You know exactly what your child is saying—but grandparents, teachers, friends, or other adults frequently look to you for a translation.
Sound familiar?
Parents often become concerned when their child is talking frequently but other people have difficulty understanding what they’re saying. Maybe certain sounds are consistently produced incorrectly, longer sentences become difficult to understand, or your child becomes frustrated when someone asks them to repeat themselves.
Children don’t learn to pronounce every speech sound at once. Speech develops gradually, and many sound errors are expected during early childhood. However, there are times when difficulty being understood may indicate that a child could benefit from additional support.
At BK Kids Pediatric Therapy in Joliet, IL, our Speech-Language Pathologists evaluate children’s speech and language skills to determine whether their development is progressing as expected and whether Speech Therapy may be helpful.
Why Can I Understand My Child When Other People Can’t?
This is extremely common.
Parents spend countless hours listening to their children speak. Over time, you learn your child’s unique speech patterns.
If your child consistently says a word a certain way, your brain begins to recognize what they mean—even when the pronunciation isn’t accurate.
You also have context.
If your child is standing near the refrigerator and says something that sounds like “mi,” you may immediately understand that they’re asking for milk.
Someone who doesn’t know your child as well doesn’t have those same clues.
That’s why a parent understanding most of a child’s speech doesn’t necessarily mean everyone else can.
What Is Speech Intelligibility?
Speech intelligibility refers to how easily another person can understand someone’s spoken communication.
Several factors can influence how understandable a child is, including:
- Age
- Speech sound production
- Number of speech sound errors
- Types of errors
- How quickly the child speaks
- Sentence length
- Voice volume
- Familiarity of the listener
- Language development
A child’s speech may sound relatively clear when using one or two words but become much more difficult to understand when they begin speaking in longer sentences.
That’s one reason Speech-Language Pathologists evaluate more than individual sounds.
Children Learn Speech Sounds Gradually
Children aren’t expected to pronounce every sound correctly when they first begin talking.
Some sounds develop earlier, while others take longer to master.
During normal speech development, children may simplify difficult words or substitute sounds that are easier for them to produce.
As children grow, their speech typically becomes increasingly understandable.
Rather than focusing on whether a child can pronounce one particular sound, it can be helpful to consider the overall pattern:
Is your child’s speech becoming easier to understand over time?
If speech remains significantly difficult to understand compared with other children of a similar age, an evaluation may provide helpful information.
Signs Your Child May Have Difficulty With Speech Sounds
Parents may notice:
- Frequent sound substitutions
- Leaving sounds out of words
- Difficulty producing certain sounds
- Words sounding significantly different from the intended word
- Speech becoming harder to understand in longer sentences
- Family members frequently translating for the child
- Teachers or peers having difficulty understanding them
- The child becoming frustrated when asked to repeat themselves
- Avoiding certain words because they’re difficult to pronounce
- Speaking less around unfamiliar people
Not every speech sound error requires therapy. However, when speech difficulties begin interfering with a child’s ability to communicate effectively, it may be appropriate to consider a Speech Therapy evaluation.
What Are Speech Sound Disorders?
A speech sound disorder involves difficulty producing or organizing speech sounds appropriately for a child’s age.
There are different types of speech sound difficulties.
Articulation Difficulties
Articulation refers to the physical production of individual speech sounds.
A child may have difficulty positioning or coordinating their lips, tongue, jaw, or airflow to produce a particular sound correctly.
Phonological Difficulties
Phonology involves the patterns and rules children use to organize sounds within language.
Some children use predictable patterns of sound errors across many different words.
For example, they may consistently leave off certain sounds or replace one group of sounds with another.
A Speech-Language Pathologist can determine whether a child’s errors represent typical developmental patterns or whether additional support may be appropriate.
Why Does My Child Get Frustrated When People Don’t Understand Them?
Communication is powerful.
Children use speech to:
- Ask for what they want
- Tell stories
- Answer questions
- Make friends
- Participate in school
- Share ideas
- Tell someone when something is wrong
- Joke and play with others
Imagine knowing exactly what you want to say but repeatedly hearing:
“What?”
“Say that again.”
“I don’t understand you.”
That can become frustrating very quickly.
Some children may repeat themselves louder. Others may become upset, stop talking, or ask a parent to speak for them.
Improving speech clarity isn’t simply about producing sounds correctly. It’s also about helping children communicate more confidently and independently.
Should I Correct My Child Every Time They Say a Sound Incorrectly?
Usually, constant correction isn’t necessary.
Repeatedly stopping a child during natural conversation can make communication feel like work and may increase frustration.
Instead, parents can provide a correct model naturally.
For example, if your child says:
“I see a tat!”
You might respond:
“Yes! I see the cat too!”
You have modeled the correct word without requiring the child to repeat it.
If your child’s Speech-Language Pathologist provides specific home practice, follow those recommendations because the appropriate strategy depends on the child’s individual speech pattern.
Does Speaking More Than One Language Cause Speech Problems?
No. Exposure to multiple languages does not, by itself, cause a speech or language disorder.
Multilingual children may distribute their vocabulary across languages and may demonstrate language-specific speech patterns.
A qualified Speech-Language Pathologist considers the child’s language exposure and linguistic background when evaluating communication skills.
Families generally should not stop using a home language simply because they’re concerned about speech development.
Meaningful communication with family members is valuable.
Could Hearing Affect Speech Development?
Hearing plays an important role in speech and language development.
Children learn speech sounds partly by hearing the differences between them.
A history of frequent ear infections or concerns about hearing may be relevant when a child has difficulty with speech clarity.
If hearing is a concern, your child’s healthcare provider or Speech-Language Pathologist may recommend an appropriate hearing evaluation.
What Happens During a Speech Therapy Evaluation?
A pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist may evaluate several aspects of communication depending on your child’s age and concerns.
This may include:
- Speech sound production
- Overall speech intelligibility
- Types of sound errors
- Oral structures and movement when appropriate
- Receptive language
- Expressive language
- Social communication
- Parent concerns and observations
The therapist may use standardized assessment tools along with play, conversation, observation, and parent interview.
The goal isn’t simply to identify which sounds a child says incorrectly.
The Speech-Language Pathologist wants to understand how the child’s speech is affecting functional communication.
What Does Speech Therapy for Speech Sounds Look Like?
Pediatric Speech Therapy doesn’t have to mean sitting at a table repeating sounds for an entire session.
At BK Kids Pediatric Therapy, therapy is individualized based on the child’s age, interests, goals, and learning style.
Speech practice can be incorporated into:
- Games
- Books
- Pretend play
- Crafts
- Toys
- Movement activities
- Sensory gym activities
- Conversation
A child might practice a target sound while completing an obstacle course, searching for hidden pictures around the room, playing a favorite game, or participating in pretend play.
When children are engaged and having fun, there are many natural opportunities to practice communication.
How Can Parents Support Speech Development at Home?
Parents don’t need to turn every conversation into a therapy session.
Instead, focus on creating positive opportunities for communication.
Model Clear Speech
Speak naturally and clearly without exaggerating every sound.
Give Your Child Time
Try not to immediately speak for your child when someone doesn’t understand them.
Give them an opportunity to try again.
Use Context
If you’re struggling to understand, ask your child to show you or give you another clue rather than repeatedly saying, “What?”
Keep Communication Positive
Celebrate the message your child is trying to share.
Communication should remain enjoyable even while speech skills are developing.
Follow Your Therapist’s Recommendations
If your child is receiving Speech Therapy, their Speech-Language Pathologist can provide specific strategies and practice activities based on the sounds or patterns being addressed.
When Should Parents Consider a Speech Therapy Evaluation?
Consider speaking with a Speech-Language Pathologist if:
- Your child is significantly more difficult to understand than other children their age
- Unfamiliar adults frequently cannot understand them
- Your child becomes frustrated because of their speech
- Speech errors interfere with social participation
- Your child avoids talking because they’re worried about being misunderstood
- Teachers have expressed concerns
- Speech clarity doesn’t appear to be improving over time
- You simply have concerns about your child’s communication development
Parents don’t need to know whether a child “qualifies” for therapy before requesting an evaluation.
That’s what the evaluation helps determine.
Pediatric Speech Therapy in Joliet, IL
If you frequently find yourself translating your child’s speech for other people, or you’re wondering whether their speech should be easier to understand by now, a pediatric Speech Therapy evaluation can provide valuable information.
At BK Kids Pediatric Therapy, our Speech-Language Pathologists provide individualized, play-based therapy to help children strengthen communication skills while keeping sessions engaging and fun.
Depending on your child’s needs, Speech Therapy may address speech sound production, articulation, receptive language, expressive language, social communication, vocabulary, following directions, and other communication skills.
We want children to enjoy coming to therapy while developing skills they can use in everyday conversations with their families, teachers, friends, and community.
BK Kids Pediatric Therapy is located in Joliet, Illinois, and serves families throughout Joliet, Plainfield, Shorewood, New Lenox, Lockport, Romeoville, Minooka, Channahon, Morris, Bolingbrook, and surrounding communities.
If your child is difficult to understand or you’re concerned about their speech development, contact BK Kids Pediatric Therapy to learn more about scheduling a pediatric Speech Therapy evaluation.