Is this a common speech... thingy?

[FreakoidOrganisoid]

DS is 2.9 and generally speaks very clearly however he does have problems with words that start with d and then have a hard consonant.

So for example dog= gog, duck= guck, dark = gark, doctor= goctor.

Unfortunately his name is Gouggie

Just wondering if this a common thing that he will grow out of or if there is anything I can do to help him.

very normal

DS1 called his cousin Gaycob for quite a long time. 15 year old cousin didn't like it!

DS3 currently having the same problem and he is 3 and a half. I'm sure yours will grow out of it!

My Ds is 2.5 and has an issue with k and pronounces it as a t - so dark is dart, key is they etc. Not too bothered yet, as he can be understood and the rest of his language acquisition has been brilliant and he speaks very well. But will probably mention it next time see doctor or hv or if he still seems to have this issue when he is say 3.

DS2 is practically the same age and does just the same thing:
daddy = gaddy

although dog = god, which is amusing.

He also uses 't' for 'k' esp at the end of words, so
work = wort
milk = milt

I'm hoping he'll grow out of it.

I think that's the age where a lot of children are just saying what they hear as apposed to watching your mouth when you say it.

Mine is 3.8 and when she struggles to say something I always just say "watch mummy's mouth". I'm not saying it will work necessarily on a child much younger, but i'm saying it's just something he'll learn to do with time and observation.

Yes. Particularly for words they learnt younger. Once they can say 'd' then any new words they learn after that will be right, but it'll take much longer to correct any words they've got into the habit of using 'g' with.

Suzi - I think you're not meant to do that, actually. Just let them learn.

Listen To Your Child by David Crystal is a fantastic book for explaining how children learn to speak and how to help (or not) them.

How can that not be helping them learn? All I know is that when I do it with mine she pick it up straight away.

These are all just idea's and opinions anyway, not facts. This is all completely subjective. Would just like to think I may have helped somebody.:)

Sorry, Suzi - didn't mean to sound like I was 'telling you off'. Just that all I've learnt about children learning to speak is that you shouldn't correct them, but let them absorb it from being involved in normal (ie. not contrived) speech and conversation. Crystal says not even to correct surreptitiously, like:

Child: I like gogs
Adult: Do you? You like dogs do you?

No, not atall. That's the problem with computers and texts, you can never pick up a tone. :)

I have never heard of it before. The not correcting them thing. I hope I haven't done it all wrong.

Oh, I'm sure you haven't! I've read a lot of books about communicating with children and letting them learn and develop in their own time without interference (ie. help!) unless requested, and I've got four children aged between 2 and 7, so it's second nature to me now!

Another good book, but not about learning to talk, but of course they learn that in the same way they learn most things - walking, reading, numbers etc. - is Letting Go as Children Grow by Deborah Jackson, and anything by John Holt (if you're interested, that is!)

Thanks all. He can say daddy, dummy, dora etc and knows his name begins with a d but just doesn't say it with a d. It is probably partly him being contrary though