Observe the child during interaction with adults and others during daily routines and/or playtime.
Ask unfamiliar observers how much of what the child says is understood.
The child combines a variety of sounds in a CVC pattern, and imitates more words, however errors are still prevalent. Familiar persons understand the child more frequently than unfamiliar persons.
Early childhood educators and parents unconsciously learn the substitutions, deletions, and omissions of sounds a child typically makes. They can, therefore, understand the child’s meaning. If adults have not figured out the child’s sound patterns, it is important for the specialists to help them discover the patterns. The child can become frustrated if he cannot make himself understood.
 North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2015
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