“Why does my 2 year old struggle to say words with an "s"?”
My 2 year old son can't pronounce the sound with the letter "s". Why does my 2 year old struggle to say words with an "s"?
5 Answers
This is age appropriate, /s/ is a later developing sound. However, if you are concerned, you can have him evaluated.
2-year-olds typically have lots of pronunciation abnormalities as they develop their language abilities. By the age of 4 years, it is expected that a stranger should be able to understand everything that your child says, but still not necessarily have perfect pronunciation. At age 2 years, a child should be putting 2 words together, have about 20-30 words in his/her vocabulary, and be understandable by a stranger about 50% of the time.
Shelley C. Springer, MD, MBA, MSc, JD, FAAP
Shelley C. Springer, MD, MBA, MSc, JD, FAAP
Hi,
The /s/ sound doesn’t typically develop for boys or girls until age 5 or 6. No need to worry yet!
Ali Matisse, MS CCC-SLP
The /s/ sound doesn’t typically develop for boys or girls until age 5 or 6. No need to worry yet!
Ali Matisse, MS CCC-SLP
Terlenda Lassiter
Speech-Language Pathologist
A child at age 2 is only going to be expected to know how to say the sounds "b, d, h,m,n,p" at the beginning parts of words like "Ball", the "b,m,n" at the middle parts of words like in "buNny" and "m,p" at the ends of words like "guM"
/s/ is a sound that comes later, closer to age 5 in normally developing children. You can always go to a local speech therapy center and ask for a speech sound development norm chart to help you track your kid's sounds.
/s/ is a sound that comes later, closer to age 5 in normally developing children. You can always go to a local speech therapy center and ask for a speech sound development norm chart to help you track your kid's sounds.
Karen Young
Jupiter, FL
Hi. At 2 years old, the /s/ sound is not yet expected. Sounds usually develop in a particular order, for example, in most children, the /b/, /m/, and /p/ develop first. The /s/ sound comes in somewhere between 3 and 7! I have attached a chart for reference.
Keep talking to your little one, modeling words, labeling items in stores and on the street, and reading to them. Listen to their babbles and words and repeat them correctly afterward, i.e. if your little one wants you to sit and says, "it"....respond by saying, "Sit? Yes. Mama sits."
Keep talking to your little one, modeling words, labeling items in stores and on the street, and reading to them. Listen to their babbles and words and repeat them correctly afterward, i.e. if your little one wants you to sit and says, "it"....respond by saying, "Sit? Yes. Mama sits."
