The Process of Articulation Therapy
Errors in speech sound production are known as articulation errors. Articulation errors are common in children when they first learn to speak. An example of this is a toddler who says “wabbit” for “rabbit.” Most children eventually outgrow such speech errors, which are a normal part of learning to produce new sounds. (Note: Regional dialects are not articulation errors.)
No matter what specific sound we are working on, there is a general process used to maximize progress in articulation therapy! The first step is to do a screener or assessment in order to determine exactly what sounds the child is struggling with, what position of the word (beginning, middle or ending) they are struggling with it in, and what sound if any they are substituting it with. There are four main types of articulation errors:
1. Substitutions
The next step is to check which sounds the student is stimulable for. Stimulability is the ability to produce the sound correctly by imitating. If the child is stimulable, that's great news! If not, the child will have to be taught to say the sound using one of many elicitation techniques. I've included some helpful elicitation techniques by speech sound at the bottom of this page!
Speech sound elicitation happens within a hierarchy starting with the sound in isolation, moving all the way up to conversation and in specific positions of the word. The following are the stages typically followed when teaching a new sound:
1. Sounds in Isolation: Practicing a sound in isolation means saying the sound all by itself without adding a vowel. For example, if you are practicing the /s/ sound you would practice saying /s/, /s/, /s/ multiple times in a row. The more accurate repetitions, the better! I typically try to elicit at least 20-50 trials per session and look for 3 sessions of 80% accuracy or higher before moving to the next step.
2. Sounds in Syllables: Practicing a sound in syllables means saying the sound with the addition of a vowel before or after the target sound. For example, if you are practicing the /l/ sound in the initial position, you would practice saying lee, lay, lie, lo, loo. I typically begin targeting the sound in the initial position of words, then move to the final position, and end with the medial position. But of course, therapy is highly individualized and specific student strengths and error patterns always drive goals and therapy plans. Again, I look for 20-50 trials per session and about 3 sessions of 80% accuracy or higher before moving to the next step.
3. Sounds in Words: At this point, I've decided which position of the word (initial, medial, final) we'll be working on and will begin practicing with picture cards that have words with the target sound in that position. I've included links to similar picture cards on the Helpful links page! There are so many ways to make the cards into a game including using them in conjunction with board games, hide them around the room or in sensory bins, earning legos or blocks to build a tower!
4. Sounds in Sentences: I usually let students make up their own sentences for our picture cards at this stage. For younger students who may demonstrate difficulty coming up with sentences, it can be helpful to give them a carrier phrase such as "I see a _____" or "Freddy found a ______."
5. Sounds in Reading: All SLPs may not use this stage, but I find it very helpful, as the bridge between sentences and conversation can sometimes be enormous! For non-readers, they can come up with stories using the picture cards or "read" the book by telling what is happening in the pictures.
6. Sounds in Conversation: There are many fun ways to target sounds at the conversation stage! We play games, use conversation cards, tell stories, and talk about exciting recent events! The key at this stage is to increase awareness of errors by highlighting incorrect productions. For some students, I use visual prompts such as a picture card or a facial expression and others a verbal prompt is more successful.
7. Generalization: Once the sound has been mastered in all positions and levels, we look for generalization outside of the speech room. If a child is having difficulty generalizing the target sound, we would spend more time on the conversation level and perhaps visit new settings during our speech time! If the student has more than one speech sound error, now we go back to the beginning with the new target sound. If not, the IEP team considers reevaluation to determine continued need for specialized instruction.
References:
Daymut, Julie A. “Types of Articulation Errors- A Simple Guide.” Super Duper Handy Handouts, Super Duper, Inc, 2009, www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/201_typesofarticulationerrors.pdf.
Hanks, Heidi. “The Process of Articulation Therapy.” Mommy Speech Therapy, 2 July 2010, mommyspeechtherapy.com/?p=687.
Errors in speech sound production are known as articulation errors. Articulation errors are common in children when they first learn to speak. An example of this is a toddler who says “wabbit” for “rabbit.” Most children eventually outgrow such speech errors, which are a normal part of learning to produce new sounds. (Note: Regional dialects are not articulation errors.)
No matter what specific sound we are working on, there is a general process used to maximize progress in articulation therapy! The first step is to do a screener or assessment in order to determine exactly what sounds the child is struggling with, what position of the word (beginning, middle or ending) they are struggling with it in, and what sound if any they are substituting it with. There are four main types of articulation errors:
1. Substitutions
- Definition: Replace one sound with another sound.
- Examples: “wed” for “red,” “thoap” for “soap,” “dut,” for “duck”
- Definition: Omit a sound in a word. Note: This error affects intelligibility the most, making speech more difficult for the listener(s) to understand
- Examples: “pay the piano” for “play the piano”, “geen nake” for “green snake”
- Definition: Produce a sound in an unfamiliar manner.
- Examples: “sun” (lisped—sounds “slushy”) for “sun”
- Definition: Insert an extra sound within a word.
- Examples: “buhlack horse” for “black horse,” “doguh,” for “dog”
The next step is to check which sounds the student is stimulable for. Stimulability is the ability to produce the sound correctly by imitating. If the child is stimulable, that's great news! If not, the child will have to be taught to say the sound using one of many elicitation techniques. I've included some helpful elicitation techniques by speech sound at the bottom of this page!
Speech sound elicitation happens within a hierarchy starting with the sound in isolation, moving all the way up to conversation and in specific positions of the word. The following are the stages typically followed when teaching a new sound:
1. Sounds in Isolation: Practicing a sound in isolation means saying the sound all by itself without adding a vowel. For example, if you are practicing the /s/ sound you would practice saying /s/, /s/, /s/ multiple times in a row. The more accurate repetitions, the better! I typically try to elicit at least 20-50 trials per session and look for 3 sessions of 80% accuracy or higher before moving to the next step.
2. Sounds in Syllables: Practicing a sound in syllables means saying the sound with the addition of a vowel before or after the target sound. For example, if you are practicing the /l/ sound in the initial position, you would practice saying lee, lay, lie, lo, loo. I typically begin targeting the sound in the initial position of words, then move to the final position, and end with the medial position. But of course, therapy is highly individualized and specific student strengths and error patterns always drive goals and therapy plans. Again, I look for 20-50 trials per session and about 3 sessions of 80% accuracy or higher before moving to the next step.
3. Sounds in Words: At this point, I've decided which position of the word (initial, medial, final) we'll be working on and will begin practicing with picture cards that have words with the target sound in that position. I've included links to similar picture cards on the Helpful links page! There are so many ways to make the cards into a game including using them in conjunction with board games, hide them around the room or in sensory bins, earning legos or blocks to build a tower!
4. Sounds in Sentences: I usually let students make up their own sentences for our picture cards at this stage. For younger students who may demonstrate difficulty coming up with sentences, it can be helpful to give them a carrier phrase such as "I see a _____" or "Freddy found a ______."
5. Sounds in Reading: All SLPs may not use this stage, but I find it very helpful, as the bridge between sentences and conversation can sometimes be enormous! For non-readers, they can come up with stories using the picture cards or "read" the book by telling what is happening in the pictures.
6. Sounds in Conversation: There are many fun ways to target sounds at the conversation stage! We play games, use conversation cards, tell stories, and talk about exciting recent events! The key at this stage is to increase awareness of errors by highlighting incorrect productions. For some students, I use visual prompts such as a picture card or a facial expression and others a verbal prompt is more successful.
7. Generalization: Once the sound has been mastered in all positions and levels, we look for generalization outside of the speech room. If a child is having difficulty generalizing the target sound, we would spend more time on the conversation level and perhaps visit new settings during our speech time! If the student has more than one speech sound error, now we go back to the beginning with the new target sound. If not, the IEP team considers reevaluation to determine continued need for specialized instruction.
References:
Daymut, Julie A. “Types of Articulation Errors- A Simple Guide.” Super Duper Handy Handouts, Super Duper, Inc, 2009, www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/201_typesofarticulationerrors.pdf.
Hanks, Heidi. “The Process of Articulation Therapy.” Mommy Speech Therapy, 2 July 2010, mommyspeechtherapy.com/?p=687.
articulation development norms
articulation resources
Scroll down to find some resources to target some commonly errored sounds! Happy Practicing!
S/z- the snake sounds
S/Z sounds.pdf | |
File Size: | 394 kb |
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K/g- the back sounds
K/G sounds | |
File Size: | 394 kb |
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L - the singing sound
L sound.pdf | |
File Size: | 379 kb |
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TH - the tongue sandwich sound
Coming soon!
SH - the quiet sound
Coming soon!
CH- the train sound
Coming soon!
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R- the pirate sound
/r/ might be the trickiest sound of them all! There are a few methods that I have found to work really well.
Method 1: Karla
Method 1: Karla
r-pairedstimulationkarla.pdf | |
File Size: | 81 kb |
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Method 2: Bear Growl
Coming soon!
Coming soon!
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