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How can I tell if my daughter has speech issues?
My 6-year-old daughter doesn't pronounce certain letters right, mainly her r's and w's. Should I give her time to grow out of her habits or take her to a pathologist? How should I know if this is going to be a problem?
15 Answers
Thank you for your question. Yes those "R's" can be troublesome. I typically assess oral motor and speech articulation skills as well as stimulability (ability to change), to determine if a child will "outgrow" the speech pattern. I have worked with children of all ages with the youngest of 5-6 years of age.
You may want to seek a formal speech / oral motor assessment with a Speech Pathologist either through the local school department or an outside Speech -Language Pathologist. Best wishes
Depending on where your daughter goes to school, she may be eligible to have her speech screened and the school-based SLP should be able to tell you if she needs speech therapy. Most public and charter schools provide these services. Alternatively, you can seek a private screening and/or evaluation from a private practice or clinic SLP. It may be that she will grow out of it, but chances are, she will need some intervention, particularly if there are other sounds that she is producing in error.
Children should correctly produce /r/ by the age of 8, however, you should take your child to get screened in case they made have a phonological disorder and need services now
Hi! Thanks for reaching out with your question. Typically, acquisition of those sounds should happen by age six, especially the 'w' sound. If you have concerns, it's always better to get intervention earlier rather than later. I recommend reaching out to an SLP that provides pediatric services in your area for more information.
By age 6 your child should be able to produce "r" correctly. I recommend her seeing a speech pathologist to remediate the errored sound. The longer you wait on /r/ productions the harder it is to remediate.
If your daughter is 6, oftentimes a Speech Therapist would not target her r’s until she is 7 or 8 years old. But, the w sound she should be pronouncing by now. If you have concerns about any other sounds besides her r’s, I would recommend that she be taken to a Speech Therapist for an evaluation. That way, she can get the help she needs, rather than waiting and hoping things will clear up on their own. She also could get testing done through her school if there is a Speech Therapist at her school, so that’s something to look into as well!
We look for the R sound to emerge between the ages of 5-7. If at 6 there is no evidence that it's emerging at least in some contexts, it's a good idea to get some speech therapy.
I recommend that you consult with your local speech-language pathologist to make sure her speech deficits won’t impede her communication long term.
You should schedule an appointment with a speech language pathologist ASAP. Six years is an age she should have gotten most of her sounds. /r/ is a late developing sound for some children. However, if she has not gotten it yet she needs intervention. The longer you wait the more difficult it is to train.
Hello,
Yes, she needs to have a speech and language evaluation to test the severity of her articulation concern.
Thanks.
Dear Parent,
Many children your daughter's age have difficulty producing a few speech sounds. Your daughter's public school can provide an assessment to determine if speech therapy is needed.
Best Regards,
Debra Beckman, MS, CCC-SLP
I would recommend having your daughter complete a speech-language pathology evaluation. An SLP will determine if there is a speech disorder, the severity, and provide articulation goals/objectives for your daughter to work on.
/r/ is a difficult sound for many students and between ages 6 and 7, some children are able to narrow down sound production. I have an idea of what is going on because of the "w" also being difficult for her and I would recommend her to get an assessment completed by a speech language pathologist.
At the age of 6, you may wish to seek out speech therapy for your daughter's r pronunciation. Typically, r production difficulties subside around kindergarten. Proper r pronunciation can help her academically, particularly as she is learning to read and spell. Children will spell the way they hear sounds, and if her sounds are distorted this could affect her spelling.
If she does not have a “w” sound I would have her evaluated. If she does not have an /r/ it’s personal preference. /r/ is a sound that can develop until she’s 8 or 9 years old. Is she in 1st grade? There is nothing wrong with having the speech therapist at school take a look at her.