More R practice; Steelers/Heinz Field

When I was in graduate school and doing informal screenings for students with trouble pronouncing the "R" sound, I devised a clever way to elicit the sound in natural speech: I asked them to talk about the Steelers!

 

Image retrieved from http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2013/09/05/pittsburgh-steelers-5-players-to-watch-in-week-1/.
 
Not only does the home team have an R in it, but many of the players have names with Rs (e.g. Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, Ryan Shazier).  Many positions in football also include an R, like quarterback, strong safety and wide receiver.  So whether you are lucky enough to have tickets to see the Steelers play at Heinz Field, are just driving by the stadium, or are watching them on TV at home, I suggest having a conversation with your child to practice the R sound in a natural way.

If your child is practicing the R sound at the word level, then start out naming players and positions.

If your child is practicing the R sound at the phrase level, then ask her to name the player and position.

If your child is at the simple sentence level, then have a contest to see who can name a player first.  A good sentence starter is, "I see _____."

If your child is at the complex sentence level, then ask her to narrate a play made on the field.  Try to target players and position with R sounds.

To start a conversation, ask your child some questions like, "Why are the Steelers your favorite team?" "What does a quarterback do?  How does Roethlisberger compare to other quarterbacks?" and "What is special about Heinz Field?"

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

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/.

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!"

/r/ in the final position

Practice the /r/ sound with these words:

"water,"

"cider" and...

"pear."

To practice phrases, as your child to describe the different pears.  Ask her, what kinds of pear do you see?  Targets may include, "green pear," "brown pear," and "small pear."

To practice sentences, have your child tell you the different kinds of water she sees.  Targets may include, "I see bottled water," "I see flavored water," and "I see bubbly water" ("carbonated water" for the more advanced!).

To practice conversation, ask your child where we can find water.  Answers may include, "Water is in the sea.  Water comes from the sink.  Water comes from a hose."  You can also ask your child what one can do with water (e.g. wash, drink, play, etc.).  These tasks are great for abstract reasoning, as well as attention.

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.

/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.

One object, many targets

One challenge of speech and language treatment is developing targets.  There are only so many objects in a park, so I try to take one object and come up with multiple targets.  Take this rock for example.

If /r/ is the target: ask your child to name the object as in "rock;" ask your child how it feels: "hard;" ask your child what color it is: "gray;" ask your child what shape it is: "square" or "rectangle;" ask your child to count the rocks: "one, two, three, four."

What other activities from just this one rock can you think of?  Post below!

/r/ clusters; Bird Park

/r/ clusters include: trees and...

tree trunk and...

ground.

/r/ at the word level

Speaking of /r/, a fun carryover game for articulation can involve identifying things in the park that have an /r/ sound.  For example, berries.

To take this task to the next level, label the color of the berries: red and orange.  Or, label the shape of the berries: round.  These are examples of how one stimulus item can provide multiple trials for the same goal.