Does your child have a language disorder? If so, they’re not alone. Approximately 8-9 percent of young children have some kind of speech or language disorder.

One of the most common speech and language disorders a child may experience is an inability to pronounce the /r/ sound correctly. This particular speech impediment is known as rhotacism.

If your child has been having a hard time pronouncing the /r/ sound, these speech therapy exercises can help.

Variations of the /R/ Sound

The “R” sound is a very challenging one. This has to do, in part, with the fact that there are so many different ways in which it can be pronounced. It all depends on that letters with which it’s combined.

There are actually 32 different /r/ allophones (sounds) and 21 different /r/ phonemes (collections of sounds).

Clearly, there’s a lot of room for error.

The good news, though, is that your child likely doesn’t have a problem pronouncing all of these different variations of the /r/ sound.

They might be fine with consonant blends (words like free or cream) but struggle with vocalic /r/ sounds (words like are or air).

Before you start teaching them speech therapy exercises that will help them with their pronunciation, it’s important to do some screening to figure out which variations are difficult for them.

You can test how your child pronounces the basic /r/ vocalizations by seeing how they pronounce the following types of /r/ sounds:

• /ar/
• /air/
• /ear/
• /ire/
• /or/
• /er/
• /rl/
• the letter /r/ by itself

You can also schedule an evaluation with a speech therapist for a full assessment to figure out which sounds your child needs help with.

Start and End with Success 

During their initial screening or test, you’ll likely identify some /r/ words that your child can pronounce correctly.

Make a list of these words. This will become your child’s warm-up list. They should say these words at the beginning of each practice session.

When your child pronounces these words, have they pay attention to the way their jaw, tongue, and mouth move. Have them listen back to their pronunciations, too. That way, they can learn to distinguish between correct and incorrect /r/ sounds.

You also ought to have your child say these words at the end of their practice session. That way, even if they’ve had a particularly difficult time, they still end the session with a victory.

Connect /R/ to a Vowel Sound 

Now, let’s get into some specific exercises you can do with your child to help them improve.

It’s often easier to pronounce the /r/ sound when it’s connected to a vowel sound.

Have your child start the with a vowel sound like “eee.” Have them hold it for a few seconds, the slowly teach them to combine with the /r/ sound. By drawing it out this way, they’ll soon learn to combine the two sounds and turn an /e/ sound into an /r/ sound.

Repeat this exercise with all the other vowel sounds (long, short, etc.).

Use Visual Cues

It can also help to give your child visual cues to teach them how to pronounce the /r/ sound properly. In order to pronounce the /r/ sound, they will need to change the way they move their tongue. Obviously, this is easier said than done.

One way to teach your child the proper tongue movement is to use your arm to demonstrate.

For example, extend your arm in front of you, then pull it up and in toward the body. Explain to your child that this is the same movement their tongue should make when they’re trying to pronounce the /r/ sound.

Make it Fun

If you want your child to stick with these speech therapy exercises long enough to see results, you need to find ways to make it fun.

Luckily, the /r/ sound is a fun one to learn.

Try having your child pretend they’re an animal. They can practice growling like a bear or roaring like a lion to work on their /r/ sounds in a fun and entertaining way.

You can also play pirates and have them work on their “argh” sound while wearing an eye patch. The options are endless!

Tips for Encouraging Kids to Practice

There are lots of benefits that come with practicing speech therapy exercises.

But, in order to see improvement, it’s important to encourage your child to practice regularly. They won’t see much progress if they only work on these exercises during their speech therapy sessions.

Of course, getting kids to practice is easier said than done. This is especially true when you’re practicing something difficult like changing the way you speak.

So, how do you get your child to practice their speech therapy exercises? Start by giving these tips a try:

• Use the TV as a tool: When your child is watching TV or a movie, have them listen to what the characters are saying and repeat words or phrases back to you.
• Find learning opportunities in everyday tasks: When you’re eating out at a restaurant or shopping for groceries, look for opportunities for them practice (have them point out the grapes or raspberries).
• Combine practice with something else they enjoy: Try pairing these exercises with something fun, like kicking a soccer ball or playing with Legos.

Don’t underestimate the benefit of offering rewards, either.

Sometimes, you just have to offer your child something in order for them to practice. Maybe they can earn a piece of a toy after every practice session or points they can cash in later for a larger prize.

Want to Learn More Speech Therapy Exercises? 

These speech therapy exercises are highly effective for teaching children to pronounce the “R” sound correctly. Do want to learn more helpful exercises? If so, be sure to contact us at Great Speech today.

Schedule a free consultation and learn how our services can help your child improve their speech and pronunciation.

Our services aren’t just for children, either. We offer speech therapy services for a wide range of people, including those suffering from Parkinson’s disease, those looking for accent modification, and those who are recovering from traumatic brain injuries.

 

Speech disorders can affect anyone at any point in time, no matter their age, race, or gender.

We tend to associate speech impediments with young children. After all, nearly 6 million children under the age of 18 have a speech or language disorder.

However, speech disorders in adults do exist. It’s estimated that 1 in 10 Americans has experienced some form of a speech disorder in their lives.

There are various types of speech disorders, including lisps, stuttering, and even muteness. People with speech impairments can elongate words, add extra sounds, and blink or pause while talking. Some people even become frustrated when trying to speak.

The symptoms of speech disorders are often indicative of a particular speech disorder. In this article, we’ll explore 7 causes of speech disorders that exist in both children and adults.

1. Genetics

Genetics determine a lot in a person’s life. They can determine how tall a person will grow, their eye color, and whether they’ll develop certain diseases later in life. Genetics can also determine a person’s speech and language patterns.

A child is more likely to develop a speech disorder if a parent currently has or has experienced one. Genetics can cause some forms of stuttering, developmental verbal dyspraxia, and even SLI.

Early prevention can help children with family histories of speech disorders or impaired voice.

2. Delayed Child Development

Every child develops at their own pace. Some children start walking or talking earlier than other children.

Some children experience delays in their developmental milestones. This is a developmental delay and it can affect a child’s vision, motor skills, and cognitive abilities. Developmental delay can also affect a child’s speech and language patterns.

Causes of developmental delay can range from neglect to autism spectrum disorders. Sometimes, there is no known cause for a child’s developmental delay. Often, children who live in multilingual homes experience delays in their language patterns.

Developmental delay often results in stuttering and other speech disorderss later on in childhood. Signs of speech and language delays in babies under age 1 include:

• Unresponsiveness to sounds and loud noises
• Little to no babbling or sound imitation

By age 2, children should be able to speak at least 15 words. They should also be able to speak two-word phrases and communicate more than their needs.

3. Hearing Loss

A person’s ability to speak significantly depends on their hearing abilities. This is why hearing loss can cause different types of speech impediments.

There are different types of hearing loss that can range from mild to deafness. Some forms of hearing loss affect the eardrums, middle ear, or the outer ear. Other forms of hearing loss can cause ringing, ear pain, and muffled sounds.

Hearing loss and deafness can result from any of the following:

• Ear infections
• Birth defects
• Head trauma
• Exposure to loud noises
• Infections (measles, meningitis, scarlet fever, mumps)
• Aging

Children with mild hearing loss can have trouble hearing higher-pitched sounds, such as “s”, “sh”, “t”, “th”, or “f”. As a result, their ability to speak becomes impaired because they’re unable to learn these types of sounds. They can also struggle to build their vocabularies.

Speech disorders in adults can also stem from hearing loss developed later on in life.

For example, Meniere’s disease is a rare disorder that disrupts a person’s balance and causes hearing loss. Many adults who develop Meniere’s disease go on to learn sign language to adapt to their hearing loss.

4. Degenerative Diseases

A degenerative disease causes cells in tissues and organs to deteriorate over time. Some degenerative diseases develop with age, while others result from abnormal metabolic rates or unhealthy lifestyles.

Muscles associated with speaking can weaken due to degenerative diseases like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Some degenerative diseases can cause dysarthria, a motor speech disorder.

Those with dysarthria often slur or drag their words when they try to pronounce them. Dysarthria can often lead to a complete loss of speech known as anarthria.

5. Brain Damage

There are many degrees of brain damage that range from mild to severe. Brain damage can result from disease, a stroke, injuries, or even substance abuse.

A person can become impaired in many ways due to brain damage. When damage occurs to parts of the brain associated with speech, a person’s ability to communicate can become impaired. It’s not only the brain that’s affected, but the muscles associated with speech, such as the tongue, lips, and mouth.

For example, aphasia is a speech and communication disorder that often arises after a person suffers a stroke. Those with aphasia have difficulty understanding and using words. They’ll often slur their words and have difficulty completing their thoughts.

6. Cleft Palate

Structural abnormalities often cause impaired speech and disrupted language patterns. Cleft palate, for example, is one structural abnormality that can directly impact speech.

A cleft palate refers to a split in the lip. This split causes an opening to form between the upper lip and nose. Cleft palates develop when a baby is in the womb.

Those with cleft palates not only have trouble speaking but may make repeated sound mistakes. This is an articulation disorder and it can affect a person’s intelligibility.

Cleft palates can lead to frequent ear infections, which may result in hearing loss, as well.

7. Neurological Diseases

A person’s ability to speak can decline as a result of certain neurological diseases. Neurological diseases can affect anyone at any age. However, some neurological diseases don’t develop until later on in life.

For example, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and occurs in older adults. Those with Alzheimer’s disease in the later stages often struggle to form the right words. They can also struggle to speak in full sentences.

CBS, or corticobasal syndrome, is a rare neurological disorder that affects the motor system and cognition. Those with CBS often struggle to find the right words. They can also develop speech articulation problems.

Understanding Types of Speech Disorders

Speech disorders not only affect speech but a person’s quality of life. However, people can overcome their speech impediments and reach their full potential, and it all begins with understanding the causes of different speech disorders.

To learn more about the different types of speech disorders, visit our blog today!

 

It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.

This is true for the 40 million Americans who suffer from communication disorders–articulation disorders ranking high on the list.

5% of first-grade children have obvious speech disorders and more than three million people stutter.

Articulation disorders (Speech Sound Disorders-SSD), are disorders that affect the form of speech sound. In children, it’s the inability to physically produce a sound or sounds.

Questions loom about the history, the cause, and the treatment of articulation disorders.

So, here are 8 frequently asked questions about Articulation Disorders.

Where Do Articulation Disorders Come From?

The exact origin of disorders that affect articulation is unknown. However, there is a link between genetics and environmental influences that impact the way a child speaks.

Children should be able to pronounce all sounds of the English Language properly by the age of 8.

Genetic syndromes such as developmental and learning disorders, deafness, and autism disrupt articulation.

Constant changes in a child’s surroundings like excessive moving also affects the way he or she articulates.

Are Speech and Language Disorders the Same?

There is a difference between speech disorders and language disorders.

To understand this is to know the difference between speech and language.

According to Merriam-Webster:

Speech is to communicate or express thoughts in spoken words.

Articulation (speech) disorders are the inability to produce the sounds that create these spoken words.

Language is words and their pronunciation by methods of combination used and understood by a community.

Language disorders are the inability pronounce the words used and understood by that same community.

Understanding the difference between the two can help a caregiver decipher the type of treatment a child requires.

What Are the Signs My Child Has One?

Children affected by articulation disorders express them in different ways.

A child could relay articulation issues by distorting and deleting sounds, and by substituting and adding sounds.

For example, instead of saying “car”, a child might say “ca”. Or they might say “stupaman” instead or “Superman”.

Another example is if your toddler is still babbling. A babbling toddler has missed a speech milestone, which is an indication of an articulation disorder.

If your toddler reaches a certain age and they are still leaving out important consonants in words, this is another sign.

Paying attention to the way a child speaks could help with early detection of an articulation disorder.

Should I Worry If I Don’t Understand My Toddler?

Making your child’s speech a priority is important. However, caregivers should not be alarmed if a child does not articulate every word in the dictionary early.

Toddlers babble first.

Babbling is a key milestone in the development of a baby’s speech. It’s a baby’s first attempt at articulation.

As they grow, their language grows. Toddlers should be able to speak at least 20 words at 18 months and at least 100 words by 24 months.

Caregivers should only alarm themselves if their child has not met these milestones.

Do Girls and Boys Develop Speech at Different Speeds?

Children develop at different speeds. Although, it is possible for one sex to develop speech faster than the other.

Girls develop speech faster than boys.

This scientific theory is based on the effect that testosterone has on the speed of speech for boys. Because of testosterone, boys typically take longer to develop speech and language.

Can Caregivers Prevent Speech Disorders?

Becuase the origin of speech disorders is unknown, there’s no clear way for caregivers to prevent articulation disorders.

Early detection is key.

Caregivers can help develop their child’s language by getting an early understanding of key speech and language milestones.

Take them to a pediatrician. Pediatricians normally notice the first signs of missed developmental touchstones.

Recognizing when your child is not speaking the proper amount of words or making the proper sounds to form words at a certain benchmark, can help caregivers get a jump start on helping their child improve their speech.

Shouldn’t the Pediatrician Be Able to Detect a Disorder in My Child?

The American Academy of Pediatrics advocate for the early detection of developmental issues in preschoolers.

They equip pediatricians with the tools they need to perform early childhood screenings that determine if children are on track with their development.

Pediatricians should recommend speech therapy to children with speech and language concerns and refer them to a Speech-Language Pathologist.

How Do I Help My Child?

There are several actions a caregiver can take to assist a child with an articulation disorder.

• Early Detection: Recognize the signs of an articulation disorder.
• See your child’s pediatrician. A pediatrician can make a proper assessment and referral to a licensed speech-language therapist.
• Take your child to a therapist or use an online speech therapy option for anonymity.
• Read to your child.
• Practice sound building skills to teach your child how to say the sounds of letters and words that challenge them.
• Invest in flashcards and use them to help your child sound out words.

Speech Therapy is Key

There are approximately 325.7 million people in America. Forty million of them don’t communicate properly.

A large percentage of them are children who suffer from symptoms such as stuttering, missed or omitted sounds, and other components of an obvious articulation disorder.

Articulation disorders start early. The first signs of speech sound disorders–namely articulation disorders–become distinct as children miss certain speech development marks.

Rule out genetic concerns first. Learning disorders, predisposed developmental concerns, and brain injuries are automatical indications that a child may struggle with articulation issues.

Babbling is a baby’s first attempt at forming sound. When a baby develops into a toddler they should be able to make multiple sounds that clearly resembles words. Those words become strings of words that make short sentences.

If you see your child isn’t making any progress at this point, it may be time to seek professional support.

Take your child to see his or her pediatrician. A pediatrician will able to recommend a speech-language therapist to assist you in getting your child back on track.

Check out our FAQs for more information on speech therapy and how to get help.

LISTEN, my children, and you shall hear

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Do we have to listen to hear or hear to listen?

Hearing is a passive act; unless you are hearing impaired, the act of perceiving sound by the ear simply happens on its own.  Listening however is an active conscious choice. Total concentration is required for your brain to actively take what you hear and make the words meaningful.

Communication involves both hearing, listening and speaking. The relationship between the three is so intertwined that the month of May has been designated as Better Speech and Hearing Month (BHSM).

In a recent poll, both speech therapists and audiologists identified excessive tech use as their number #1 concern. Speech therapists report a decline in communication and human interaction while audiologists claim loud volume damages our hearing.

Good news! Here are my recommendations:

• Set reasonable parameters of tech times vs. tech-free time
• Model balanced behavior by putting your cellphone/iPad away during dinner or playtime
• Carve out quality time with your children. Reading and playing games are two easy and effective way to encourage language development and active listening.

Concerned about your child’s speech development?  Reach out to a Great Speech therapist and request a consultation

Worried that your child is having trouble hearing? Audiologist Dr. Leah Light shares four telltale signs. Ask yourself. “Does my child….?”

• Need to look to hear
• Accuse others of mumbling
• Put the ear against sound sources like speakers or refrigerator
• Say “What?” or “Huh?” repeatedly

My experience as a speech and language pathologist, I know that early intervention is the key for better speech, hearing and listening. Audiologists and speech and language therapists can work with babies, even newborns, to diagnose and treat for better hearing, better speech, better listening and ultimately, better communication.