Speech Delays and Language Concerns

 Back to:  Therapist Questions & Answers - Speech & Language Concerns

I have a question about my 23 month old son. He has a large spontaneous vocabulary and says 2-3 word sentences. As to be expected, not all his words are clear and some translation on my part is needed. However, I noticed on some words he will leave off the first consonant if he hasn't yet acquired it. For example: light = ight, shoe = oo, frog = og, thank you = hank you. About 95% of his words he does include the initial consonant. I was wondering if this is normal?

Yes, initial consonant deletion (and even final consonant deletion for some kids) is fairly common in toddlers from age 2 to 3. Most speech therapists would only become concerned if it persisted well past age 3. It sounds like your son has a great vocabulary for his age and if he's already putting 2-3 words together that is great. The best thing you can do is not draw attention to the deletions, but rather just repeat the word for him so he always hears it correctly. So if he says "oo", you simply say "Yes, that is your SHoe" and you can stress the SH sound if you like, but he may not be able to repeat it yet. The consonants of "f, l, and the blend sh" can still be being perfected by kids between the ages of 5-8, so no need to worry at age two. You can play sound games with your son to help him try to learn and practice new sounds, or sing songs that use similar sounds like Wheels on the Bus, where the "Mommys on the bus go shh, shh, shh", etc. You can read about the articulation of consonant sounds here.

Back to:  Therapist Questions & Answers - Speech & Language Concerns

Return to Top