Speech sounds are the building blocks of words and are the top of the communication pyramid. Speech sound development is important because a change in a single sound can completely change the meaning of the word. For example, if a child hasn’t yet developed their “k” sound, then they are likely to call a “key", a “tea” – this completely changes the meaning of the word and may cause confusion to the listener.
When thinking about speech sounds, we consider the following properties:
- To be able to use speech sounds first we need to be able to discriminate (hear the difference between sounds). We then need to be able to process them and be able to store them. Only then will a child be able to produce the sound accurately.
- Noisy or Quiet? For some sounds our vocal cords vibrate which makes them noisy (e.g. b/d/z) and for some sounds our vocal cords do not vibrate which makes them quiet (e.g. p/t/s)
- The place of articulation is where the sounds are made in the mouth. Some sounds may be made at the front of the mouth (e.g. p/t/s) and some are made at the back of the mouth (e.g. k/g/ng)
- How is the sound made? This considers how the air escapes to make the sound. Some sounds are long and hissy (e.g. s, f, v, sh); some sounds a short (e.g. b, t, g); some sounds are made by the air being directed through the nose (m, n, ng).
