Is my 4-year-old's speech where it should be?

The kindy runway

Four is when the question changes from "is my child a late talker?" to "is my child going to be ready for kindy?" Different question, different urgency.

The skills schools watch for in the first six months of formal schooling:

• Following a multi-step instruction without re-prompting
• Retelling a story (a key reading-comprehension precursor)
• Phonological awareness — rhyming, breaking words into sounds, identifying the first sound of a word
• Speech that classmates can understand
• Asking for help when needed

These are language skills, not academic skills, and they're the strongest predictor of how well a child reads in Year 1. A speech pathologist can assess all of them in a single hour-long session.

Stuttering: the time-sensitive one

Most children who start stuttering at 2–3 will stop on their own within a year. The 15–20% who don't develop a chronic stutter — and the best evidence for treatment is before age 6, with the Lidcombe Program (Australian-developed, world-leading).

Signs your 4-year-old's stutter should be assessed now, not later:

• It's been going for more than 6 months
• They're aware of it (avoiding words, getting frustrated)
• A first-degree relative also stutters
• Visible struggle — tension, eye blinking, head movement when stuck

Lidcombe is parent-delivered with weekly speech-pathologist coaching. We deliver it online; works equally well as in-person according to the published trials.