‘Speech’ refers to the sounds used to make up words. Children with speech sound difficulties may have difficulty producing specific sounds/substitute sounds/miss off parts of words.

See ICAN Speech Sound Factsheet for more information.  speech-sounds-factsheet.pdf (ican.org.uk)

Look at Speech and Language Therapy Bury Directory page for strategies, tips and activities.

Speech Sounds | The Bury Directory

Focus on what the child is saying, not how they are saying it.

Do not correct your child’s speech or tell them that they’re wrong.  Repeat the word they said so they can hear good models. For example, if your child says ‘dock’ say ‘Yes, it’s a sock’. Do not make the child repeat after you.

If you are finding it difficult to understand, ask if they can show you using object, pictures, drawings, words etc.  Do not pretend to understand but show them that you are listening.

Reduce background noises as much as possible when doing speech/language related work. The child will not be able to hear your speech clearly if there is a lot of background noise.