Sound Advice

Approximately 7 in every 100 Australian children will experience a speech or language delay. If not addressed early, these problems can impact on a child's overall communication, academic and social development.

While individual children learn to speak at different stages, many parents wonder if their child is meeting developmental milestones and if their son or daughter's speech and language is developing normally.

Paediatric Speech Pathologist Ros Osling is part of the children's education and health team at Kids First Children's Services at Brookvale. Ros reports that children's understanding of communication develops from the moment they are born as they hear and watch their parents communicate with them.

‘Children's communication begins when they cry, babble, and laugh. First words generally emerge around 12 months of age and children tend to string two words together when they are about two', she said.

‘By three, children should be able to use four word sentences and by the time they have turned five, most kids should be able to join simple sentences together and use appropriate grammar.'

Ros said that about fifty percent of what two year olds say and seventy five percent of what three year olds say should be understood by people outside of the family. ‘For children over four, one hundred percent of their speech should be understood by outsiders, although it's not all speech sounds have been acquired by this age'.

Ros advised that although these milestones are a general guide only, parents are right to be concerned if their child starts to experience communication difficulties and are wise to take action if they are worried about their son or daughter's early language development.

‘Ensuring that your child is hearing properly is an important first step when investigating the cause of a potential delay in language and speech sounds. Early assessment is very important and can affect the outcome of treatment.'

Ros said that many parents are concerned by their child's lisp or tendency to substitute sounds.

‘Some children may say ‘t' for ‘k' or ‘w' for ‘r' so that ‘tar', ‘tey', ‘wed' and ‘wabbit' replace ‘car', ‘key', ‘red' and ‘rabbit'. Long term, this difficulty may impact on the child's ability to identify sounds when they go to school and start learning to read and spell.'

Stuttering is also an issue for some kids and Ros specialises in treating children who present with difficulties trying to speak smoothly.

"The research indicates that about five percent of children begin to stutter between the ages of three and four. This tends to occur when their vocabulary begins to grow and they start to use short sentences.'

Ros advised that a large proportion of children who stutter will stop without needing any treatment, although the professional monitoring of a child's stutter in the early stages is recommended.

For the remaining children who will need treatment, Ros recommends early intervention. ‘Long term, stuttering can lead to difficulties with peer relationships, bullying and anxiety. The research also suggests that it can be harder to successfully treat stuttering if it is left until later in a child's life.'

If a child can overcome difficulties with their language, speech sounds and stuttering before they start school, it is more likely that they will experience social, emotional and academic success. According to Ros, the help a child receives through early intervention pays dividends for their future. It not only helps a child to develop speech and language, but it can also give parents new skills so that they can encourage their child to learn to communicate confidently and clearly.

‘Parents are their child's best teachers,' she said. ‘An informed parent who uses the right strategies to help their child can make a huge difference to that child's progress' 

Ros advised that parents who are concerned about their child's language and speech acquisition or stuttering should always seek professional advice by consulting their Paediatrician, GP or visiting a Speech Pathologist.

For information about Speech Pathology at Kids First, click here

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