Initial consonant deletion is the deletion of the first consonant sound or consonant cluster in a syllable or word. It is a pattern of errors. For example "at" for "cat" or "ood" for
"good." If a child can
produce
all the sounds in the word then 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 initial consonant deletion, the "rule" the child is applying is to omit
the first consonant. This can also happen with clusters as the beginning of
words. So, a child may omit the "st" sound in "start" or the "sk" sound
in "school."
To cue your child
to stop initial consonant deletion, tell her to "Say all the
sounds
in the word;" a more direct cue is "Put the sounds on the beginning of your
words." You can model this for her by emphasizing the first sound in
each word. See the "tip" at the bottom of this post for additional ways to cue your child.
To liven things up, I thought it would be fun for your child to sing some words. Pittsburgh's theater district has some child-friendly musicals this year. While not everyone can attend, I recommend watching famous songs online or renting a DVD of the movie version. Have your child sing key parts of the songs, and emphasize that she should make all the sounds in the word.
An example is "Singin' in the Rain." This is being shown by the CLO in May and June. A great song for children to sing-along with is "Good Mornin'." Start out slow by having your child say "
Good
mornin';" then, have her sing it. The next step is to have her watch the song, and hopefully she will enjoy it so much that she will want to join in with the singing. It's difficult to learn the lyrics to songs, that's why I recommend singing along with a key refrain in the song. In this case, it is "Good Mornin.'" Here is a link to the song with video on You Tube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu6--WBPBHo&noredirect=1. And for parents, you can see a young Gene Kelly, a genuine Pittsburgh boy!
Image retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singin%27_in_the_Rain.
Another example is "Footloose." Have your child sing the "
footloose" word every time it comes up in the song. If it is difficult for your child to follow along, point to your feet when the "footloose" word comes up, and she will know to sing "
footloose." Here is a link to the song with video on You Tube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjqfGe_80Ck.
Image retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FootloosePoster.jpg.
"Scooby Doo Live! Musical Mysteries" is showing at the Benedum Center in April. Kids that are fans of Scooby are sure to love singing along with the theme song. Encourage your child to put the sounds on the beginning of her words with the phrases "
Scooby
Dooby" and "
Scooby
Dooby
Doo." Sing along with your child to model how to make all the sounds in the word, particularly emphasizing the beginning consonant(s). Here is a link to the cartoon theme song video on You Tube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_C2HJvtRDY.
Image retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooby-Doo.
"Mamma Mia!" is playing at Heinz Hall in just a few days. If the advertisements are right, the show contains over twenty of ABBA's hits. So, it's probably up to you and your child what songs to practice. "
Dancing
Queen," "
Mamma
Mia," and "
Money,
Money,
Money" seem like good phrases to practice putting the initial sounds on words. Search You Tube for clips.
Image retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamma_Mia!
Other notable shows this year in Pittsburgh theater include "Wicked," "Legally Blonde," "Evita," and "Les Miserables." These may appeal most to adolescents. Please post below if you think of any appropriate songs from these shows with target phrases to treat initial consonant deletion.
Tip: If the cues "Make all the sounds in the word," or "Make the beginning sound in the word" don't help, then try another cue. Repeat the child's error to draw her attention to it, then produce the word correctly. For example, if she says, "-ood morning," tell her: "I heard '-ood.' You need to say "
good." Say it with me: "
good,
good,
good."
If this doesn't work, have her make the initial sound by itself, as in "guh." Tell her to say it several times, to get her used to it and draw her attention to it. Then, instruct her to say the "guh" sound and then slowly say the rest of the word, "-ood." With each practice, let there be less and less time between the initial sound, and the rest of the word. Finally, have her put them together for the full word. Here's how it breaks down:
"guh".........."-ood"
"guh"........"-ood"
"guh"......"-ood"
"guh"...."-ood"
"guh".."-ood"
"good"
