Articulation norms: Information found on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Link found here.
Your child may substitute one sound for another, leave sounds out, add sounds, or change a sound. It can be hard for others to understand him.
It is normal for young children to say the wrong sounds sometimes. For example, your child may make a "w" sound for an "r" and say "wabbit" for "rabbit." She may leave sounds out of words, such as "nana" for "banana." This is okay when she is young. It may be a problem if she keeps making these mistakes as she gets older.
You and your child may also sound different because you have an accent or dialect. This is not a speech sound disorder.
The chart below shows the ages when most English-speaking children develop sounds. Children learning more than one language may develop some sounds earlier or later.
By 3 months: Makes cooing sounds
By 5 months: Laughs and makes playful sounds
By 6 months: Makes speech-like babbling sounds like puh, ba, mi, da
By 1 year: Babbles longer strings of sounds like mimi, upup, bababa
By 3 years: Says m, n, h, w, p, b, t, d, k, g, and f in words. Familiar people understand the child's speech
By 4 years: Says y and v in words. May still make mistakes on the s, sh, ch, j, ng, th, z, l, and r sounds. Most people understand the child’s speech.
Iowa-Nebraska Articulation Norms
This chart shows at what age males and females should acquire consonants. The norms were established as a part of the Iowa-Nebraska Articulation Norms Project. Vowel sounds are currently considered intact by age three.
3 years: m, n, h, w, p, b, d m, h, w, p, b, d
3 1/2 years: t, d, k, f- k, g, n, f-
4 years: g t, y, tw, kw
4 1/2 years: voiced th
5 years: y- l-
5 1/2 years: tw, kw, -f, v v, -f, pl, bl, kl, gl, fl
6 years: l-, pl, bl, kl, gl, fl sh, ch, j, -l, voiceless th
7 years: voiced th, z, s, spl, sp, sm, st, sn, sk, skw, sw, sl, sh, ch, j, -l, -ng z, s, sp, st, sk, sm, sn, sw, sl, skw, spl, sp, -ng
8 years: voiceless th, r-, pr, br, tr, dr, kr, fr, gr, -er r-, pr, br, kr, fr, tr, dr, gr, -er
9 years: thr, str, spr, sk thr, spr, str, skr