as in "clown"
/kr/ as in "crab"
/pl/ as in "play"
/st/ as in "star"
/tr/ as in "train"

Medial Sounds:

/r/ as in "carrot"
/v/ as in "seven"

Speech Sound Development at Age 7: Refining Articulation

By age 7, children refine their articulation skills and gain mastery over the remaining challenging sounds.

Initial Sounds:

/z/ as in "zoo"
/sl/ as in "slide"
/sp/ as in "spoon"
/sw/ as in "swing"
th as in "think"

Medial Sound:

th as in "mother"

Final Sound:

th as in "both"

Supporting Speech Sound Development

At Total Communication Therapy Center, we understand the importance of supporting children's speech-sound development through play-based approaches. Our team of Speech-language pathologists uses evidence-based interventions to help children develop the skills they need to communicate effectively.

Why Choose Us?