Targeting the Tricky R Sound

Often one of the hardest sounds for young children to produce is the /r/ sound. This sound is typically one of the latest sounds to develop. While there are some different schools of thought amongst speech-language-pathologists and specific school district therapy qualification standards, generally the /r/ sound is not targeted during speech therapy until first or second grade.

The /r/ sound is tricky for a number of reasons, one being the fact that it is produced slightly differently depending on the sounds that come before and after it in words.

Here is a SUPER video that will help you explain to your child how to correctly produce that tricky RRR sound! Watch this video (first link) and then have your child work on producing some of the /r/ words located in the second link...scroll down to "R Sound"! You could have your child produce the words in isolation (by themselves) and then put the words into sentences if they are able to produce the words correctly in isolation. You could also play a game together and before each turn ask your child to say 5 /r/ words. Make sure you take a turn saying words before your turn in the game, too!

Free Articulation Handouts

Happy Talking!

-Mrs. Wells

Ten Simple Speech and Language Enhancing Activities

Hello!

I am writing this post in the midst of some crazy times...the Covid-19 pandemic. Hopefully someday we will look back on all of this and remember things like the quality time with family and the things we learned. I know the logistics of daily life right now is uncertain and stressful. I am doing my best to work from home, entertain/teach/feed/keep alive and happy/bathe/love my almost-four-year-old and eight-month-old, and support my husband who is also working from home. I know we are ALL (as an entire human race!) dealing with a lot right now...some FAR more than I am personally dealing with.

One of the positives I have already seen come out of this situation is the plethora of shared educational information. On the Speech-Language Pathology and education facebook groups I am a part of, for example, there is an almost endless supply of people sharing wonderful blog posts, videos, and Google docs full of ideas. I won't pretend that my paltry little page (and fledgling YouTube channel...I feel silly even putting it out there right now!) will ever compete with some of the big pages out there, but I am committed to disseminating bits of useful information as I find it for the families I work with.

With that, I leave you with ten SIMPLE (read: MINIMAL materials/prep/"special knowledge" needed!!) you (yes, you!) can do at home with your children to enhance speech and language skills. YOU are your child's best teacher...truly! Please do NOT stress about perfection. I've had some parents reach out to me in the midst of the current crisis worried about being a perfect teacher and therapist for their child. No one is expecting perfection from you! No one among us is perfect. We will all continue to do the best we can...and we must commit to taking care of one another!

Without further ado, here are the promised SIMPLE activities...

10. Write a Letter! Write a letter to a friend or family member. If your child is not yet writing independently, have him/her dictate what they would like to communicate and write it for them. If your child is writing (even just minimally!), have him/her write the letter and provide some "translation" if needed. You could target retelling a narrative by having the child describe something he/she did that day in the letter. You could use physical pen/pencil (or markers!) and paper, email, or an app like Postagram (my personal favorite!) that allows you to send postcards with a picture to a loved one!

9. Play Doh! If you don't have any Play Doh (or if yours is all dried up because SOMEONE left the lids off...not that this ever happens!!), there are many easy-to-Google recipes available! Talk about actions (great verb practice!) while you SQUISH and ROLL and CUT and PUSH. Talk about colors and talk about shapes (as you cut out shapes!)! If you have access to a printer, there are also fun Play Doh mats you can simply Google and print out...press Play Doh balls down onto different targets as you talk about the pictures!

8. Family Picture Albums! Get out some family photo albums (either electronic or actual physical books!) and talk about the people and actions depicted in each. This is a great way to target WH questions as well as social/emotional concepts..."WHO is that?" "WHERE are they?" "WHAT are they doing?" "WHEN did we go there?" "WHY are they happy?" "HOW does that person feel in the picture?"

7. Game Time! Choose someone in the family (take turns!) to pick a favorite game. Choose a speech or language target to work on while you play the game. If you are working on the /b/ sound, for example, have a list of /b/ words or pictures and ask each person to make the sound/say the word prior to each turn. Playing a game is also a great time to work on turn taking and the language associated with turn taking ("WHO goes next?" "WHO goes AFTER Mom?" "MY turn!" "YOUR turn!").

6. Be the Teacher...Choose a target sound that your child has worked on and have him/her "teach" another family member. Have a number of pictures or items that start with the target sound and have the person who is being "taught" name the items and make mistakes articulating the target sound. Have the child "catch" the errors and correct them using strategies like "try again!" "make your mouth look like mine" "put your tongue _____" "put your teeth _____" "put your lips _____" etc.

5. Mystery Box...use any box or container and have one person hide an item inside. The rest of the family gets to ask questions about what could be hidden inside. "Is it alive?" (haha) "Is it red?" "Is it something we read?" etc.! To add specific articulation focus, you could challenge individuals to put mystery items in the box that start with a target sound.

4. Family Obstacle Course...targeting memory, following multi-step directions, and you could even add in an articulation piece by having your child produce a specific sound (or sounds) at different steps of the obstacle course. Example: fold up a blanket to make a long straight line "balance beam"to walk on, have three pillows spread out on the ground to hop on, run up/down the stairs, do 5 jumping jacks, bear crawl, even add burpees if you're into that! If you have a baby in the house (like we do!), strap baby on to Mom or Dad in a carrier and bring them along for the literal ride!

3. "Simon Says"...targeting memory following multi-step directions! One person is "Simon" and gets to give three (or however many you feel is appropriate for your child) instructions to the rest of the family, "Simon says STAND UP, STOMP THREE TIMES, SIT DOWN!" "Simon says RUN UP THE STAIRS, CLOSE YOUR EYES, TOUCH YOUR TUMMY!"

2. "I Spy"...choose a sound (...perhaps a specific sound you know your child is working on in speech, but really ANY sound will do! Working on the skills related to sound-letter association are so important!). Take turns finding something in the room (or out the window) and having the rest of the family guess what you found. "I spy something that starts with a SSSSS sound!" "Is it the SINK?" "No!" "Is it a SALAD?" "No!" "Is it the SILLY PUTTY?" "YES!!"

1. Read...simply read with your child. Choose a book together and read it aloud to your child. Have an older child read to a younger sibling. You could even video chat with a friend or relative and have them read a book to your child (or have your child read a book to them!). Read for enjoyment...and don't dwell on mis-articulated sounds or mis-read words every time you read. Just read and enjoy the time together!

Please reach out with questions, concerns, anything at all.

Much love to you all!

Mrs. Wells

Favorite speech and language products lately...

I often get asked about books/games/toys that I would recommend, either to other SLPs working with children or to parents of children I am working with.

Here are a few things I love and use OFTEN:

1. "That's not my ____" books by Usborne Books.

If you haven't heard of Usborne Books, you should check them out. I am often wary of things that are sold by consultants (like Usborne Books), however I will say that these books are amazing products. I have used them for years and will continue to do so. In particular, the "That's not my ___" books are awesome for working on a variety of language targets with young children (usually I would use these with 2-6 year olds, depending on the child's skills). The simple illustrations are great and the inclusion of touchy-feely elements on each page offer the opportunity for sensory stimulation as well as vocabulary expansion. That's Not My Bunny and That's Not My Snowman are among the many titles available in this collection.

2.  The Mystery Box and Guessing Game by Lakeshore

These are two products that work well both together and separately. The Mystery Box and Guessing Game are both great tools to work on things like describing items using adjectives, matching items to pictures (The Guessing Game is a box full of objets with corresponding pictures), making inferences ("What do you think is inside the box?"), turn-taking, and more!

3.  Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Tap & Teach Drum

I am not always wild about toys that make lots of electronic "noise," but there are ways that such toys can be used in an educational fashion. This is a cute, inexpensive drum toy that can be used with littles to work on cause and effect skills (turn on the drum - when the child taps on the top, it lights up and makes a variety of sounds which are typically rewarding to a child), imitation of motor skills (tap the drum either with it either on or off and encourage the child to imitate you with language like, "do it like me!" or "now you do!" or "your turn!"), and social language skills such as joint attention, turn taking, and three-point gaze.

4.  The Articulation Station Pro iPad Application

This has been an old favorite of mine for the past few years now. The app developers have added great updates and the app has become one of the staples in my articulation therapy sessions. It's a little on the pricey side (currently $59.99), however there are sales every now and then that will bring that price down. I've seen sales occur in November around the time of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association national convention. The app includes all sounds in American English and has a variety of activities under each to work on increasing the child's accuracy. There are even tips for parents or therapists for eliciting correct production of the sound. In my personal opinion, this app is so valuable that I purchased it one year with my classroom budget for my school iPad as well as personally purchased it on my private device.

5.  The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game

This is a great game that I use in my therapy sessions for a variety of functions. It is great for turn-taking and memory (remembering what the different symbols on the spinner indicate) as well as for use as a reinforcer during articulation drill activities.

Of course there are many other products that I love for a variety of reasons, but these are a few things that I use on a regular basis for a variety of functions. I am a HUGE proponent of using the same tools in a variety of ways - why have a ton of materials that can only be used for one function each? Instead, I recommend having a collection of materials that could each be used in many ways. Sometimes this takes some creativity and planning on the part of the therapist (or parent), but it's a great mental practice in addition to just smart planning!

Have a wonderful day :)

~Mrs. Wells.

The L sound!

Sometimes the L sound is a tricky one for kiddos! If your child has been working on the L sound in speech therapy or if you've noticed at home that your child has difficulty saying words with the L sound in them, here are a few quick tips/activities you could try.
*The most common substitution for /l/ (the LLLL sound) is /w/ ("Wuh") which results in producing "weaf" instead of "leaf." This is a phonological process/error pattern called "gliding."*

-Show your child how to make their tongue go "UP UP UP" in his/her mouth by pointing to your own tongue as you raise it UP to the roof of your mouth behind your top teeth.

-say "la la la" like you are "singing" (sometimes we refer to /l/ as the "singing sound")

-gently touch the roof of your child's mouth behind the top teeth (we call this the "alveolar ridge") to show them WHERE exactly to put their tongue (we call this a "tactile prompt" or a touch cue)

Below are some picture cards from a blog I found (Testy Yet Trying) that could help shape your home practice.

You could:
-practice all of the words one at a time by simply looking at them on your computer or phone screen,
-print out the pictures and practice them like flash cards,
-print out two copies of the pictures, cut them apart and play a memory/matching game with them
-print out two copies of the pictures, cut them apart and hide them around the house to play a hide and seek type game...then have your child say, "I found ____!" when they find each target picture.
-play a game with your child and have him/her say one of the target words prior to each turn
-produce one of the target words incorrectly (example - say "WAKE" instead of "LAKE" while pointing to the "lake" picture card) and have your child correct your error and show you/tell you how to say the word correctly

(click on the picture to make it larger)

For other sounds, check out THIS PAGE on Testy Yet Trying's blog! (click link!)

Remember - keep things fun and light-hearted while you practice with your littles. 

Happy talking!

~Mrs. Wells

Articulation Troubles... {The /S/ Sound!}

This school year, I have a good number of students who come to work with me on improving articulation skills. Many of these students are working specifically on the /s/ sound. A common error pattern for a child who has difficulty producing S correctly is making the sound with his/her tongue protruding through his teeth. This results in the sound coming out more like a "th" sound as opposed to a good, clear SSSSS. Try it! Say "snake"...and now say "snake" while sticking your tongue out while you say the "s." Sounds kind of messy, does it?!

Verbal reminders to "keep your tongue inside your teeth" can be helpful, as can using a mirror so the child can WATCH for his/her tongue to "sneak" out in an errant fashion.

Here's some blog posts I've found with more tips for working on clear production of the /s/ sound:

http://communicationstationspeechtx.blogspot.com/2013/01/articulation-tip-simple-cues-for-s-sound.html

http://2galsspeechproducts.blogspot.com/2011/03/eliciting-sounds-s.html

http://www.chicagospeechandmore.com/2013/01/04/speechtherapy-tips-for-producing-the-s-sound/

As always, feel free to post questions or e-mail me at rlwells1 AT ilstu DOT edu with questions regarding this post, articulation skills...or anything speech/language-related!

Happy speaking!

~Mrs. Wells

Articulation Practice/Home Project Idea

Good morning!  I hope everyone is staying warm!  These cold Midwest days are starting to wear on all of us, I think.  I know spending so much time inside can make us feel stir-crazy at times...and some of our kiddos (ok, teachers too! ;)) may have a little extra energy to expend.  Why not channel some of that energy into practicing speech sounds?! 

I took the following activity idea and adapted it from a handout that can be downloaded from the Super Duper Publications website....

Fun with a homemade MYSTERY BOX! 

*Make a “mystery box” using common household objects and your child’s toys/items you can find around your home.*

1)  Cut a slot in the top of a good-sized box (maybe a shoe or boot box?). Make sure that your child’s hand plus an object fits through the slot.   

2)  Help your child decorate the box the way he/she wants it to look. This makes the child feel like he/she is participating and provides a great language-building activity.  Get creative and brainstorm things you could use to decorate the box?  Stickers?  Markers?  Paint?  Here is a great recipe I found on Pinterest for homemade puffy paint using items you probably already have in your home.  

3)  Choose a sound that your child has been working on in speech therapy sessions and go on a hunt around your house for items that have that sound in them.  For younger children, it will be easiest to find things that start with that sound.  For older children, you can have them find things that have that target sound anywhere in the word.  You could even make this a "contest" between siblings...for example, who can find the most things that have the S sound in their name in five minutes??

4)  Have your child(ren) tell you about the items he/she found.  You could expand this by having he/she tell you WHERE he/she found it or tell you HOW the item is used.  Place all of the items in the mystery box!   

5)  Let your child choose an object out of the box and say/name it, use it in a phrase, sentence, or ask the child more questions about the item to elicit conversation.  Variation:  Everyone playing the game could close his/her eyes while one person chooses an item.  The person choosing could then describe the item and have the other people guess which item is being described.

6)  Continue until your child sees all objects and completes each task.

7)  For a special treat, secretly put a “surprise” in the box your child can keep or eat!

Let these ideas get you started, but feel free to adapt and shape these ideas into your own fun activities at home with your family!  Practicing articulation can be lots of fun and can be something that is easily incorporated into your daily life at home!  HAVE FUN and enjoy time talking to and playing with your child!

Some ideas for five commonly misarticulated sounds are:

S Initial (at the beginning of words) 
sucker 

cereal 
celery
cent 
seed 
seashell 
salt 
soap 
soup 
softball 
sock 
 

S Medial (in the middle of words) 
bicycle 
dinosaur 
motorcycle 
pencil
receipt 
baseball 
glasses 
icing 
bracelet 
whistle


S Final (at the end of words) 
bus  
dress
shoelace 
horse
dental floss 
lace
purse
ice (in a baggie) 
necklace


SH Initial  (at the beginning of words) 
shoe
shapes
ship 
shirt
shells 
shampoo 
shoelace 
sugar 
shovel 
shark 

SH Medial (in the middle of words) 
horseshoe 
toothbrushes 
tissue 
marshmallows 
nutshells 
washcloth 
dishes 
invitation 
lotion 
flashlight 

SH Final (at the end of words) 
hairbrush 

toothbrush
fish (toy/picture) 
mouthwash
nail polish
dish
leash
paintbrush 
starfish
licorice

R Initial (at the beginning of words) 
rope

rose
ring
rabbit 
robe
rattle 
ribbon 
radio 
rocket 
raisins 
  
R Medial (in the middle of words) 
airplane 
carrots 
earrings 
horse
purse
fork
marbles 
markers
shirt
fire engine

R Final (at the end of words) 
(teddy) bear 
car (toy) 
pear
jar
flower
feather
dollar 
dinosaur
paper
letter

K  Initial (at the beginning of words) 
can  

key

car

comb 

candy 

kite 

carrot

cow

cat

corn

K Medial (in the middle of words) 
chicken (toy or picture)
bacon (toy or picture)
pumpkin 
rocket 
helicopter 
bicycle (toy or picture)
sneaker
napkin 
chocolate 
monkey 

K Final (at the end of words) 
sock
stick
truck 

block
snake 
book
cake
rake 
milk
black (crayon/paper/paint/marker) 

L  Initial (at the beginning of words) 
lamp (toy/picture)
lamb
leaf
ladder
lemon 
letter 
lipstick 
lotion 
lizard

L Medial (in the middle of words) 
balloon
collar
dollar
jelly
necklace
pillow
ruler
elephant 
marshmallows 
helicopter

L Final (at the end of words) 
bell 

doll 
ball 
bowl 
nail 
football 
pencil 
towel 
seashell 
mail

Articulation Activity Resource

I see many students here at Metcalf who are working on increasing articulation skills!  Articulation disorders are quite common among students as they grow and develop their communication skills.

ASHA (the American Speech-Language-Hearing-Association) defines an articulation disorder as:  

"the atypical production of speech sounds
characterized by substitutions, omissions, additions or distortions that may
interfere with intelligibility"

If your child has an articulation disorder, or has difficulty correctly producing some speech sounds, practicing the sounds at home (and not JUST during speech therapy sessions!) can help your child make faster progress.  Faster progress means less time in the speech room and less time being pulled out of class!

Here's a website that has some suggestions for practicing target sounds:

Speaking of Speech (look for activities for the specific sounds your child is working on or having difficulty with).

As always, let me know if you have specific questions regarding your child or ways you could work toward his/her goals at home.

Have a great day!

~Ms. Matyasse