The Sound of Speech - the ages and stages of children's speech Please read the Important Notice at the end of this Fact Sheet. Learning to communicate is a step by step process for all children. A new born communicates by crying, a six month old experiments with sounds, an eleven month old utters her first word, a three year old can string a four word sentence together, and by age five, most children can be understood by anyone.
Many parents wonder if their children's speech and language is developing normally.
Most children's speech becomes clearer gradually, as they hear and use sounds, words and sentences. Be aware, too, that ear infections are common in children and they can interfere with sound development. While children develop individually, there is a general pattern to children's sound development. Sucking, learning to bite and chew, as well as putting objects in their mouths are all important. These behaviours help children become aware of their mouth parts and to control and to change mouth positions.