Greetings everyone! I would like to share with you an interesting article I recently came across regarding strategies to improve the phonology of young children. This article is beneficial to both Speech-language pathologists and parents! This article was written by Speech-language pathologist, Elizabeth Redhead Kriston. Mrs. Kriston stated that over the years she has found success with the following techniques:
- Say It How They Say It: When kids change the meaning of their message by inadvertently shaping a word into an alternate word, reflect back to what they said and what they meant to say.
- Read Books: Introduce minimal pair therapy in an approachable way while supporting literacy. The “Word Menders Series” of books are a great way to address many goals.
- Act It Out: “The Stimulability Character Cards,” while not specifically designed to work on phonological processes, introduce all consonants in beginning and medial positions by pairing fun actions with the illustrations. Little kids love these and really enjoy acting out and saying the phrases.
- Keep It Playful: Introduce minimal pair therapy using objects supplemented by flashcards in play. Name the target words pointing out the contrasts in meaning as you place them into a dump truck or slide them down a slide. For example, with voicing errors have a “fan” and a “van” to show as you label.
- Encourage Listening Skills: Auditory training activities, as well as auditory bombardment, help kids decipher word meanings while helping them hear correct productions.
- Educate Parents: Parents who don’t understand the process behind typical speech-language development can become concerned when their kids say words incorrectly. It is imperative to explain the role phonological processes play in typical speech-language development and answer any questions they may have.
Thank you so very much for reading! I look forward to our many discussions and sharing of ideas!
Perfekt Me Speech Therapy Services, PLLC 