Speech Sounds

Sounds in Speech

Speech is made up of different sounds, made in different parts of the mouth, in different ways. Speech sounds are the sounds we say and hear in words, not the letters that are there when you read or write them.

Children need to hear the sounds in words, remember the sounds and then say them clearly. For some children with speech sound difficulties, they may make mistakes or develop their sounds at a different rate to other children.

Ways to help

• Make sure your child can see your face, so they can see the mouth movements for all the sounds you’re using.
• Keep the background noise as low as possible when you are talking to them. It will be really hard for them to hear the sounds clearly if there is lots of competing noise
• If you don’t understand something the child has said, don’t pretend that you have. Repeat back any parts you have understood. This should prompt them to repeat it without putting pressure on the child e.g. “dad went...” “poppy carried what?”.

You could also ask your child to show you or take you to what they are talking about. 

• Focus on the content of what the child is saying rather than focusing on how they are producing each sound. This shows them that you want to talk and that you are listening.
• Be sympathetic – take the blame yourself. Tell the child that your ears weren’t working as well as they should! 
• If you hear the child make a mistake, try not to correct them. Instead, repeat back what they said but with the correct sound e.g. “mummy, loot a tat”, you say “yes, oh yes, it’s a cat”.