I dont think my son can pronouce L

Michelle - posted on 07/06/2010

My son was the same way. When he would say a word that started with a L it would sound like a W. Like Leaf would be Weaf. When he started school within a few months he has started saying the L sound. So don't worry it is something I am sure he will grow out of as he gets older. But I do know how you are feeling. Hope this makes you feel better.

Amanda - posted on 07/06/2010

I have 18 month old twin girls and there are letter sounds that they cant pronounce either. Im not worried, they will learn it. My daughter says li for lion. wa wa for water. bat for bath. its all part of learning for them, and they will learn it eventually at their own pace. If your doctor isn't worried, then I wouldn't let it bother you. Good luck.

Christie - posted on 07/04/2010

Totally totally normal! Some 3 or 4year olds can't pronounce "L" never mind a 19month old. Eventually they send to substitue a Y so lion becomes Yion etc My sister's name is Lyndal and her niece called her Indle for ages. Don't be concerned about correcting him just yet, but if you want to you can repeat what he says slowly and clearly so he can see your mouth moving and this can help them learn (when they are ready). So when he tries to say Ellen, say "yes that's right, it is Ell-en" :)

Jennifer - posted on 07/02/2010

it took a long time to help my son ennunciate. he's almost 4 and still has some issues, but hubbyand I have just worked and worked with him looking at our face and mouths when he's trying to say something and we'll have him watch as we say it slowly.
I wouldnt worry too much about it

Amanda - posted on 07/01/2010

I'm a speech therapist. It's perfectly normal that he isn't pronouncing the L sound correctly right now. That is one of the sounds that comes later in his speech/language development. If it's one or two sounds, don't worry too much about it. He'll get it with time. Just model the correct way, "Oh you mean ELLEN!", stress the L sound so he learns how it should sound. If you are still concerned take him to a speech therapist and have him evaluated but right now I don't think you have anything to worry about :)

Betina - posted on 07/01/2010

My daughter is 19 months and her name is Lily. She says Wiwi. It's completely normal, every kid has a few letters they can't pronounce for the first few years. He'll learn, and you won't even realize it!

Sarah - posted on 07/01/2010

It really isn't that big of a deal at his age. I just would correct my kids and have them look at my mouth when I said the word but i didn't do this until they got a little bit older than that. Most words they have corrected as they got older. M daughter is almost four and sometimes she doesn't pronounce words right so i correct her and she says the word right but even still because her vocabulary is getting bigger I have to help her out. Good Luck!

Amanda - posted on 07/01/2010

It is not uncommon for children his age not be able to pronounce certain sounds. He is not even two yet so I would not worry to much about it especially if he is speaking better then most his peers. My two younger children have a mild case of Celebral Palsy and their speech was affected by it. What concerns me was when their peers were speaking better then they were and they were having trouble with the simplest of things. Just watch him and if you still feel concerned tell your doctor that you want him tested to see if anything is wrong - and insisted on because that is where I went wrong with my middle child which is the worst out of the two. His doctor kept telling me everything was fine and he was just a little delayed, and since he had the medical degree I trusted him. Then he got to be 2 and 1/2 years old and was only speaking five words and not even walking. Come to find out it was a little more the just a little delay. Luckily the insurance I had at the time I did not need a referral so I took matters into my own hands. But if you need a referral just do not let the talk you out of it!

Josie - posted on 07/01/2010

My son can't pronounce L either sometimes, he's 2 1/2. Like instead of chocolate milk he says chochate (ko-ket) milk. It will take them a while to pronounce everything really well.

Suni - posted on 07/01/2010

my daughter just graduated from speech therapy... she went right after her second birthday and was there for almost 2 years, because when she went in, she wasn't talking! But as for the "L" sound, that will come around the age of 4 or 5... there will be several sounds that come later in their speech development. Your son will catch on soon too. If you are thinking of taking him to a speech therapist, you do have to get a referal from his pediatrician.

Jackline - posted on 07/01/2010

Hi your son is just doing ok, there are some letters that my gal can't pronounce like his uncle's name is Solo she calls him lolo, and she calls my mum coco instead of shosho (which is a swahili name meaning grandmother) so your son is fine

Michelle - posted on 06/30/2010

There are certain letters children have problems with I wouldnt worry to much unless your pediatrician thinks something is wrong. My daughter is 4 and she still has problems the words starting with TR just dont worry to much unless dr thinks theres need to worry

Erin - posted on 06/30/2010

My daughter is 2 years 2 months, she can pronounce L sound but no F or P sound prob a few others but those first come to mind. She also doesn't put too many sentences together yet, still i jumbled mess. I was worried at first but they say all kids a different. I know a little boy who was counting up to 10 when he was one. I kept comparing my girl the same age and started freaking. But she's just taking her time. I think once they get to 3 i would be starting to ask more questions. She so smart though. As you commented understands everything, is a good problem solver although does get a little frustrated if she can't get something right. I can't say that he's perfectly fine as i'm not a health professional but he's not even 2 yet so i'd give him some time.

Sheri - posted on 06/30/2010

My little brother saw a speech therapist in 2nd grade when he still couldn't say the L sounds. Lotion became "Yotion" or Legs ended up being "Yegs" Don't fear, it will come. At your child's age, there is nothing to worry too much about.

Melissa - posted on 06/29/2010

I practiced with my daughter saying sounds by having her watch my mouth as i talked to her. I talked to her face to face and over enunciated sounds she has problems with. She is now 6, and we still do it with hard words and new sounds she is learning.

Cassie - posted on 06/29/2010

My eldest has had a lot of speech problems since he was a bub. He has been getting speech therapy since he was 2. He is now 10 years old and still attends therapy. At 19 months your child's speech is fine. If anything a little advanced. The main thing that you need to worry about with a 19month old speech is that they comprehend what you say and that around the 2 year old mark they start stringing 2-3 words together in a sentence i.e want drink mummy. If your child can already do that then there is seriously nothing to worry about. the letter "L" is one of the more tricky letters to say and don't usually develop this skill until around 4 years old. They only thing you will have to watch when they start to develop this skill is the way they use their tongue when pronouncing it. When pronouncing "L" make sure the tongue is up behind the top teeth and that the sound comes from his throat/mouth and not his nose. My 10 year old still can't pronounce it properly as its through his nose and that is one of the reasons we still attend speech. Mind you he is also high-function autistic with a developmental delay and comprehension delay. I cannot stress to you enough that your child is fine. If you are still worried about it though after all the responses take your child to see your doctor and ask for a speech therapist referral. I am fairly certain that they will tell you that your child is within normal parameters for their age.

Kerri-Ann - posted on 06/29/2010

My daughter is 19 months and she also says many words that I don't think other children her age say, but she doesn't pronounce the letter V. like when she says Seven it comes out Seben. She also has a hard time with the Th sound which she substitutes with the letter F. Three become Free. Every child has their own way of speaking and it will all get better as they get older and start saying the words more often.

Dayna - posted on 06/28/2010

I have been studying child development for quite a while and I recently took a child communication class. From what you have said about your childs development, your child is right on track He should be in stage one of communication development. He should be able to combine two word utterances even if they do not always sound like adult words. Most of these words are single-syllable. You should also knotice turn taking when talking. I recommend that you speak frequently with your child and practice turn taking skills and if you are worried about your son having a hard time pronouncing the letter L then correct him whenever he says the word wrong. for example... if he says eh eh phan then say "yes, that's an elephant!" Your son learns from a rich environment that models alot of communication.

Lindsey - posted on 06/28/2010

My 2 yr old still has trouble pronouncing the l sound. They do grow out of it but some do faster then others. I wouldnt worry about it til about 4. My 4 yr old still cant pronounce certain letters and his doctor recommended speech therapy, he is getting alot better with the therapy. If you want to look into speech therapy they usually have classes at the local elementary school with the preschool teachers.

Maya - posted on 06/27/2010

LOL and he'll start back talking before you know it. My son was the same way. My mom use to say "can he really talk" I'd always say yes he can when it's convienent for him. Then out of nowhere he became a walking recorder!

Maya - posted on 06/27/2010

You're pediatrician is correct :) L's are not easy to prounce for many young kids for awhile sometimes. My daughter was 3 saying yewwow instead of Yellow. With him only being 19 months he has plenty of time to practice, don't worry he'll get there when you least expect it :)

Laura - posted on 06/27/2010

He's still young, don't worry about it. He will learn in time, and all children learn at very different rates. My son is 2 and still has several letters he can't or won't pronounce but I'm not at all concerned because as I learned from my first 3 children they all learn in their own time and usually have the hang of things by the time they are 3-4 years old.

Keena - posted on 06/27/2010

My son is 22 months old and says and does the exact same things. ephant for elephant, roar for lion, our dog's name is Lucy and she is ucy, etc. No worries, he'll be talking perfectly in no time at all. Everyone says it's normal from the pediatrician to my old college roomate who is now a speech pathologist and audiologist.

Megan - posted on 06/26/2010

If it makes you feel any better, my son is almost 18 months old and still doesn't talk! He won't repeat anything we say. He used to say "mama" all the time, but stopped about 6 months ago. He has said random words before (like ball, that, dada, baba, etc), but I'm positive that he didn't know what he was doing. Now he just rambles complete nonsense!

Melissa - posted on 06/26/2010

My son is 2 and can't pronounce his f 's and I just went to a screening for head start and they said he is perfect for his age that alot of kids have problems with certain letters!

Stephanie - posted on 06/26/2010

My oldest didn't start pronouncing L until just after his second birthday. My youngest was almost 4 before he stopped replacing L with W. It has something to do with the tongue muscle and what it needs to do to make the L sound. According to speech pathologists L is one of the hardest letters to pronounce.

Renee - posted on 06/26/2010

My son is 2 and still can't pronounce L, R, Th...Don't worry about it. There are certain sounds a child physically cannot pronounce until they get older. Most of the time speech therapists don't even worry about this until the 1st grade.

Sara - posted on 06/26/2010

His pediatrician is right his fine and he means that its okay for ur child at this point is having a little trouble with pronoucing some letter because evenually he will get it u just need to keep working with him on it, my daughter is also 19 month old and the are some letter that she cant pronouce either includung L but we just keep working with her and she will get it just like ur son will get it, it takes time so dont worry to much especially if he is doing thing most kids his age arent doing, u will need to become concerned if he falling behind all kids are different and the learn at there own pace. I hope this helps Good Luck

Rica - posted on 06/26/2010

There are a lot of letters tha are hard for most kids to say. Just keep an eye on it. The fact that he can talk so well is a good start. You will see that S,R,C,and K are also other hard letters for kids to get. Good luck!

Janessa - posted on 06/26/2010

Don't worry, let things develop naturally. My almost 3 year old has a couple sounds he has difficulty pronouncing. Each child develops at his or her own pace. They develop faster in the areas that are more important to them. Teeth also can play a factor in how well they can pronounce certain sounds. Depending on what teeth they have or don't have. One thing is never compare one child to another. They all have their strengths and weaknesses and all are different. That's awesome that he is talking so well. My daughter did too, but my son has been sooo different, but he has talents elsewhere that she didn't.

Tiffany - posted on 06/25/2010

Look under his tongue and see if the muscle there isn't too short. My 22 month old can't say L either.

Outi - posted on 06/25/2010

it means hes fine. hes still young and most kids his age dont speak cleary ( some dont yet at all) and most kids who do utter words or short sentences have some issues pronouncing specific letters. He will most likely grow out of it and be able to speak clearly and if not he can see a speach therapist once or twice to help him but I wouldnt worry about that until hes closer to 4 ( granted that his speech is otherwise on track.

Sarah - posted on 06/24/2010

My six year old step daughter still cant say yellow because she cant pronounce the Y but my three year old can pronounce every thing.Id say just have a doc check hes not tounge tied and if not then just keep up the encoragement and correct him with out growling. each kids different and hell get it in time...good luck!

Heather - posted on 06/24/2010

When my daughter was 18 months, I knew she had a speech problem. I nagged and nagged the parents as teachers woman that came to our house monthly. She kept telling me that my daughter is too young to test (which is total BS.) Well, she finally turned 3 and ended up getting speech therapy for about 3 years. Don't worry. It is only 19 months. If you are concerned, then take it from a mother who's been there, done that, get his speech tested. Go to your local school district, United Services, or look online for a state program. Missouri has a program called 'Missouri First Steps.' As far as I know, they provide services for children until age 3 years. Also, if you look online, I'm sure that you can find the 'average' age for a child to master sound. My daughter is now 8 yrs and is doing just fine.

LLesenia - posted on 06/24/2010

My son could not pronounce the "L" also he would say it as a "Y" like for yellow he would say yeyo but once he was in school he went to speech class and within the year he could pronounce everithing just fine but to add my sone was born 10 weeks early and was 3lbs 12oz. but you could not tell today hes now 10 years old and almost as tall as me and im 5"6 hope this helps....

Teresa - posted on 06/24/2010

my son is 4, he started speech classes right after turning 4. his teacher said that the k and c sounds are hard for boys that age. as well as r and l. those rs and ls are the last ones they worked on because she didn't think at that age that he would pick them up. your son would be way advanced if he spoke perfectly clear at 19 months. my son is almost 5 now and i can understand about 98% of what he says. give him time... he will learn or ask your dr about it and he/she will give you a referral for speech if needed.

Nicole - posted on 06/24/2010

Last year my son started Kindergarten and at some point at the beginning of the year they tested all the kids speech and had them say a variety of words. I found out that there are alot of sounds that some kids don't develop until they are 5 or 6. That is what your pediatrician probably meant. Your son still young, alot of kids still can't be understood at his age. My Uncle used to say w's for his l's, and my 4 year old's name is Ryley and everyone thinks it's wyley. Just make sure to say it properly to him- like Yay! Ellen's on! Then he will keep hearing it. He will be fine.

Natalie - posted on 06/23/2010

Thankyou everyone. You all have put me at ease

CLaire - posted on 06/23/2010

Hello!! My 22 month old daughter cannot pronounce the letter L yet either, when i try to teach her you realise yourself its actually more difficult to say then other letters. I have been advised that it is completly normal and they will eventually learn it. :)

Lindsey - posted on 06/23/2010

I am a speech therapist. L and R are two of the latest-developing sounds. My school district recommends working on these sounds in 2nd or 3rd grade if the kids have not figured them out yet. Kids learn their sounds at different rates. Some 3 year-olds can say these sounds and some 6 year-olds can't. If you every get concerned with your child's speech sounds or the way they learn grammar, contact your local school district's speech therapists. Schools are required to provide free therapy to pre-school children if there is a speech delay.

Randi-Lee - posted on 06/23/2010

Just keep an eye on it and go with what your gut tells you. If by the time he is 3 and you feel he isn't at a level that you feel he should be than, make an appointment with a speech therapist. My son is 3 1/2 and is starting with a speech therapist in 2 months. When he was 2 1/2 i also asked my doctor if his speech delays were of concern of if it was normal ? and he said it was fine and everything was OK. But than when i found out my local school had a pre-school program but it was only for children with speech and learning delays. My son was assessed by both a school and government agencied intake worker, and found to be at a moderate-sever delayment level, enough to be accepted into there program. I had known for a while that his speech was not normal, that he needed help for sometime now and was lucky enough to have the community support around, Just always get a second opinion when you feel the first one wasn't right.

Joie - posted on 06/23/2010

I have not read all the posts. But children do not properly pronounce R's and L's and sometimes S's until the age of 7 some get it earlier So do not worry, My oldest is 3 barely speaks and cannot understand even "What is your name?" We are working on it but it takes time. So do not worry. If you are worried, just ask to see a speech language pathologist.

Stephanie - posted on 06/22/2010

At 19 months, I would have been super excited for my daughter to talk. Instead, she didn't start talking much until after her 2nd birthday. Now, we're just shy of her 4th birthday, and she still can't say the L sound correctly. Her name is Ellie, and she pronounces it "Ewwie" .. love comes out "wuv", stroller is "str-oy-ya" .. so on and so forth. But on the flip side, she is already writing, she knows all her letters in order, she can count to 50, helps with the laundry, and can do a million other things. I really wouldn't be concerned yet. Every kid learns in their own time.

Amanda - posted on 06/22/2010

don't worry he is just fine, my son was the same way with some words at his age and he was talking by nine months, he will eventually all we did for my son was repeat the word over and over until he just picked it up one day, don't get to worried, my son is three and can talk circles around most kids but still does not pronounce his y's properly, he can but he just says them so fast or gets lazy i guess cause he still says lellow instead of yellow, but honestly i believe he is fine :)

Alex - posted on 06/22/2010

my friends little girls can't say R and she is 3, when she says the word "ridiculous" she says "diculous" without the R apparently it's perfectly normal so i wouldn't worry, of course its not going to hurt if u want to do learning words with him maybe focus on some L words and pronounce them very clearly its likley hes taking so much in that he dosnt even hear the L in peoples words and teaching your kids is always a brilliant thing :) make L fun then he will try harder.

Caitlin - posted on 06/22/2010

I wouldn't worry about it at all considering my 19 month old daughter only says 6 words and is considered on track...

Karley - posted on 06/22/2010

totally normal :) ive had heaps of kids around me always having trouble with L ,I would get called Karkey ,kargey lol he will just all of a sudden come out with the Ls too

Lyndsay - posted on 06/22/2010

My son is almost 3 and he still doesn't pronounce the L sound. He sees a speech therapist regularly and she says that the L sound is not one of the ones that are learned early, it's difficult for kids to get the idea of the tongue behind the teeth while making the sound.

Meghan - posted on 06/22/2010

My daughter will be 3 in 2 months and she cant say her L's either they always come out as W's, its pretty funny when she says hobby wobby lol...its normal he will get it it takes some kids longer than others...my daughter is over 6 months advanced in everything and still has this problem...no worries just be patient and it will happen!

Melissa - posted on 06/22/2010

He is still a baby, and L is hard to figure out because it involves the tongue and he might not develop that skill for a while. My daughter is the same age and her name is Leila so she calls herself nena. Most L's come out like N's. Lately she has been trying hard to watch people's mouths as the talk to her and it is helping her. She says I blub you instead of I love you, but she threw the L in so I thinks she's close. Try facing your son when you are showing him how to pronounce something so he can watch your mouth as you say it. Even if it takes him a while, I wouldn't worry! ( p.s.The Roar thing is so cute my daughter does that too!)