Speech development of children 3-4 years old: norms and deviations

For social adaptation in society and further success in schooling, an important role is played by the development of speech in children of 3-4 years old, which is distinguished by characteristic features. There are certain norms of this indicator, which parents should be guided by. If they find out that there are deviations and the risk of lagging behind their peers, it is necessary to catch up. There are many techniques that will allow you to do this. So, what is the difference between the speech of a three-four-year-old baby?

Speech therapists highlight the characteristic features of the development of speech in children 3-4 years old, which are the norm for most of them. Parents should know about them in order to notice in time whether they are observed in their child. These include:

• at 4 years old - about 2,000 words in the active vocabulary, the norm of speech development of children of 3 years old - 1,500 words;
• attempts to speak clearly, correctly, even beautifully, imitating adults, but most often it turns out clumsily and funny;
• the speech development of a 3-year-old child is still slurred, but at the same time it is noticeable how rapidly it is gaining momentum and improving;
• carefully listens to all the surrounding sounds and new words for him, trying to reproduce them;
• creating your own word forms;
• attempts to compose poetry and rhyme words;
• with pleasure pronounces syllables after the adult;
• and yet, the speech development of children aged 3-4 years remains weak: they cannot compose a logical, understandable story consisting of coherent sentences, make grammatical and speech errors, use case endings and prepositions inaccurately;
• there are often problems with pronunciation and phonetics, since physiologically the speech apparatus at this age is not yet developed enough to cope with such complex sounds as sonorous (r, l), whistling, hissing (s, sh);
• confuse sounds;
• rearrange syllables in words.

The shortcomings from this list are the features of the speech development of children 3-4 years old that do not require correction. What is ideally considered the norm for this indicator?

Curious fact. According to experts, normally a baby of this age should talk most of the day. He is silent only in his sleep.

Norms

Norms of speech development of children 3-4 years old

Despite the fact that all indicators are very individual, there are norms for the speech development of children 3-4 years old, which parents should be guided by if they are interested in the success of their child in the future. Here's what a baby should be able to do at this age:

• pronounce own name, patronymic and surname;
• name close relatives and friends;
• perceive images and describe the situation seen;
• speak in simple sentences, gradually moving to more complex ones;
• distribute objects in their speech into groups: dishes (pan, glass, plate, cup), clothes (dress, jacket, skirt, pants, T-shirt);
• find signs of an object: a transparent window, a wooden table, a tasty apple;
• call actions: uncle eats, the cat washes, the boy screams;
• repeat exactly what you hear
• retell a cartoon, a fairy tale;
• speak loudly and quietly while speaking.

Experts call just such norms for the development of speech of children 3-4 years old, according to which it is very easy to check the skills and abilities of your crumbs. There is nothing wrong if he builds a sentence a little clumsily or incorrectly names the attribute and action of the object. These are very minor, minor mistakes, easily corrected through regular practice. There are much more serious deviations in speech, which are very important to identify and try to correct in time.

Keep in mind! Boys in their development of speech in most cases lag behind the opposite sex, according to statistics, by about four months.

Deviations

Give your child any of the above tasks and compare the results with the norm. Mistakes in three or more paragraphs? In this case, it is worth considering whether your crumbs have this in mind. Watch how and what he says. Moreover, before you there is a characteristic of the speech development of children 3-4 years old, typical features. Compare with them the individual achievements of your baby. The following indicators are considered serious deviations:

• the child constantly rumbles;
• his speech is distinguished by speed, and in some cases children, as if on purpose, draw out words;
• it is difficult to understand;
• in speech there are no elementary sentences with subjects, predicates, additions;
• it is difficult for him to perceive even the simplest explanations;
• swallows the endings of words;
• speaks phrases exclusively from books or cartoons;
• does not build his own sentences, only repeating phrases after adults;
• open mouth;
• frequent, increased salivation, not dictated by the growth of teeth.

If you notice such deviations from the noma in your child, you will need a special diagnosis of the speech development of children at 3-4 years old, which has long been used by specialists.

Helpful information. There is a pathological delay in the development of speech associated with a violation of the functions of the brain or central nervous system. And there is an elementary lack of attention on the part of parents or educators who are not sufficiently engaged with the child. In the first case, deviations require treatment, in the second - correction.

Diagnostics

If you have any doubts, you need a diagnosis of the development of speech in children 3-4 years old, which involves a comprehensive examination of the child. After all, speech, one way or another, is connected with mental development, and with hearing, and with the socialization of the baby. Most parents mistakenly believe that with such deviations you need to go to a speech therapist. Whereas this specialist only teaches how to pronounce sounds correctly. The baby should be examined by the following specialists:

• pediatrician;
• neurologist;
• psychiatrist;
• otolaryngologist;
• speech therapist;
• psychologist;
• the audiologist reveals hearing problems, which in one way or another also affect the development of coherent speech in children 3-4 years old.

Neurological diagnostic methods are aimed at identifying disorders in the functioning of the child's brain. Therefore, examinations such as:

• EchoEG.

Diagnostics also includes:

• age testing to determine the level of psychomotor development;
• a conversation with parents to identify ways the baby communicates with adults;
• study of facial muscle motility;
• comparison of understanding and speech reproduction;
• analysis of information about home education, the environment of the crumbs.

If, nevertheless, the speech development of children 3 years old lags behind the norm, there are chances to catch up with their peers with enhanced activities. At 4 years old, this can also be done, but already more difficult. There are various methods to achieve these goals.

This is interesting! During the diagnosis, the otolaryngologist excludes ailments that often interfere with the proper development of speech. This is chronic otitis, adenoids, hearing loss.

Development Methods

There are different methods for developing the speech of children 3-4 years old, which it will not be difficult for parents to master on their own. If the classes do not give results within 3-4 months, you should seek help from specialists.

1. Constantly expand the scope of communication of your baby. Introduce him to new people of various age groups.
2. Gradually increase his vocabulary. Learn a new word with it and fix it in the lexicon for several days.
3. Pay attention to how he pronounces hissing and whistling sounds, hard and soft. Correct him if he pronounces them incorrectly.
4. Talk to him in different ways: softly and loudly, quickly and slowly.
5. When reading a fairy tale, pay attention to voice, intonation, timbre, expressiveness.
6. With any successes and achievements, do not forget to praise and encourage the baby.
7. Talk about everything you see as you walk.
8. Constantly ask about the day you went through, the story you heard, the cartoon you watched.
9. Every day, read tongue twisters, poems, riddles to children.
10. Do not forget exercises, games, techniques for the development of fine motor skills, which are directly related to speech. Invite him to work with small details (puzzles, designer, sand, clay, plasticine and for the development of fine motor skills). Teach him how to tie his shoelaces.
11. Play word games with him: “Who says?”, “What lies where?”, “Is it edible or not?”, “How are the objects different?”, “Describe the object”, etc.

The speech development of a child of 3-4 years old, which must meet certain standards, can tell a lot about the abilities and socialization of a small personality. If there are deviations, parents should take a number of measures to fill in the gaps. It is possible to do this both independently and by attracting outside experts. The main thing is not to stop and not despair. Those who are focused on the result will definitely achieve it.