When to be concerned about a childs speech?

Okay ladies. My daughter is 3 as of April 1st. She still doesn’t pronounce her R’s, S’s, th’s, and it’s aggravating bc she is so smart and has so much to say but 90% of the time people outside her closest family doesn’t understand her. We did speech with her a while back but it got too costly and wasn’t helping bc they were too busy teaching her sign language rather and actually helping my daughter pronounce her words. Is this normal will she outgrow this on her own once she starts preschool and is around other children her age? She’s an only child and no family her age to be around to learn.

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She’s three. Take a chill pill. It has nothing to do with smarts, it has to do with she’s still young and learning pronunciation. Be patient.

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My now 5 year old use to do this. But now you couldn’t tell. She will be fine I’m sure.

Speech therapy and all that is not necessary! And don’t stress! My son is/was the same way. He will be 4 in october. Just work with her every day. Correct her when she mispronounces something. And be persistent and consistent.

I had that problem around her age. Once I was in preschool I did speech there and being around other kids helped a lot. She’ll get there it’s just a learning process :relieved: try not to stress about it because she can pick up on that and could start not talking because of it. I’ve known some kids who did that. Just give it time and breathe.

Its perfectly normal. Certain letters with other letters are more difficult for children to pronounce. She’s also three, its not a race for intelligence.

Just practice with her. A good way would be to find little rhymes or songs with those sounds and teach them to her so she can practice. She’s still young she’ll get there. My toddler does a ton of things ahead of his age physically but barely talks. They all develop at their own rate. I wouldn’t worry until primary school age.

My 3 year old daughter can’t pronounce Js. When she says juice it sounds like shoes. She starts school in August so I’m going to wait until then to ask her pediatrician.

lol 3? Wow . Let a child be a child , correct it and don’t frustrate yourself . She will feel that pressure from you and might make her feel bad .

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My babe was three April 21st, she’s a brilliant talker, holds sentences etc… but for the life of her she can’t pronounce her ‘La/Lo’s properly, or her ‘Br’ words very well… there’s a few more but I can’t remember off the top of my head. My daughters gone to nursery since she was two though so I think that helped her a lot, cause she was a talker at two aswell, but no one but me could understand her :see_no_evil::joy: just keep doing what your doing, and if she doesn’t improve when she starts pre k, seek professional help again or look into some apps/games/songs to help with words. Good luck!

my last son had a hard time wirh blending words. School speech had a lit candle . when he could keep the flame lit it was right. also feeling the words forming. just repeating the words over and over. try at home your self

My 3 year old is the same but she’s perfectly on target and making progress every day. It gets better. Keeping working on it

If they’re teaching her sign language that means she has a hearing deficiency she’s not going to be able to pronounce her words like the way a non “deaf” person would

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My sons 10 and still has issues sometimes a three year olds still learning and growing they will change as they get older.

My daughter couldn’t pronounce R sounds u til this year and she’s 6. Her pediatrician didn’t seem too worried and said if she finishes kindergarten without saying them then we would see a speech therapist.

My child also they are learning don’t worry with time they will learn to say it

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Don’t be so hard on her

My son has a little bit of a lisp when he started preschool (3 years ago) and at the end of his second year of preschool I asked his teachers if they were concerned with it and they didn’t and he is growing out of it now and he will be 7 in September

Only 3.most likely she will grow out of it.

Its going to be ok they offer free speech to children when they go to school I had speech class

My youngest 2 both had speech issues - some they outgrew and some we’re still working on with school; she’s young; her speech isn’t delayed; those sounds (according to my children’s speech therapist) are sounds they develop later when they’re 5-6.

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Sounds normal, just keep conversating and reading with her.

I still have a lisp, was in speech therapy in school from 1st grade to 6th grade, it helped a lot but it isn’t gone, my grandpa has a lisp too, it has nothing to do with how smart we are or not, it’s the way my tongue fits in my mouth when I speak

My son is 3 and a half and cannot pronounce his L’s he will say rowd instead of loud. He cannot pronounce his Z’s either. He calls his brother Dane even though his name is zayne. There’s a lot of things he has troubles with.

She still little, in time let her grow up slowly. if after 5 she still having trouble then yes seek professional help. Hopefully she’ll grow out of it.

I discontinued “speech therapy” for my daughter because all they were teaching her was sign language. She wasn’t deaf. A few months later she was speaking in full, articulate sentences. Some kids can benefit from sign language but I didn’t feel she was. Is she in preschool or preschool type programs? My kid is an only child and all of her cousins are either in Canada or were 15 years older. I put her into preschool for socialization and it helped her greatly.

My grandson also 3. He also battles with c and f and s sounds but helping him to pronounce it all the time it will come right in the end

I never outgrew my lisp and can’t pronounce the l’s, S’s, Z, and a bunch more words, it may just be something you need to live with

She’s 3. 3!! Her speech is just developing!! Give her time to develop ffs. :woman_facepalming:

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Your local school district may offer assistance for as young as 4 through a preschool program at no cost. Contact your local school district or surrounding school district regarding your concern.

Leave her alone e. Itll happen. If it doesnt by the time shes 5 and in kindergarten then ask the school. Until then, let it go and let her be a child. This is coming from a language teacher with 27 years experience…as well as a fellow April 1st baby.

My daughter will be 4 in September. Smartest 3 year old I’ve ever met in my life. Seriously. Shes very well spoken, but there are some letters and sounds she can not pronounce. My 5 year old boy is just getting to where he can pronounce “th” sounds. Kids learn on their own time. She’s still has plenty of time to get it down

My daughter had the same issues, she also pronounced G with D, it all worked out fine. We did speech therapy too and it didn’t, trust me one day you will miss this.

My youngest is in daycare and he gets speech through the school district, it has helped him tremendously. My oldest did speech too- started pre-school years, that was also through the school district. I would call the school district that you live in and talk to them.

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My now 13yo wasn’t able to say sushi until was was 10 or 11 (she’d say shoe-shee no matter how slow and deliberate she tried to say it right, had no other speech delays). She’ll be fine in time. Just be patient :blush:

Mine does a bit too and super smart but you can’t expect them to talk like a scholar at three give her some time. Don’t rush her growing up, help her.

She’s three. I think she’s fine lol :rofl: It’s not uncommon for kids to hardly talk at 2… So I wouldn’t sweat it.

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My oldest is 5 now but honestly hardly spoke at all until she was 3-4 years old. She doesn’t stop now, but we didn’t think she was ever going to speak it was always gibber. I honestly thought she may have needed tubes. Her speech is fantastic now. My 2 year old on the other hand has been speaking clear sentences for almost a year now.

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My first grandchild couldn’t say her R’s well either and she called me Gwamma and I love it. Now I have 5 grands and they all call me Gwamma!

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call your local prechool public school they should offer walkout speach or preschool for All program if she qualifiys for it.

You have plenty of time. I made an appointment for my then 4 year old and they told me he was advanced and they wouldn’t intervene for those sounds until around age 8.

My daughter is 3.5 smart as all hell and she can’t pronounce her ST. She pronounces it as a D instead. so imagine the shock on people’s faces when she says the word stick. I wouldn’t worry to much. I always find it interesting when people don’t understand her but to me she’s speaking so clearly.

when she gets in school they will give her speech therapy

Contact the school district she will eventually be attending, tell them her issues and ask to have her evaluated for speech. Easy peasy. And having a speech impediment like your child’s has generally nothing to do with intelligence.

Get her in a head start program

My oldest (also an April fool’s baby, but is 21yrs old now) did the same… Once he started kintergarten it went away quickly! Try not to worry so much mamma - she’s still a baby. If she doesn’t outgrow it by 5 or 6, look for a speech therapist…

You guys don’t have an early interventist? We have somewhere close,that we can call and get them screened, and we usually have to do transportation but I think that’s all…next time they do a preschool screening, take her and see what happens

R is developmental until 3rd grade. A school SLP wouldn’t do anything about that sound until then. Th is around end of 2nd grade.

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It is perfectly normal. None of my 3 kids could pronounce those properly til older.

I am an early childhood special education teacher and work closely with speech therapists for my students. Errors with sounds that you are talking about are considered age/ developmentally appropriate at her age. Errors with the R sound are actually considered age appropriate until 3rd grade. Try not to worry too much just keep modeling the appropriate ways to say the sounds.

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My son had problems saying his f’ s for a long time then he started preschool and he eventually grew out of it and is fine now

To help her you can do a few things, sit both of you down in front of a mirror and practice saying the sounds together and words, she is able to see how your mouth moves and see how her own mouth moves too, make sure you praise every effort and you can also link it in with recognising letters by tracing the letters with your finger using the alphabet. But mostly the biggest thing you can do is to make sure that when you talk with her you are facing her and have eye contact while speaking. We are all busy parents and it is easy to forget that speech is learned by sight as much as sound…and that a lot of the conversations we have with our children are when we are busy, cooking, doing dishes, driving etc so actually they rarely get to see how to actually sound it out…if you turn your back, the sounds “th” and “s” sound very similar. Think about how your tongue moves in your mouth to make the sound, some are easy to make and some are more complex :grinning: good luck :grinning:

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My son has been in speech therapy since 3 months old. Your daughter is right on track developmentally. My son is four and only starting to say the “s” in smell and other words that start with “s.” Some of his “th” are “f” sounds. It’s all developmentally age appropriate.

If by kindergarten she still has issues. Most schools will place her/him on an IEP of some sort for speech. Every child is different, my 1st child/son didnt hardly speak a word until age 4, now he’s 12 and wont hush up :joy:
Just breathe and enjoy the moment!

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A child’s speech progresses as they mature just like a baby goes thru different forms of motion such as turning over and crawling before walking. Give it time

There is a developmental timeline for sounds and speech implementors at schools follow that. Like the /th/ sound is one that they don’t usually work on in speech class until first or second grade.

Try to find an ESD close to you. The one here works with the schools and does speech therapy free of charge if the kid qualifies.

3 ???
Damn yall are hard on these poor babies! Let her be a baby!!! Lord :roll_eyes:

It will probably help when she’s around other kids and more people, I had the same problems and started speech therapy in kindergarten and only have trouble with “s” when I’m tired

When I was 6 I couldnt say my s.I had speech therapy at school.Im good now.

I’m not sure where you live, but call your school district? They may be able to help. Ours do!!

I had problems with my Rs. When I was in elementary school I took speech to help me learn how to speak them.

Check for a tongue tie

My son struggled with his S’s mostly. They offered speech therapy through the school that didn’t cost anything. He’s doing much better now!!

She will outgrow it
My little brother and sister (They are 3 and a half) both cannot pronounce R yet and we are afrikaans so it’s in nearly every word
She will come right
Just give her time

Its possible she does outgrow it. Ive always had problems with my R’s and W’s as far as switching them (Example: Rick would be Wick or Weight would be Reight). Doctors reccomended that they snip the tie under my tongue bc its too long/big for my mouth and thats why ive had problems speaking growing up. Im 24 and i still have problems occasionally. Its definitely something to look into

My daughter is 50 years old,and she can’t pronounce some letters or words.It’s no big deal.When she was 3 and went to nursery school,she couldn’t use scissors right, she couldn’t cut a straight line,guess what she still can’t,No big deal.They learn at their own pace.

My son has the same problem. Even his dad can’t understand him but hes been doing better and better with time.

I am also wondering the same for mine as well. He is 3 about to be 4 next month nd can say a few word to make out a sentence. He tries to hold a conversation with u but it becomes hard to understand what he is saying most of the time. I’m afraid they might not approve him for school since his speech is a lil off. Plus I don’t have the expenses for speech therapy. Thinking about talking with the school staff to see if they free programs that would be able to help him.

My daughter still has trouble sometimes. It’s normal.

My little cousin had a speech impediment, once she got to school the school set her up with someone to help her for free. Shes doing a lot better now. She had the same problem but everything had a “th” sound with it and she had a bit of lisp.

Give her time she will get it i had the same problem with my five yr old and he now fita be in kindergarten he progress alot in pre k but i want push it till she get ready to go school especially starting kindergarden

If she doesnt outgrow she can be evaluated in school and qualify for pullout services from the school district.

Speech issues have nothing to do with intelligence…it is a physical issue

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I couldn’t say my Rs until I was like 10 lol.
She’s only 3, give her time l.

Yea she will outgrow it, if she’s on the mark or above everything for her age I wouldn’t worry. My son didn’t talk much until his 3rd bday then he started talking more and more everyday, and especially after he started daycare around 9montjs his speech has gotten so much better and clearer. I would just keep practicing at home and I’m sure she will outgrow it soon!

Shes only 3…she will probably grow out of it. I couldn’t say my R’s until 2nd grade, then one day I woke up and was fine. At 3 I wouldn’t put so much pressure on her. Just playfully help her. My youngest couldn’t say “th” until he was 5. Hes 9 now and can say them fine.

Both my sister and I had hard times with R’s and L’s, by 4 we had outgrown it :slightly_smiling_face: every child is different!

My daughter was the same… started speech therapy in 3rd grade and continued t
Through fifth grade. She was good to go after that!

My daughter was 3 on April 13 and she is the same. She has done speech therapy and they dont worry about pronouncing words until about 5 right now it’s more about putting sentences together

Public school system may provide resources for her.

It’s actually normal for kids to struggle with those letter sounds up to age 7.

My youngest is almost 4. He struggles with Y’s and R’s because he has an underbite.

Very very common at this age, any peds dr will tell you. If it’s still an issue by kindergarten, the schools interventionalist will accommodate any who needs help. Out of the 24 kids in my sons kindergarten class, 14 were in speech (then 12 in 1st and just 10 in second which was when he finished).

The must be more to your story if a speech therapist was teaching her sign language…??

My three year old neice does this she calls me Ribbet instead of bridget

My son has ADD and talks like a 4 yr old like 90percent of the time. It’s driving me insane. He is about to be nine. He is more than likely going to a speech therapy really soon.

My son did speech therapy and they always teach baby sign language with it… it helped him greatly learning both together isn’t a bad thing and for words they have trouble with there Is a back up way to communicate so theres less pressure

My daughter was speech delayed and school helped her a lot (she has an iep) and they did speech therapy in school. Keep practicing at home and just talk to school teachers when she gets into school.

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Talk to your pediatrician he/she can order speech therapy for her. And your insurance will pay for it. My 14 year old went through speech therapy starting at 2-until kindergarten at The University of Mississippi.

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My son is 4 and barely spoke 1 or 2 words at a time till shortly after his 3rd bday(yes I took him to the doctor, they told me it could have to do with him being premie) and hes a very very smart kid…
Now he never stops talking lmao however he has some issues with his s’s and th’s (and a few very simple words are very hard for his to pronounce yet he can say xylophone no problem :neutral_face:)
Give your baby some time! I’d say if shes still having some problems in a few years then I’d be worried.

This is very normal ad these are later developing sounds but if her speech isn’t clear overall, have her evaluated by your school district. At 3, they will expect 75% of what she says to be understandable.
Also, trust that the SLPs working with her know what they are doing. Teaching signs is an important tool because it allows many children to be understood when they otherwise could not communicate. If a child is frustrated they may act out which could interfere with therapy time. At that age, therapy will be play based, so they likely won’t be just hammering away at word exercises. They will play games, do crafts or even just do regular activities (like picking up toys) but everything will be directed at working on a specific set of skills.

She needs speech. Maybe a new teacher? Also - signs can be part of the process.

Many of these sounds don’t develop completely until the ages of 5-8. Thats,what we were told by different speech therapists. I was worried about my son when he was younger, but he outgrew it. I wouldn’t worry about it if everything else is on target.

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We have several programs in our town. Google for help in yours.

My son is 8 they put him in speech in pre-k. He was in speech until this past year in 2nd grade and they said he was doing good but he still can’t pronounce his Rs right, but yeah they’ll provide her speech therapy in school if they see she needs it

When I was at that age, I barely talked at all!!! If i did speak, i didnt pronounce stuff correctly either. My parents enrolled me in school early n i was in Special Ed til halfway through 4th grade. I wound up acing too much in Special Ed and had me go into regular classes…got my 1st C that year lol. Nevertheless, now i dont shut up n I did awesome in English and Spelling as I got older. Might grow out of it like I eventually did. As long as she is putting sentences together, she is doing fine

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Not to bash… but my son was the same. Had a delay in speech, completed speech therapy until age 3 (3.5 now) which was completely free and should have been for you also. The best way to teach a child to speech is the use of sign language along with the repeated speech, which is your fault if you didn’t even try. Because after a year my son spoke like crazy. But I guess I just cared more than you. Also he doesn’t pronounce his r’s, s’s, and th’s - some children do not start until 4/5 years old. And my child was professionally evaluated. Sooooo… your in the wrong.

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The schools should help him in kindergarten

I feel she will outgrow it.

My don was in speech thru preschool ino first grade for the same sounds…and if school says they need it, they can either do it at the school or insurance should pay