Vocalic R; Rolling Hills Ranch

Vocalic R is an /r/ sound that follows a vowel.  It includes "are" as in "star;" "er" as in "girl;" "air" as in "care;" "ire" as in "tire;" "ear" as in "fear;" and "or" as in "for."  Children with misarticulation of /r/ sounds may often be able to produce the /r/ sound when it is at the beginning of a word like "rain" but have difficulty with vocalic R.  Thus, I would like to provide a list of target words for vocalic R at Rolling Hills Ranch (a horseback riding facility in Bridgeville), as well as some therapy tips.

I recommend finding an /r/ sound that your child can product successfully, and moving on from that.  For example, if your child can produce the "er" sound, then try having her say the "ear" sound and the "air" sound since those vowels are all made in the front of the mouth.  If you child can say the "are" sound, then try having her say the "or" sound since those vowels are all made in the back of the mouth.

If your child is having difficulty with all versions of vocalic R, then I recommend moving slowly from vowel to /r/.  For example, the "ahhh" sound is easy to make since it is produced with the mouth wide open.  Instruct your child to say "ahhh" like she does at the doctor's office; then pause; next, have her say the /r/ sound.  Continue doing this, but decrease the pause with each practice.  Finally, the pause will be eliminated and she can produce the "ahhh" and the /r/ as one, which is the vocalic /r/ sound "are."  Practice the "are" sound several times thereafter.  Here is how it will work:
ahhh..........r
ahhh........r
ahhh......r
ahhh....r
ahh..r
ahh.r
are
are
are.
This can be done with any vocalic /r/ sound.

If the problem your child is having is that the /r/ sounds more like a /w/ sound, then SLPs would call that "W-colored."  One way to correct that is to remind your child that when she makes the /r/ sound, her lips should not be rounded.  A great way to practice this is in front of a mirror.  Have her look at your lips when you make an /r/ sound, then have her look at her lips; compare the two and highlight how her lips should be spread, not rounded.  Another way to avoid this is to begin by avoiding practice on the "or" sound.  The "or" sound requires that we round our lips, which can exacerbate the problem.  Instead, start by practicing the other vocalic /r/ sounds and remind your child to keep her lips relaxed.  Once you have mastered that, then you can move onto "or."

Please also keep these articulation tips from a previous post in mind when working on /r/: 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.  I found a link to a site where other SLPs shared their tips for eliciting the sound; here it is: http://www.playingwithwords365.com/2013/05/how-to-elicit-teach-the-r-sound/.

Here is a list of words that can be practiced at Rolling Hills Ranch:

Image retrieved from http://www.rolling-hills.org/.

"are"
start
far
tarp
farm
yard
dark
garbage

"er"
turn
learn
hurt
dirt
girl
together
trainer
stirrup
pasture

"air"
parents
where
square
mare
care
stare
fair
hair
carrot

"ire"
flier
tired
fire
campfire
hire
briar
admire

"ear"
fear
steer
hear
near
cheer
ear
pioneer

"or"
pour
sport
forest
for
thorn
morning
horse
horseback
more
north
horseshoe

To practice vocalic R at the phrase level, ask your child to describe some of the horses she sees.  Targets may include "dark horse," "white horse," and "spotted horse."  This works for other things with visual interest, such as "green pasture," "big forest" and "a lot of dirt."

To practice vocalic R at the sentence level, ask your child what she wants to do at the ranch.  Targets may include, "I want to ride a horse," "I want to play with the girls," and "I want to meet the horse trainer."  After you have toured the ranch or gotten on a horse, ask her to tell you what she did.  (It's all right is this sounds a little obvious; you can explain to your child that you are asking her some questions to give her the opportunity to practice her speech.)  Targets may include, "I rode through a forest," and "I saw animals on the farm."

To practice vocalic R in conversation, ask your child what her favorite part of visiting the ranch was.  Targets may include, "I liked riding the horse.  My horse was really nice.  I thought I would be fearful, but I wasn't.  I also liked the farm.  But there was a lot of dirt everywhere!"

Devoicing and Voicing; Ice skating rinks; PPG Place

"Devoicing" occurs when a "voiced" sound (a sound that is made with the vocal cords vibrating) is made into a "voiceless" sound (a sound that is made without the vocal cords vibrating).  For example, a /b/ sound may turn into a /p/ sound; the sounds are made in similar ways, except that when we say /b/ our vocal cords vibrate and when we say /p/ our vocal cords don't vibrate.  Thus, when saying "tub," a child may say "tup" in error.  The error often occurs with the last consonant sound in a word.

"Voicing" occurs when a "voiceless" sound (a sound that is made without the vocal cords vibrating) is made into a "voiced" sound (a sound that is made with the vocal cords vibrating).  For example, a /p/ sound may turn into a /b/ sound; the sounds are made in similar ways, except that when we say /p/ our vocal cords don't vibrate and when we say /b/ our vocal cords vibrate.  Thus, when saying "potty," a child may say "botty" in error.  The error often occurs with the first consonant sound in a word.

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 devoicing, the "rule" the child is applying is to make the sounds without vibrating the vocal cords.  In the case of voicing, the "rule" the child is applying is to make the sounds while vibrating the vocal cords.

To reduce devoicing, it is helpful to model production of the word correctly for your child.  For example, say "tub" and emphasize the /b/ sound; say this over and over.  Then, prompt your child to say "tub" correctly.  If it is still in error, a good cue is, "Turn on your voice."  Explain to your child that some sounds are made with our voice on, like with /b/; other sounds are made with our voice off, like with /p/.  Review this notion with other sounds, like the difference between "zzzzzz" and "ssssss;" have your child feel her throat (or yours) when making these sounds to sense/understand the concept of voicing/vibration.  You may find it helpful to practice the sounds alone at first so that your child gets used to responding to the cue "Turn on your voice."  Good sounds to practice include b/p, d/t, z/s, g/k.  Also, try breaking up the word.  In the case of "tub," prompt her to say "buh;" then "-ub;" then "tub."  Breaking up the word can help build awareness of the sounds in the word.  It is also highlights to your child that she can make all the sounds in the word successfully.  In addition, the slow pace allows her time to produce the correct sounds.  

To reduce voicing, it is helpful to model production of the word correctly for your child.  For example, say "potty" and emphasize the /p/ sound; say this over and over.  Then, prompt your child to say "potty" correctly.  If it is still in error, a good cue is, "Turn off your voice."  Explain to your child that some sounds are made with our voice off, like with /p/; other sounds are made with our voice on, like with /b/.  Review this notion with other sounds, like the difference between "ssssss" and "zzzzzz;" have your child feel her throat (or yours) when making these sounds to sense/understand the concept of voicing/vibration.  You may find it helpful to practice the sounds alone at first so that your child gets used to responding to the cue "Turn off your voice."  Good sounds to practice include p/b, t/d, s/z, k/g.  Also, try breaking up the word.  In the case of "potty," prompt her to say "puh;" then "pott-;" then "potty."  Breaking up the word can help build awareness of the sounds in the word.  It is also highlights to your child that she can make all the sounds in the word successfully.  In addition, the slow pace allows her time to produce the correct sounds.

I thought it might be fun to practice elimination of voicing and devoicing at an ice skating rink, since the days of coldness are (hopefully!) numbered.  Unfortunately the Cal U Ice Rink at PPG Place is closed for the season, as are Allegheny County outdoor ice skating rinks.  However, there are plenty of indoor ice skating rinks in Pittsburgh.  A few I know of include: the Iceoplex at Southpointe, the Ice Castle Arena, and the Mt. Lebanon Ice Center.

 

Image retrieved from http://www.achildgrows.com/ice-skating-best-excuse-drink-hot-chocolate/.

Words to practice eliminating devoicing while at the rink include:
freeze
glide
blade
slide
pad
slid
kid

Words to practice eliminating voicing while at the rink include:
cold
fall
pay
coach
pad
fun
ticket
bend
seat
kid
parent.

If ice skating isn't your cup of tea, but you are still keen on visiting PPG Place, there are some target words for that location that will be relevant this spring.  PPG Place will soon be opening up its plaza to include the water feature.

 Image retrieved from http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM4WM8_PPG_Plaza_Pittsburgh_Pennsylvania.

Words to practice eliminating devoicing include:
trees
arcade
PPG Industries
Blvd of the Allies
tables

Words to practice eliminating voicing include:
sit
food court
column
fountain
Pittsburgh Plate Glass
tower
solar
tables.

Conjunctions; Carnegie Museum

Conjunctions are important for children to learn because, to quote the conjunction junction song, they "[hook] up words, phrases and clauses."  Children often employ conjunctions, but may use them incorrectly.  For example, the may say "and" too many times in a sentence so that it becomes a run-on sentence; or they may start a sentence with a conjunction such as "because" which is frowned upon by many teachers.  Learning to use conjunctions appropriately is helpful for good oral communication, as well as writing skills.

Common conjunctions for children include "and," "but" and "or."  The Carnegie Museum of Art is a great place to stimulate language.  I suggest taking your child to look at the paintings, and asking her to describe what she sees (using conjunctions).

Here are some pieces at the museum:

Water Lilies 1921, Monet

Image retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbell1975/5284519572/.

Ask your child what she sees.  Target may include, "I see lily pads and water," or "I see green and pink and blue."  If she just says, "I see lily pads," then ask her what else she sees, or prompt her by saying "...and?"  Her response should be, "I see lily pads and water."  If she lists the colors and uses "and" too much, such as, "I see green, and blue, and white, and pink and purple and yellow..." then gently instruct her that she has over-used the word "and" and that it makes more sense to list the colors, as in "I see green, blue, white, pink, purple and yellow."  It is most helpful if you model this for her.  You may want to take turns saying what you see in a painting so that you can provide a framework for her grammar.  And please remember that each response of hers does not need to be perfect.  This activity should provide practice and enjoyment.

The Garden in the Rue Cortot at Montmarte 1876, Renoir

Image retrieved from http://www.topofart.com/artists/Pierre-Auguste_Renoir/art_reproduction/1876/The_Garden_in_the_Rue_Cortot_at_Montmartre.php.

You can lead your child into using the "and" conjunction by asking her what kinds of flowers she sees; the plural use of "flowers" implies an answer including multiplies.  Targets may include, "I see big and little flowers," and "I see red, orange and pink flowers."

You can also lead your child into the "but" conjunction by asking what she sees in the picture...and what she doesn't see.  Targets may include, "I see men but no women," "I see men hunting but no animals," and  "I see flowers but no birds."

Wheatfields after the Rain 1890, van Gogh

 

Image retrieved from http://www.cmoa.org/fine-arts/.

Lead your child into using the "or" conjunction by asking her what kinds of things might be beyond the field.  Targets may include, "A house or a path or a pond," and "Horses, chickens or geese."

Untitled 2010, Wilkes

Image retrieved from http://www.cmoa.org/contemporary-art/.

Prompt your child to use the "or" conjunction by asking her what different things this could be a painting of.  Targets may include, "It could be a painting of a bunny or clouds," and "It might be a bunny on a hill or a bunny underground."

Increasing mean length of utterance

Mean length of utterance (MLU) is a measure of linguistic productivity.  To put it very simply, the longer the utterance is, the higher the level of language proficiency.  SLPs measure the length of utterance not only in terms of how many words a child uses in an utterance, but in terms of how many morphemes (units of language) are in an utterance.  For example, "dog" is counted as one unit of language and "dogs" is counted as two units of language due to the use of the plural.  As children get older, their MLU increases which indicates a higher ability to learn and use grammar/complex language. 

One way to increase mean length of utterance is by adding descriptors to your speech.  For example, if you and your child see a dog, describe what you see: "I see a dog.  I see a brown dog.  I see a big, brown dog."  Each sentence uses an additional description, which makes the sentences more complex.  In this way, your child will be able to learn additional vocabulary, and more complex sentence structures which will increase her mean length of utterance.

Another method is called expansion, whereby your child will say a sentence, and you expand on it.  So, your child may say, "Dog!" and then you will say, "Big dog," or "I see a big dog."

An additional method is to prompt your child to include more information.  If she says, "Dog!" then ask her what kind of dog she sees ("Big dog.").

One place to practice description and expansion is in Oakland.  There are many statues there that children find interesting because of their size and the fact that children can get up close and personal to them.  I recommend using carrier phrases, which is a fancy term for a phrase in which the first few words stay the same and only the last word or words change.  An example of a carrier phrase is, "I see a ..." and "There is a ..."  These are helpful because the repetition lets the child practice a sentence over and over; it also serves to highlight differences in the phrase at the end of sentence since the beginning is always the same.

For example, the Pitt panther by University of Pittsburgh's student union:

Image retrieved from http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/ot/theuniversity.html.

"I see a panther.  I see a big panther.  I see a big, gold panther."

Dinosaur statue outside Carnegie Museum:

Image retrieved from http://louisvillefossils.blogspot.com/2012/01/fossilized-cancer-tumor.html.

"I see a dinosaur.  I see a long dinosaur.  I see a tall, long dinosaur."

Galileo statue outside Carnegie Museum:

Image retrieved from  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Galileo_-_Carnegie_Museums_of_Pittsburgh_-_IMG_0820.jpg

"I see a man.  I see a man sitting.  I see a man sitting down."

Neptune statue at Phipps Conservatory:

Image retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/22739821@N07/5759904486/.

"I see a man.  I see a man with a crown.  I see a man with a crown and a beard."

Robert Burns statue at entrance to Schenley Park, on Phipps Conservatory grounds:

Image retrieved from http://fatherpitt.wordpress.com/2008/07/27/robert-burns-fans-heres-your-wallpaper/.

"I see a man.  I see a man with a hat.  I see a man with a hat and a coat."

Hygia statue at Phipps Conservatory:

Image retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/joncmu/9608755654/.

"I see a woman.  I see a woman in a dress.  I see a woman in a long dress."

Christopher Columbus monument by Phipps Conservatory/Carnegie Mellon University:

Image retrieved from http://abovebellefonte.blogspot.com/.

"I see a man.  I see a man in a coat.  I see a man in a long coat."  Also, take a look at the base of the statue for more language opportunities: "I see a boat.  I see a boat with sails.  I see a boat with sails on the sea."

 Allen George Newman statue by Pitt's Frick Fine Arts building:

Image retrieved from http://abovebellefonte.blogspot.com/2011/08/hiker.html.

"I see a man.  I see a man with boots.  I see a man with boots and a gun."

Bach statue at Carnegie Museum:

Image retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bach_-_Carnegie_Museums_of_Pittsburgh_-_IMG_0813.jpg.

"There is a man.  There is a man with long hair.  There is a man with long hair sitting down."

Stephen Foster statue at Schenley Plaza:

Image retrieved from http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/giuseppemoretti/interesting/.

"I see a man.  I see a man playing music.  I see a man playing music on the banjo."

George Westinghouse statue at Schenley Park:

Image retrieved from http://pittsburghparks.wordpress.com/tag/daniel-chester-french/.

"I see a man.  I see a young man.  I see a young man carrying books."

Dinosaur statue at Carnegie Museum:

Image retrieved from http://www.pghmurals.com/Alphabetasaurus-396.cfm.

"I see a dinosaur.  I see a colorful dinosaur.  I see a wide, colorful dinosaur."

Dossena statue at Pitt's Frick Fine Arts building:

Image retrieved from http://historicaldilettante.blogspot.com/2013_05_01_archive.html.

"I see an angel.  I see a white angel.  I see a white angel kneeling."

Here are some other pictures of statues in Oakland to inspire you:

Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain at Pitt's Frick Fine Arts building:

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

Light Up Sculpture at Pitt's quad (I know it's not a statue, but I couldn't resist posting!):

Image retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_Up_%28sculpture%29.

Walking to the Sky sculpture at Carnegie Mellon University (another sculpture I couldn't resist):

 

Image retrieved from http://pghsculpture.com/.

Visit http://pghsculpture.com/ for more shots of Pittsburgh statues and sculpture, it looks like it is worth visiting.