/r/ in the initial position

Practice the /r/ sound with these words:

"roll,"

"receipt,"

"rice" and...

"radish."

To practice phrases, have your child tell you what kind of rolls are for sale.  Simple targets may include, "small rolls" and "soft rolls;" medium targets may include "sandwich rolls" and "dinner rolls" and complex targets may include "kaiser rolls" and "poppy rolls."

To practice sentences, have your child tell you how much the rolls cost.  Targets may include, "The rolls cost $2.99."  For older children, have your child read from the receipt how much items cost.  Targets may include, "The receipt says the cereal cost $3," and "The receipt says the milk cost $2.50."

To practice conversation, have your child tell you what her ideal sandwich (made with a roll!) would be.  Targets may include, "I would like a soft roll.  I would have a sandwich with turkey.  And lettuce and tomato...but no pickles."  Another task would be to have your child tell you what meals are made with rice.  Targets may include, "Chinese food always comes with rice.  I like the white rice.  Some people eat rice and beans."  Finally, another topic of conversation may be radishes.  Have your child compare and contrast radishes with other foods in the vegetable area.  Targets may include, "Radishes are red like peppers and tomatoes.  Radishes are round like peas.  Radishes have leaves that look like spinach."

The /r/ sound can be difficult to teach and learn due in part because it is not a sound that can be seen easily on the face, such as the pressing of the lips with the /m/ and /b/ sounds, or the movement of the tongue with /t/ sound.  One way to show your child how to make the /r/ sound is to remind her to raise and curl her tongue.  Demonstrate to your child how a raised, curled tongue looks; then, have her practice this movement.  Some children find it helpful to have the instructor gently push the tongue where it needs to be, either with a gloved finger or a tongue depressor.  This cue is particularly helpful for children that produce an /r/ sound that mimics the /l/ sound. 

Another cue is what we call a "touch" cue.  When making the /r/ sound, the sides of the tongue should touch the molars/wisdom teeth.  Thus, remind her to feel this sensation. 

For children that make a /w/ sound instead of the /r/ sound, remind them not to round their lips when making the sound.

There are many, many cues for making the /r/ sound.  The effectiveness often depends on the nature of the articulation error, or simply what the child responds to.  For more direct instruction, please post below, e-mail me, or consult with a speech-language pathologist.

Tip: Since the /r/ sound can be so challenging, it is important to provide praise and encouragement.  It is beneficial to praise your child when an error is reduced, even if the sound is not made perfectly.  For example, if your child usually produces an /r/ that sounds a lot like a /w/, and then makes progress so that the /r/ sounds more like an /r/ (but isn't perfect), praise her for doing a "better" job.  Then, continue to reinforce her each time the /r/ becomes closer to the ideal /r/.  This method is know as "successive approximation."  In this way, the goal sound is not the "perfect" /r/, but a sound that it close to the perfect sound; with time and practice, the sound should get closer and closer to the ideal sound.  In this way, incremental progress is reinforced.