Trick for kids who can't pronounce "r"

southernbubby

Thu, Jun 27 2019, 11:02 am

amother [ Navy ] wrote:

The bite problem is not affecting the mispronunciation, so that's good news.

In beginning of word, she says /w/ ("red" becomes "wed")
At the end of the word, she says "uh" (sister" becomes "sista")

Right?

First see what's easiest for her. Is it easier to say /r/ in the beginning of the word? Middle? End? When its attached to another sound?

Show her in the mirror that her lips have to be in a square shape. Not a tiny "o"! Move that tongue up and back! Now make a super strong sound very loud!
Explain the difference in the sounds and how your mouth looks when you make it. Also, the /w/ is a weak sound. Let's make a super strong rrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Stay away from words that have /o/ after the /r/ (like robot, roll, rope) because then you have to make your lips into an o, and it's too hard. Rather, stick with sounds where you have to open your mouth wide after the rrrrrr (like ran, rat, red)

Wow thanks! You described her exactly!

amother

Navy

Thu, Jun 27 2019, 11:11 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

I've had very good luck with 3 and 4 year olds.

I had speech therapy when I was 6, and hated it. It was too much like work. I prefer to start earlier, so it's more of a game.

For the "h" sound, try to get him to make an exaggerated laugh sound, "Ha Ha Ha". Then add that to the beginning of words. "Ha Ha Ha Happy!" (Hippo, horse, house, etc.)

Then you can move onto "In Hartford, Hereford and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly ever happen." Wink

Lol I love that movie!

I would be very wary starting articulation therapy that young, especially for sounds that are way out of their developmental norms/ages. I have seen it backfire way too many times.

FranticFrummie

Thu, Jun 27 2019, 11:38 am

amother [ Navy ] wrote:

I disagree. As long as you are not forcing it, and you are willing to back down when you see that they are just not ready yet, it can work if the kid is actually ready. It's a lot like toilet training. The kid has to be open to the idea, physically ready to try, and has to experience success. Otherwise, hang it up for 6 months or so, and try again later.

Some just need more direction than others. Some kids are just "lazy", and need prompting. Some may come from a home where words are not enunciated clearly, and some kids may have minor hearing loss. If there is true dyspraxia of speech, the therapy might need to be later, and much more intense. Each kid is their own pekel.

I know lots of kids who never went through the lisping or baby-talk stages, so I do know that it's developmentally possible for young children to speak properly.

DD spoke late, only a few words until she was 22 months. Then she came out in full, clear PARAGRAPHS! Everyone called her the little professor, because she was so tiny, and so articulate. (She hasn't shut up since, LOL.)

Funny story: My sister's oldest boy was obsessed with trucks. He also couldn't make the "tr" sound, and used the "f" sound instead. Guess what he liked to yell out the window every time he passed a construction site? (Go ahead, think about that for a minute.)

My poor sister was mortified. TMI

nchr

Thu, Jun 27 2019, 12:04 pm

soap suds wrote:

The Yiddish R sound is very different than the English R sound, so it makes sense to substitute differently.
My 8 yr old DS has been saying the Yiddish R since he was 2, but still substitutes W for the English R.

Sure. I was just commenting on how it is interesting that the same letter seems to create problems, regardless of sound.

amother

Navy

Thu, Jun 27 2019, 12:32 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

1- it's very difficult to get approved young for speech for this reason (among others)

2- I never misarticulated words, and my 2 and a half year old doesnt either. He says a perfect /r/, /th/, even /thr/, which is one of the absolute last sounds you work on. His speech is totally clear. But you still wait out any phonological processes

FranticFrummie

Thu, Jun 27 2019, 12:40 pm

amother [ Navy ] wrote:

I understand that it's nearly impossible to get approved when kids are that young. I tutor privately, along with early reading/writing classes.

There are a lot of Anglo families in my area who want their kids to do well in English, since their whole environment is Hebrew. From three to six years is my absolute favorite age to teach.

amother

Lawngreen

Fri, Jun 28 2019, 1:48 pm

There are a lot of inaccurate norms being referenced on this thread. SLPs, please check out McLeod and Crowe 2018: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30177993. You also may enjoy this post: https://www.theinformedslp.com.....ernet

Non-speechies, here's a graphic summarizing the ages that most kids have acquired various English sounds: https://cdn.csu.edu.au/__data/.....r.pdf

Anon because I don't want my user name linked with my profession since my daughter is on here and she doesn't know my user name.

amother

Navy

Fri, Jun 28 2019, 5:43 pm

amother [ Lawngreen ] wrote:

I go acc to the Iowa Nebraska norms, which is what asha uses! I practically know it by heart, since I almost only deal with articulation remediation. It's very different from what you posted. But anyone can use what they're comfortable with!

amother

Lawngreen

Fri, Jun 28 2019, 7:10 pm

These "new" norms (really not new if you look into it) were heavily discussed at ASHA this year, and it was strongly encouraged that people start using them in their practice settings. Was a hot topic as obviously it could increase caseloads significantly for SLPs working with younger kids.