Articulation
and phonological disorders affect a child's ability to produce sounds
correctly. Children acquire various speech sounds by certain ages. If
your child has not mastered certain speech sounds by a particular age,
speech therapy services may be recommended. Articulation disorders can affect your students phonemic awareness, reading and spelling skills to name a few. Typically, your child will need to master their sounds in the following order:
Isolation or the sound all by itself:
When
practicing in isolation, you are saying the sounds by themselves. Be
sure the sound is crisp and clear with each practice and give your child
feedback on if the sound was correct and if not how to improve the
production of the sound, such as where to place the tongue, lips and
teeth.
Syllables:
Pairing
the sound with various vowels either after, before, or between the
target sound. (Ex. s-o, o-s, o-s-o). Be sure to target both long and
short vowel sounds. If you child misarticulates the the sound, then
give specific feedback as you did in the isolation stage.
Words (beginning, middle, and ends of words):Say
the sound in words from the targeted word list. Typically we start
with sounds at the beginning of words and then move words ending with
the target sound and finally to words with the sound in the middle.
Phrases:
Pick a phrase to practice words (i.e. "I see" -----) Again, we start with
sounds at the beginning of words and then move words ending with the
target sound and finally to words with the sound in the middle.
Sentence:
When
practicing at the sentence level, use words from the word list and have
your child make up a sentence using the word. Again, we start with
sounds at the beginning of words and then move words ending with the
target sound and finally to words with the sound in the middle.
Reading: You
can use any reading material such as a library book, reading book, or
any subject book and have your child read using their good sound. If
they are struggling with this, have them find the words with their sound
in it in each paragraph before reading it aloud.
Homework Ideas: Practice
your target sounds "the new way" during reading activities each night
for a few minutes. You will need to read out loud. An adult might need
to remind you when you are doing your sound the "NEW WAY" versus the
"OLD WAY". It can be helpful to skim your reading and use a highlighter
to mark all of the words that have your sound before you read.
Read a story with your parents and:
-retell it to your parents using all of your words
-stop in the middle and try to make up your own ending
-write down any new words that you find and learn the definition, synonym, or antonym of those words.
-identify and talk about the meaning of figurative (or non-literal) language as it comes up in your reading
Structured/spontaneous conversation: Here
the target practicing the sound with your child is not necessarily
thinking specifically about it. Give prompts such as fix it or tell me
that again or don't forget you good sound, to have them fix productions
in error.
You
may need to adapt your child's homework pages to increase or decrease
difficulty so your child can experience success. For example, it is not
realistic to practice /r/ in sentences if your child cannot accurately
produce this sound in syllables. Homework pages and fun activities for
practice can be found on this website. Check your students folder for homework practice. Don't
forget to make if fun, such as practice while playing a game. Have
your child practice 1-3 times before earning a turn in a game.
Here are some ideas for how kids and parents can practice speech and language goals in everyday conversation:
6 Fun Ways to Practice Your Articulation Skills at Home
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As you ride along in the car, name things you see that have your speech sound in the name
-
Play
guessing games, choosing items in a room that have your sound, as your
partner tries to guess what object you are thinking of
-
As you do your other homework, repeat words with your sound that you come across in your spelling and vocabulary lists.
-
Create a collage of pictures with your child’s sound.
-
Create
a speech bag, by collecting small objects that contain your child’s
speech sound. Take the bag out to practice saying the names of the
objects. You can also use the bag to play guessing games.
-
Use
clip art, magazine pictures or other types of pictures to create
practice cards, You may want to get a package of 3 by 5 note cards, and
paste the pictures to them. Make two cards of the same picture. You can
use the cards for the following activities:
-
“Memory” or matching games- place all cards face down and take turns turning over two cards, trying to find matches.
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Guessing games- lay a group of cards out, and take turns describing a picture as the partner tries to guess it.
-
Sequence-
lay out one card at a time, naming it. Add another card, and name both,
keep adding cards, but cover them once you name them once and try to
remember all the cards.
-
Go fish- use your cards to play a “Go Fish” kind of game
-
Hide and seek – have your child leave the room. Hide the cards around
the room, then invite your child to come back in and find all of them
-
Slap it- lay the cards face down in a pile. When you say “go” turn a
card over. The one who slaps it first and says it correctly takes the
card.
SUGGESTIONS FOR PARENTS
1.
Set up a time to talk with your child about his/her day (or anything
else that your child's would like to talk about). Make this time "predictable" (set a time) AND "productive" (give constructive feedback and encouragement).
2.
In conversation, first you need to focus your child to their speech
goals (speech sounds, or language). For example you might say, "I am so
excited to hear about field day, and when you tell me about it all, I
want you to try to remember to use your new "R" sound and your good
grammar".
3.
Finally, try your best to LISTEN to what your child says as well as how
he/she is saying it...be sure to give your child honest but encouraging
feedback.