Pediatric Speech Therapy

Speech Sound Disorders

Speech sound disorders make certain sounds hard to produce clearly, whether your child substitutes one sound for another, leaves sounds out, or distorts them. We help children build clear, confident speech through structured, play-based practice.

A child might say "wabbit" for rabbit, "tup" for cup, or "nana" for banana. It can also look like sounds left off the ends of words, or a whole category of sounds (like every "s" becoming a "th") being swapped consistently. Some of this is completely typical at certain ages — the question is always whether the pattern matches your child's age, and whether it's affecting how well they're understood.

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AGES

2 to 18+ years

SESSIONS

30-45 minutes

FORMAT

In-clinic or telepractice

General guideposts

Developmental Milestones

Based on research reporting a 90% mastery criterion (Crowe & McLeod, 2020), here's when most children have a sound reliably mastered:

Ages 2-3
P, B, M, D, N, H, T, K, G, W, NG, F, Y
Age 4
L, J, CH, S, V, SH, Z
Age 5
R, ZH (as in "measure"), TH voiced (as in "them")
Age 6
TH voiceless (as in "thunder")

General guidance only — every child develops differently. An evaluation gives you an answer specific to your child.

Source: Crowe, K., & McLeod, S. (2020). Children's English Consonant Acquisition in the United States: A Review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.

Worth knowing

Typical Development vs. a Delay Worth Evaluating

LIKELY JUST TYPICAL

It's typical for young children to still be developing later sounds like r, s, l, and th well into the preschool years. An occasional substitution or a sound that hasn't fully emerged yet, when it's still within the expected age range above, is usually just part of normal development, not a disorder.

WORTH EVALUATING

It's worth having evaluated when a sound is still missing well past the age it's expected above, when the pattern hasn't shifted in several months, when unfamiliar listeners consistently struggle to understand your child, or when your child seems frustrated or self-conscious about how they sound.

What to look for

Signs Your Child May Benefit

Substitutions like "w" for "r" or "th" for "s" are common but should resolve by certain ages — we can tell you if it's time to address it.

Frequent "what did you say?" moments are a sign speech clarity needs support.

Leaving sounds off the beginning or end of words ("ca" for "cat") is different from a simple substitution and often needs direct support.

Kids often sense when they're not being understood, which can affect confidence and willingness to talk.

Speech that isn't gradually getting clearer over time, rather than a single hard sound, is worth evaluating.

When one type of sound error shows up across many different words (not just one hard sound), it's often a phonological pattern worth a full evaluation.

Our process

What to Expect

1

An evaluation of your child's full sound inventory compared to age expectations

2

Individualized sound targets prioritized by impact on clarity

3

Structured practice that carries over into everyday conversation

Between sessions

How You Can Help at Home

  • • Model the correct sound naturally without demanding your child repeat it on command.
  • • Slow down and over-articulate target sounds during normal conversation.
  • • Celebrate attempts, not just perfect sounds, to keep practice low-pressure.
  • • Read books with lots of repetition of your child's target sounds, without turning it into a drill.

Frequently asked

Common Questions

Most sounds develop by age 4, with the last few (like r and th) typically finishing by age 6 — we'll tell you exactly where your child stands.

It varies by sound and severity, but many kids see solid progress within a few months of consistent sessions.

A lisp is one specific type of speech sound difference — we treat lisps as part of this same service.

Appointments

Help your child be understood the first time.

Serving families in Calabasas · Agoura Hills · Woodland Hills · West Hills · Westlake Village · Tarzana · Encino · Malibu · Simi Valley · Thousand Oaks · Moorpark

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