Waterford & East Orlando Speech Therapy; Understanding What Your Child Says

We’ve all had times when we found it difficult to understand what our child was saying. The clarity of their speech is impacted by how well they can articulate sounds.  

Speech Intelligibility

Speech intelligibility refers to how well a child’s or adult’s speech can be understood. There is more that goes into speaking than most people realize, such as knowing what sound to make, the rhythm, how to pronounce them, the volume, formulating syntax, staying on topic and much more.

How much of what my child says should I be able to understand?

Ideally, your child’s speech should be developing as they age. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association presented information at a convention showing the typical norms for a child should be:

26-50% intelligible by age 2

75% intelligible by age 3

90% intelligible by age 4

By 5 years of age, a child should be about 100% indelible. Of course there will still be pronunciation errors, but someone who is not familiar with your child should be able to understand them when they speak.

Children grow at their own pace, but speech development usually follows a predictable schedule. According to the Mayo Clinic, by age 2, most children can: 

Use simple phrases, such as “more milk”

Ask one- to two-word questions, such as “Go bye-bye?”

Follow simple commands and understand simple questions

Speak about 50 or more words

Be understood at least half the time by parents or other primary caregivers

Between the ages of 2 and 3, most children:

Speak in two- and three-word phrases or sentences

Use at least 200 words and as many as 1,000 words

State their first name

Refer to themselves with pronouns (I, me, my or mine)

Can be understood most of the time by family or close friends

If you or your loved ones are having trouble understand your child, a speech therapist may be able to help improve their speech.“The earlier a child’s speech and language problems are identified and treated, the less likely it is that problems will persist or get worse. Early speech and language intervention can help children be more successful with reading, writing, schoolwork, and interpersonal relationships,” according to ASHA.