Age Guidelines for the SpeechWaysTM Program
When is your Child Ready to Overcome their Speech Problem?
Once you have determined that your child can benefit from the SpeechWays program, you'll need to know the earliest age you can start working with your child. See the chart below to find out the best ages to begin teaching your child their "new" speech sound!
| Speech Sounds |
When to Start |
When to Wait |
Typical Dev. |
Late Development |
| /k/ |
Age 3 1/2 - 4 |
Age 3 |
Age 4 |
Age 5 |
| /f/ |
3 1/2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
| /s/ |
3 1/2 - 4 |
3 |
7 |
7 1/2 |
| /l/ |
4 1/2 - 5 |
4 |
7 |
7 1/2 |
| /sh/ |
3 1/2 - 4 |
3 |
7 |
7 1/2 |
| ch / j |
3 1/2 - 4 |
3 |
7 |
7 1/2 |
| /th/ |
4 |
3 |
8 |
8 1/2 |
| /r/ |
4 1/2 - 5 |
4 |
7 |
7 1/2 |
*** Remember, if your child has MORE THAN ONE speech sound in error, work on the sounds in the above suggested order: k, f, s, l, sh, ch/j, th, r. This recommendation follows developmental guidelines as well as taking into account the ease of teaching each sound. For example, although /l/ and /r/ follow the same developmental pattern, /l/ is an easier sound to teach because it is easy to see in the mouth. Therefore, if your child has an /l/ AND an /r/ problem, you might find you have more success starting with the /l/ sound.
