How Can the Complexity Approach Help Speech Development?

The complexity approach is a phonological intervention that targets later developing sounds and clusters. 

It’s suitable for children with significant phonological difficulties. Rather than targeting the earliest sounds a child can’t produce and working through each one, this approach does the opposite. 

By targeting later-developing sounds and working on more complex clusters, changes and improvements in other less complex sounds can occur without direct work on those sounds or processes. 

How does the Complexity Approach work?

By working on a complex sound, a child will learn all the sounds involved including anything less complex. 

If a child is gliding, stopping, or reducing clusters, for example, by targeting one complex cluster, all of these errors can be targetted in one go. 

Targeting one or two more complex clusters can have a big impact on a child’s overall speech development. 

Conclusion

The complexity approach is an efficient way to support children with significant phonological difficulties. By targeting later-developing and more complex sounds and clusters, this approach promotes wider improvement in a child’s speech development. 

To support the this approach, Bjorem Speech has created a range of complexity approach decks, including two and three-element clusters with bright, engaging picture cues. Learn more about them here.

These cards are perfect for therapy sessions, the classroom or even at home practice to provide a guide in addressing complex clusters. These decks and more can be found at the Sparking Speech Shop. 

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References

https://www.greatspeech.com/what-is-the-complexity-approach-in-speech-therapy/ 

https://www.bjoremspeech.com/blogs/bjorem-speech-blog/the-phonological-approach-that-will-change-your-life