What not to do when a child is learning a speech sound

It's very natural to want to correct a child, if they say a sound incorrectly. After all, it is important to model correct sound productions so that a child can copy them.

However, there are some ways that actually may be a detriment to progress with a sound. These include

1. Drawing attention to every single incorrect production

2. Asking a child to keep correcting themselves, over and over again, when they cannot make the correct sound.

Both of the above ways can actually make a child less confident, or averse to practicing sounds altogether. So how do we still model, while preventing these side effects?

Here are some suggestions to use instead!

1. Set aside a time - say 5 or 10 minutes everyday - to practice the sound. This is more than enough time to see progress. The rest of the time, a child does not have to correct! That way, they can still be confident when they speak.

2. Instad of asking the child to correct themselves - you can just say the correct production back, and repeat a few times! For example - if a child says "wight!" You can say. "Yup. That's right. Rrrright." Since this is more work for you, it takes the pressure off. And hearing the sound over and over again definitely helps.

Also, check out other posts on this blog about Speech Sounds to get more ideas on how to support your child with speech sounds in easier, effortless ways!

Happy Talking!

Disclaimer : Smarter Speech is a pediatric speech therapy / speech-language pathology practice for toddlers and children providing in-home and teletherapy services in and around Mountain View, CA and Los Gatos, CA. Smarter Speech Blog aims to provide free speech and language tips for parents educators and therapists. However, this post is not providing speech-language pathology services. This is general information, not speech -language pathology or speech therapy. This article does not assume or create a client – SLP relationship. The author is not liable for any losses or damages due to actions or failure to act based on the content in this article. If you need assistance with a child’s speech or language needs, please contact a speech-language pathologist in your area.