Phonological processes of typical aged children

Question 1

What are the typical sounds used for 0-12 months

Answer 1

0-8 months
• wide range of English and non-English sounds.
8-12 months
• more English-sounding e.g. use of: p, b, m, n.
• lip sounds may be favoured.

Question 2

What are the typical sounds used for 12-18 months?

Answer 2

m, n, p, b, t, d, w

Question 3

What are the typical sounds used for 18-24 months

Answer 3

m, n, p, b, t, d, w

ng, (h), (k), (g),

Question 4

What are the typical sounds used for 24-36 months?

Answer 4

m, n, p, b, t, d, w

ng, h, k, g, f, s, l

Question 5

What are the typical sounds used for 3-5 years?

Answer 5

m, n, p, b, t, d, w
ng, h, k, g, f, s, l

Adding in:
• sn, sp, _mp, _nt at 3½ years
• ch, j, sh, z, v at 4½ years
• tr, cl, gr at 5½ years

Question 6

What are the typical sounds used for 5-7 years

Answer 6

m, n, p, b, t, d, w 
ng, h, k, g, f, s, l, 
sn, sp, _mp, _nt
ch, j, sh, z, v
tr, cl, gr

Adding in:
th, r

Question 7

What are the typical e.g. of sound patterns and simplification used for 12-18 months?

Answer 7

• blowing raspberries.
• shrieking; shouting
• wide range of intonation patterns.
• animal noises.

(This is a ‘sound experimentation’ period.)

Question 8

What are the typical e.g. of sound patterns and simplification used for 18-24 months?

Answer 8

Sounds repeated or reduplicated (known as reduplication):
• dog - gog or dod or dodo
• yellow -lellow
Final consonants deleted (known as final consonant deletion):
• dad -da
• dog - do
Back sounds replaced by front sounds (known as fronting):
• cat - tat
Long sounds replaced by short sounds (known as stopping):
• sea - tea
• farm -parm
• shoe - do
The sounds l and r replaced by w or y (known as gliding)
• lip - wip or yip
• rope - wope or yope
Clusters of sounds are reduced (known as cluster reduction):
• smile - mile
• snow - no
• stop - top
• pram - pam
• tree - tee or dee•

Question 9

What are the typical e.g. of sound patterns and simplification used for 24-36 months?

Answer 9

Fronting 
Limited to certain sounds, e.g.
•	church -turt
Stopping 
Limited to certain sounds, e.g.
•	vest -best
•	them -dem
Gliding
Cluster reduction
th produced as f

Question 10

What are the typical e.g. of sound patterns and simplification used for 3-5 years?

Answer 10

Gliding

th produced as f

Question 11

What sorts of sounds are being produced at 5-7 years?

Answer 11

Most words are now adult-sounding and even long words can be produced

Question 12

What sorts of sounds are being produced at 12-18 months?

Answer 12

First words produced around this time. Limited number of sounds used. Words are often simplified from a sound point of view. Some words may be affected by a number of the patterns listed in the previous column, e.g. · crisps-kwip · ships-dip The patterns listed in the previous column gradually disappear as children acquire more sounds.

Question 13

What sorts of sounds are being produced at 18-24 months?

Answer 13

Sounds in brackets appear gradually during this stage.

Question 14

What sorts of sounds are being produced at 24-36 months?

Answer 14

Several of the sound patterns listed in the previous column can continue up to the age of 3 years. The patterns are usually consistent and predictable even though a child’s pronunciation of a word may sound very different to the adult target.

Question 15

What sorts of sounds are being produced at 3-5 years?

Answer 15

Many of the sound patterns listed in the previous row start to disappear. More difficult sounds are added in, e.g. ch, sh, z, v. Children begin to master the production of two or more sounds together, e.g. sn, tr, cl, at the beginnings and ends of words.