“Kids can’t work on R until they’re older.”
I hear this a lot. But the research tells a different story, and it’s worth knowing what it actually says before you decide to wait. Below, I’ll walk you through when kids typically master R, how to tell normal gliding from a distorted R, and how I decide when R therapy should start. Prefer to watch? The full video is right here.
What age do kids master the R sound?
Here’s what the numbers show: 90 to 100% of children have mastered R by age 5, before their sixth birthday (McLeod & Crowe, 2018).
Looking at kids in the United States specifically, Crowe and McLeod (2020) found that most American kids acquire R between ages 5 and 6.
So the idea that R isn’t expected until age 7 or 8? That’s a little outdated. The research has moved, and our clinical expectations need to move with it.
Gliding vs. a distorted R: an important difference
When a young child says “wabbit” instead of “rabbit,” that’s called gliding. They’re substituting a W for the R. And gliding is normal in young children.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA, n.d.) tells us that gliding typically resolves on its own by age 6 to 7. So if your 5-year-old is saying “wed” instead of “red,” that alone isn’t necessarily a red flag. It might resolve without any intervention at all.
But two things are worth paying attention to:
- Gliding that persists past age 7. That’s worth taking seriously.
- An R that sounds distorted. If your child is attempting R but it sounds off, muddy, or just not quite right, that’s a different issue. It may need attention earlier.
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When should R speech therapy start?
Here’s how I think about it.
First: younger kids can absolutely make progress on R. Research by Krueger and Storkel (2022) found that children ages 4 and 5 can achieve accurate R production just as effectively as 7- and 8-year-olds. They might need slightly longer sessions to get enough practice in, but they absolutely can do it.
So if your young child is stimulable for R (meaning they can produce a correct R with some help) and they’re motivated, there’s no reason to wait.
Second: if a child gets to around age 7 1/2 and is still having trouble with R, I wouldn’t wait much longer. Research by Shriberg et al. (1994) found that speech errors start to solidify around age 8 1/2. After that point, the motor pattern becomes more ingrained and harder to change.
That doesn’t mean change is impossible after 8 1/2. It does mean the window of easiest learning starts to close, so therapy can take longer.
Think of it like learning an accent. You can change how you speak at any age, but it’s a lot easier before those patterns become deeply automatic.
Age is only one piece of the puzzle
Here’s the thing. When I’m thinking about whether a child should start R therapy, age isn’t the only factor. I’m also thinking about:
Social and emotional impact. Research tells us that even one or two speech sound errors can affect how peers perceive a child and how a child feels about themselves (Hitchcock et al., 2015). If R errors are affecting a child’s confidence or their participation in things they love, that matters, regardless of age.
Family support. Is the family able to practice at home? Are they engaged? That can make a real difference in progress.
The bottom line
If R errors are persisting, if they’re distorted rather than substituted, or if your child is already showing signs that it’s affecting them, it’s worth talking to a speech-language pathologist sooner rather than later.
The “wait until 8” rule is outdated. If you have concerns, your instincts as a parent matter. Earlier action, when it’s warranted, is almost always better, and you’ll see faster progress too.
Rock on, friends!
References
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Speech sound disorders: Articulation and phonology [Practice portal]. https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/articulation-and-phonology/
Crowe, K., & McLeod, S. (2020). Children’s English consonant acquisition in the United States: A review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 29(4), 2155–2169. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJSLP-19-00168
Hitchcock, E. R., Harel, D., & McAllister Byun, T. (2015). Social, emotional, and academic impact of residual speech errors in school-age children: A survey study. Seminars in Speech and Language, 36(4), 283–294. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0035-1562911
Krueger, B. I., & Storkel, H. L. (2022). The impact of age on the treatment of late-acquired sounds in children with speech sound disorders. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699206.2022.2093130
McLeod, S., & Crowe, K. (2018). Children’s consonant acquisition in 27 languages: A cross-linguistic review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 27(4), 1546–1571. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_AJSLP-17-0100
Shriberg, L. D., Gruber, F. A., & Kwiatkowski, J. (1994). Developmental phonological disorders III: Long-term speech-sound normalization. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 37(5), 1151–1177. https://doi.org/10.1044/jshr.3705.1151
