In my last blog, I discussed one of the most common therapy hierarchies used when treating articulation disorders known as Van Riper’s model and how homework can be completed within the first stage of the hierarchy, which is working on sounds in isolation. Van Riper’s model is a framework used to structure speech therapy. AS previously mentioned, it is important to ensure that therapy goals are targeted at the right level to gain success during each practice session. Throughout this blog, I will be discussing how you can work on target sounds at syllable and word level. Here are a few activities that are useful for targeting sounds at these levels.
Sounds in Syllables
Targeting sounds in syllables includes attaching your target sound to a range of vowels. For example, if your target sound is ‘b’, then you would practice with a range of syllables to make ‘be’, ‘bow’, ‘bye’, ‘bear’, ‘bore’, etc. Syllable practise can be repetitive however depending on the sound you are targeting, it can sometimes be accompanied by a picture card. For example, the syllable ‘be’ can be accompanied by a picture of a bumblebee. If you are doing drill practise where each syllable is repeated several times until production becomes easy, it is important to incorporate a turn taking game as previously suggested in my last blog.
If picture cards are incorporated, they can be used in a range of ways. One way is to make a copy so you have 2 sets of each picture. Place them upside down and play a match/memory game, making sure to say each word as you turn each picture over. For kids who are self conscious of their mistakes, this game allows for a chance to gain confidence through making the most matches rather than focusing too much on their articulation errors. For other children, it gives them an opportunity to break up drill practise and enjoy the exercises. This is particularly important as therapy needs to be enjoyable in order for the child to remain engaged.
The next stage of articulation therapy is targeting words in words. Read on for the next blog to find out how to target speech sounds at this level.
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This article was written by our Speech Pathologist Ashleigh Fattah who is a Speech Pathology Australia member. If you have speech pathology related questions, make an appointment. We‘ll provide you with simple and effective therapy targeted to your concerns. Contact us today.
