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Cat. I · Foundations & Professional Practice6 min read
Speech Sound Production

Phonological Development (Processes, Suppression, Acquisition)

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Consonant Acquisition Order (Customary Age of Production)

Ages of acquisition at the 90% criterion (Crowe & McLeod 2020, a review of US English studies):

Age bandConsonants acquired
2;0-2;11/p b m n d h w/
3;0-3;11/t k g f ŋ j/
4;0-4;11/v s z ʃ tʃ dʒ l/
5;0-5;11/ɹ ð ʒ/
6;0-6;11/θ/

Shriberg's Early, Middle and Late 8 describe the order in which consonants are mastered, not mastery ages:

  1. Early 8: /m, b, j, n, w, d, p, h/
  2. Middle 8: /t, ŋ, k, g, f, v, tʃ, dʒ/
  3. Late 8: /ʃ, θ, s, z, ð, l, r, ʒ/

High-Yield: The "Early 8" are mostly nasals, stops and glides plus the glottal fricative /h/; most use the lips or tongue tip (/j/ is palatal, /h/ glottal). Most English consonants are acquired by 5;0; the latest are /ɹ, ð, ʒ/ (by 5;11) and /θ/ (by 6;11) at the 90% criterion (Crowe & McLeod 2020).

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Fronting or stopping?

Stopping changes a fricative or affricate into a stop; fronting moves a back-of-mouth sound forward. For example, “tea” for “key” changes /k/ to /t/: that is fronting because both sounds are stops and the place of production changes.

Identify the sound change first, then consider age, the child’s language and dialect, intelligibility, and the wider assessment. A single pattern does not establish a diagnosis.

Source-informed example · source checked September 4, 2026.

ASHA: Selected Phonological Patterns

The rest of this outline 7

  1. Phonological Processes & Suppression Ages
  2. Typical vs. Atypical Processes
  3. Vowel Development
  4. Key Assessment Concepts
  5. Choosing Treatment Targets
  6. Common Traps
  7. Sources to Know

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