Speech and Language Development
The following information represents typical development; however, every child is unique. If you are concerned about your child's speech and language development, please discuss your concerns with a speech-language pathologist.
Speech Sound Development
¢ 2 year olds – 50% intelligible
¢ 3 year olds – 75% intelligible
¢ 4 year olds – 100% intelligible
90% of Children Have Mastered These Sounds...
¢ p, d, m, w, h, n by 3 years old
¢ t, b, k, g by 4 years old
¢ f, v, y by 5-6 years old
¢ s, z, j, l, r, sh, ch, th, blends by 6-8 years old
Sounds develop along a typical pattern but every child is unique.
Vocabulary Development
Receptive Expressive
18 mos: 200 words 10-50 words
2-3 yrs: 2,000-3,000 words 200-600 words
3-4 yrs: 4,200-5,600 words 800-1,500 words
4-5 yrs: 5,600-9,600 words 1,500-2,000 words
5-6 yrs: 13,000-15,000 words
6-7 yrs: 20,000-26,000 words
Vocabulary is the foundation for learning language!
The following tables represent typical development for children ages birth-11 years
(American Speech-Language Hearing Association).