How to approach the dreaded /ɹ/ sound in speech therapy.

The /ɹ/ sound is one of the most difficult sounds to master when it comes to speech therapy. 

While some think children don’t acquire the /ɹ/ sound until later ages, research suggests children should reach proficiency in the /ɹ/ sound by the age of 5. (McLeod and Crowe, 2018). 

There are many reasons why /ɹ/ is one of the most difficult sounds to master, including the various ways it can be pronounced, e.g. “run,” “fire,” “far”, and due to the muscle control needed to produce the sound. 

However, there are various approaches to encourage and support a child to produce the sound correctly. 

Coarticulation

Coarticulation is the way a sound is produced in relation to the sounds coming before and after it. 

To use it as a speech therapy technique, you can use coarticulation to build on words a child can already say. By putting the sound they have difficulty with in between sounds they’re already comfortable with, you use a strength based approach to build on their confidence. 

Prevocalic and Vocalic R

When it comes to producing an /ɹ/ sound, the prevocalic /ɹ/ occurs before the vowel in a word, e.g “road” while the vocalic /ɹ/ happens after the vowel, e.g. “bear.”

Once a consistent /ɹ/ sound is established, that can be built on with a resource such as the Bjorem Prevocalic & Vocalic R deck, which covers target words in seven different contexts to extend the accurate pronunciation of other sounds. 

Gliding

With the /ɹ/ sound, a common phonological pattern is substituting /ɹ/ for a /w/ or /y/ sound, e.g “rabbit” sounds like “wabbit.” This is known as gliding. 

Using cues to demonstrate the different mouth positions for each sound can be a helpful visual for a child to begin to recognise the difference between the sounds they’re gliding. 

With the Bjorem Speech Minimal Pairs: Gliding Deck, you have a visual and engaging way to target certain sounds that are personalised to each child’s strengths. 

Conclusion

There’s no doubt the /ɹ/ sound is a tricky one for children to grasp; however, using coarticulation techniques, focusing on the prevocalic and vocalic /ɹ/ and using visual cues to target gliding can make a significant difference in a child’s speech development.  

Using strengths based and evidence based approaches will support a child to build confidence and encourage further development so the sound doesn’t feel as difficult anymore. 

References

• https://www.bjoremspeech.com/blogs/bjorem-speech-blog/using-coarticulation-as-a-strengths-based-strategy-to-treat-the-vocalic-r-in-speech-therapy
• https://www.bjoremspeech.com/blogs/bjorem-speech-blog/bjorem-speech-r-products-which-one-is-right-for-mastering-the-r-sound-in-your-speech-therapy-room
• https://rocktherspeech.com/best-age-to-target-the-r-sound-in-speech-therapy/