Speech Guides for Parents of Young Children

Plain-English answers to what parents actually ask about children’s speech: milestones by age, late talking, exercises that work, and when to see a therapist.

• ChecklistThe 18-month speech checklistThe CDC asks an 18-month-old for three or more words besides mama and dada, and one-step directions without gestures. What counts, and when to call.
• ChecklistThe 2-year-old speech checklist for your childThe four things the CDC says most 2-year-olds do with words, why the 50-word count now sits at 30 months, and the signs that mean a call to the doctor now.
• ChecklistThe 3-year-old speech checklist for your childThe five things the CDC says most 3-year-olds can do with words, the sounds your child should already have, and the signs worth taking to a doctor this week.
• ChecklistThe 4-year-old speech checklist for your childWhat the CDC expects a 4-year-old to say, which sounds should be in by now and which are still years away, and the signs worth taking to a doctor.
• ChecklistThe 5-year-old speech checklistAt five the CDC expects a story with two events, four-turn conversations and rhyme. Which sounds can still be wrong at five, and which cannot.
• GuideApps that listen to your child’s speech and score itA few children’s speech apps score the attempt out loud; most leave the judging to you. What automated pronunciation feedback can and cannot tell a parent.
• GuideDoes insurance cover speech therapy for a child?Most US health plans must cover children's speech therapy as a habilitative benefit. What ACA plans, Medicaid and schools pay for, and what they refuse.
• GuideDoes my child need speech therapy?The signs that mean book an appointment, the ones that are normal for the age, and what actually happens at a first speech assessment, written for parents.
• GuideHow much does speech therapy for a child cost?What speech therapy for a child costs privately, what insurance and public health cover, and the free options worth trying while you sit on a waiting list.
• GuideHow to fix a lisp in a childThe two kinds of lisp, why one usually resolves on its own and the other almost never does, and a step-by-step S-sound routine to do with your child at home.
• GuideHow to help your child speak in sentencesYour child says single words but never puts them together. The order the steps go in, exactly what to say back, and when single words mean it is time to call someone.
• GuideIs my 2-year-old a late talker?The two-part test clinicians use for late talking at age two, why “wait and see” is bad advice, and eight things you can start doing with your child tonight.
• GuideIs Proloquo2Go available on Android for your child?Proloquo2Go is iPhone and iPad only. CoughDrop, Avaz, Cboard (free) and Leeloo run on Android tablets. Which suits a young child, and what to ask your SLP.
• ComparisonProloquo vs Proloquo2Go: two apps, one company, different answersProloquo is $99.99 a year with a fixed 60-button grid. Proloquo2Go is $249.99 once with 23 grid sizes. Who each one suits, and when both go on sale.
• ComparisonProloquo2Go vs LetMeTalk, and the other AAC apps parents compareLetMeTalk is free but unmaintained since 2018; Proloquo2Go is $249.99 and the most-used AAC app. Both compared, plus Speak for Yourself, LAMP, TD Snap and Avaz.
• GuideSpeech apps for autistic childrenAn autistic child with no words needs AAC. One who talks but is unclear needs articulation practice. The apps for each, and why mixing them up wastes months.
• GuideSpeech delay vs language delay in childrenSpeech is how words come out; language is what they mean and how they go together. Which one your child has changes what helps, so this page shows how to tell them apart.
• GuideSpeech games for 5-year-olds that actually get the practice doneTen speech games a five-year-old will ask to play again, ranked by how many practice repetitions each buys you, plus the sounds due at five and the apps worth using.
• GuideChildren’s speech milestones by ageWhat most children can say at 12 months, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years old, following the CDC checklists, plus the signs worth asking a professional about.
• GuideSpeech practice for kids without an internet connectionOn a plane your child can still do the lesson, the word lists and the picture boards. The pronunciation score is the one part that needs a connection.
• GuideHow to do speech therapy with your child at homeA realistic five-minutes-a-day plan for practising speech with your child at home: how to pick a sound, the four levels to work through, and the habit to break.
• GuideSpeech therapy exercises for kidsTwelve speech exercises to do with your child at home, grouped by what they fix, plus the popular one that research says does nothing and when to stop and call.
• GuideSpeech therapy for older kids and teenagersAn R or S problem that survived primary school does not fix itself. What changes about speech therapy at 7, 10 and 13, and how to get a teenager to practise.
• GuideVocalic R, and why fixing one R does not fix the restPrevocalic R starts a syllable, as in red. Vocalic R follows a vowel, as in car or bird. The 7 vocalic R types, when each arrives, and which to practise first.