Backing; Tunnels

"Backing" happens when a sound that is usually made in the front of the mouth is replaced by a sound that is made in the back of the mouth.  Thus, "tea" may be pronounced as "key;" "'t" is a front sound, and "k" is a back sound.  Or "date" may be pronounced as "gate."  It is important to note that a child can produce all the sounds in the word correctly, so this is not an articulation problem per se.  Rather, this what experts call a "phonological process" whereby a child produces a different "rule" when saying words.  In the case of backing, the "rule" the child is applying is to produce a "back sound" instead of a "front sound."

Since there are several tunnels in Pittsburgh, I recommend using a car trip through a tunnel as a treatment tool.  For fun, ask your child to see how many times she can say "tunnel" while going through (while maintaining a reasonable rate of speaking, of course).  The repetition of the same word over and over will be helpful for learning.  Tunnels in the Pittsburgh area include the:

Fort Pitt Tunnel

Image retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Pitt_Tunnel.

Squirrel Hill Tunnel

Image retrieved from http://forum.pafoa.org/pittsburgh-region-69/216846-moving-pittsburgh-page-2.html.

Armstrong Tunnel

 

 Image retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstrong_Tunnel.

Liberty Tunnels/Tubes

Image retrieved from http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2012/02/20/Liberty-Tunnels-to-build-on-the-past/stories/201202200346; article by John Schmitz; photo credit unknown.

Mt. Washington Transit Tunnel (public transportation tunnel)

Image retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt._Washington_Transit_Tunnel.

Schenley Tunnel (this is a railroad tunnel)

Image retrieved from http://prr4ever.blogspot.com/2009/05/09-05-11-photos-47-library.html.

Corliss Tunnel

Image retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corliss_Tunnel.

To cue your child, start with what we call "auditory bombardment."  What this means is that your child will hear a target sound produced accurately many times in a short period of time.  So, I recommend some pre-teaching at home, or before you reach the tunnel.  It is important for her to hear the correct sound (in this case it is "t") over and over in the correct place.  Once you are at the tunnel, remind your child to "say all the sounds in the word, including the "tuh" sound in 'tunnel.'"  Have her repeat after you.  If she is still "backing," then draw her attention to the error.  Tell her, "I heard 'kunnel,' but you need to say 'tunnel.'"  Then, have her repeat "tunnel" several times.  If she is still "backing," then have her make the /t/ sound all by itself.  This will show her that she is able to produce the sound, and remind her of the sound that she should produce.  Finally, cue her to make the "t" sound, then follow it by having her say the word "tunnel."  This is known as "forward chaining."  Start with production of "t" and then pause, and say "tunnel."  Gradually shorten the pause until she can produce "tunnel" without error.  Here is an example:
T..........Tunnel
T........Tunnel
T......Tunnel
T....Tunnel
T..Tunnel
Tunnel.