Some terms used in relation to speech sounds/What can go wrong?
Definitions
'Speech sounds': the individual sounds we use to make words.
In English we have 24 consonant sounds and 22 vowel sounds for the 26 letters of the alphabet. These are described by the place they are made in the mouth.
'Phonological awareness': the knowledge that individual sounds make up words.
It also includes noticing similarities and differences in words, (rhymes, syllables, initial and final sounds) and their ability to mentally manipulate sequences and chunks of sounds.
'Auditory discrimination': the ability to listen and detect find differences between words.
What can go wrong?
Children might have difficulty with any stage, they may only have one or two sounds that are incorrect or unintelligible to friends and family.
"My child says "tat" for "cat""
Some children will substitute one sound for another. It is normal at early stages of development. If the "k" sound is always said as a "t" cat will be said as "tat" and back as "bat". If you are concerned about a child's development then consult a speech and language therapist. You can help by saying the word clearly. Eg, if he says "tat", you reply "yes a cat", so that they can hear how the word should sound.
What can I do to help?
With young children try repeating the word for them to hear - they need to hear words lots of times to learn how to say them. Accept the child's own production of a word at this stage as they may not be ready or able to say it correctly.