Infancy 3-5 years

As your child turns to pre-school and early school age their speech, language and communication skills bloom. Their language and speech become more adult like, and they are able to talk in detail about their experiences and thoughts. As your child grows and starts school there are some milestones they should have reached.

By 3-4 years

Children at this age should be able to do the following:

• Is able to use longer sentences and join sentences together.
• Can understand and use concepts such as colour, time, size, number.
• Can describe events that have happened during the day or previously.
• Can take part in conversation with adults and other children, will respond to question, comment on what has been said and ask questions to develop conversation.
• Is able to answer some ‘why?’ questions.
• Will ask questions using ‘what? Why? Where?’.
• Children are able to attend to longer stories and answer questions related to the story.
• Will like simple jokes.
• Will start to plan games with siblings or peers.
• May have difficulty with some sounds e.g. /r/ /w/ /l/ /f/ /th/ /sh/ /ch/ /j/.

By 4-5 years

Children at this age should be able to:

• Is able to use complex sentences with almost adult like grammar.
• Able to understand words that relate phrases together e.g. if, when, why.
• Will understand more complex language e.g. might, maybe, above, between.
• Will start to use verbs properly but may still make errors.
• Will ask for meanings of words may also describe the meaning of simple words.
• Will understand question without stopping their current activity to look at the adult.
• Will take turns in long conversations.
• Will respond appropriately to scenarios e.g. what to do when you’re sleepy? Hungry?
• Can respond to questions like why? And whose?
• Will use language in different ways e.g. responding, commenting, questioning, refusing.
• May still have difficulties with sounds such as /r/ /v/ /th/.

Our speech and language therapists have the knowledge and experience to help increase the development of children who may be finding, speech, language or communication difficult. We can provide a range of assessments and an individualised therapy programme to suit the needs of your child and to improve development.

If you are concerned about your child’s speech, language and communication development and would like to speak to our experienced speech and language therapists please email office@sltforkids.co.uk or call 0330 088 2298.