Hi,

My son is 4 years old and when I compare him to some of his friends, I think his speech is quite delayed. I have looked at the milestones on your site and I think he should have several sounds that haven't developed yet. I am going to see a speech therapist, but is there anything I can do in the iterim to help my son?

Emily UK

Hi Emily,

Making an appointment with a speech and language therapist (SLT) is a great start, they should be able to tell you if there is a delay and put a program in place if needed.

The milestones on the site are a guideline and children do vary in when they acquire speech and language skills. While you are waiting to see an SLT it may be worth making an appointment for your son to have a hearing test as many young children suffer from otitis media (glue ear), which can delay their speech and language development.

When you communicate with your son, make sure you face him and speak clearly. If he makes a speech error, don't get him to try and correct it, just model the correct version back to him.

Son: "mum wook a tar"
Mum: "yes, look a car"

Hope that helps Emily. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Regards Johan