By age
Speech at five years
At five, unclear speech or weak language starts to affect reading, writing and friendships. The cost of waiting rises here.
Speech and reading are linked
A child who cannot hear the parts of a word finds spelling harder.
Friendships feel it
Children notice speech differences by this age.
Five is not a cut-off
Speech and language therapy is offered well beyond this age. Ask a therapist what is realistic for your child.
This page gives general information only. It is not a diagnosis. For your own child, see a registered speech-language therapist or a doctor.