School SLPs: Got kids who are st/r/uggling to pronounce the /r/ sound? Here’s a quick refresher covering /r/ errors, discrimination, elicitation, and /r/ sound speech therapy resources.

<h2>Speech Therapy to Help Kids Master /r/ Sounds</h2>
<p>
  <strong>How f/r/ust/r/ating! </strong>The <strong>/r/ sound</strong> can
  really give kids trouble. It’s among the most common misarticulations among
  school-age children. It’s also challenging to teach – unless, of course, you
  have the right tools! Not to worry! We’ve got you covered with a quick
  refresher on /r/ sounds, /r/ errors, discrimination of /r/, /r/ elicitation,
  and /r/ sound speech therapy resources.
</p>

<h2>/r/ Sounds</h2>
<p>The /r/ sound can be produced in one of two ways:</p>
<ul>
<li>
  With tongue in <strong>retroflexion</strong>,
  with tip curled curled back toward the hard plate
</li>
<li>
  With tongue in
  <strong>bunched position</strong>, with tongue high and toward the back of the
  mouth
</li>
</ul>
<p>
  Either position is acceptable. SLPs can teach what comes most naturally,
  produces the best sounding r, and is easiest for the student.
</p>

<p>
  Children with normal development of /r/ acquire it differently and at various
  ages, most often by 6-7 years old. It is one of the last sounds children
  typically acquire.
</p>

<h2>/r/ Errors</h2>
<p>Various <strong>errors </strong>occur in producing the /r/ sound:</p>

<ul>
<li>Producing a gliding /w/ in place of /r/</li>
<li>Producing a distorted /r/</li>
<li>Vocalic variants</li>
</ul>

<h2>Discrimination of /r/</h2>
<p>
  When learning to pronounce /r/, it is critical for children to
  <strong>auditorily discriminate</strong> between /r/, /w/ and /l/ sounds. SLPs
  can practice discrimination activities that help kids develop phonemic
  awareness. Children can use Boom Cards, practice online listening games, use
  rhyming word pairs, listen for blended sounds, and more.
</p>


<h2>/r/ Elicitation</h2>
<p>
  To elicit the /r/ sound, SLPs can use various methods with children, including
  (<a
    href="https://www.wvsha.org/wp-content/uploads/events-manager-uploads/session-handouts/WVSHA2.pptx"
    rel="noopener noreferrer"
    target="_blank"
    >Ruscello</a
  >):
</p>

<ul>
<li>
  Contexts – Using clusters like /tr/, /gr/ and
  /dr/ to facilitate /r/
</li>
<li>
  Imagery – Making a “big dog sound” and pairing
  with a hand gesture such as a dog paw
</li>
<li>
  Imitation – Demonstrating and having student
  mimic back sound
</li>
<li>
  Phonetic placement – Using a dowel to stabilize
  jaw and facilitate tongue awareness
</li>
<li>
  Successive approximation – Having child produce
  /l/ and shape the sound toward /r/
</li>
</ul>
	
	
<h2>R Sound Speech Therapy Resources</h2>
<p>
  From free to paid resources, here is a selection of our favorite tools for
  speech pathologists to help children with r sounds.
</p>

<p>
  <a
    href="https://pubs.asha.org/doi/abs/10.1044/2020_LSHSS-20-00012"
    rel="noopener noreferrer"
    target="_blank"
    ><strong
      >Tutorial: Motor-Based Treatment Strategies for /r/ Distortions</strong
    ></a
  >
</p>
<p>
  Published in the October 2020 issue of Language, Speech, and Hearing Services
  in Schools and written by Preston et al., this tutorial covers best practices
  in helping /r/ distortions in children. The authors review the phonetics of
  /r/ production, cover acquisition principles, and discuss articulatory
  requirements (“oral constriction, pharyngeal constriction, tongue body
  lowering, lateral bracing, and slight lip rounding”). They then give SLPs
  phonetic cues and shaping strategies to help children work on these movements
  and strengthen their ability to produce /r/ sounds.
</p>

<p>
  <a
    href="https://www.northernspeech.com/learning-disabilities/r-made-simple-methods-that-address-the-challenges-of-pronunciation-spelling-and-dialect/"
    rel="noopener noreferrer"
    target="_blank"
    ><strong
      >R Made Simple: Methods That Address The Challenges Of Pronunciation,
      Spelling And Dialect</strong
    ></a
  >
</p>
<p>
  Presented by Nancy Geruntino, MA, SLP, and released through Northern Speech
  Services, this online course offers .3 CEUs with ASHA. The course covers the
  Up, Down, &amp; Slide Alphabet, a method that can be applied to any word with
  the /r/ sound. SLPs learn how to teach children to pronounce /r/more easily by
  analyzing words for the sound preceding the /r/. This is described as a
  simple, fun and easy way to help students master the pronunciation of /r/.
</p>

<p>
  <a
    href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VVCR7hhu10"
    rel="noopener noreferrer"
    target="_blank"
    ><strong>The “R” Sound – Speech Therapy – Speech Tip Tuesday</strong></a
  ><strong> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  In this free 8-minute video, SLP Emily Perry demonstrates quick techniques to
  help kids correctly produce /r/ sounds. She also gives an example of a
  progression plan for working with a client on articulating /r/. Perry
  discussed the bunched /r/ and retroflex /r/. Tips include giving visual cues
  by using the hands, using words that end with /k/ and /g/, using
  coarticulation and providing incentives to encourage practice at home.
</p>

<p>
  Check out these other SLP resources from our team of therapists and educators:
</p>
<p>
  <a
    href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/speech-therapy-voice-and-fluency-goals?"
    rel="noopener noreferrer"
    target="_blank"
    >Speech Therapy Voice and Fluency Goals</a
  >
</p>
<p>
  <a
    href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/aac-goals-and-objectives?"
    rel="noopener noreferrer"
    target="_blank"
    >AAC Goals for Speech Therapy</a
  >
</p>
<p>
  <a
    href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/speech-therapy-mixed-groups-ideas-for-school-slps?"
    rel="noopener noreferrer"
    target="_blank"
    >Speech Therapy Mixed Groups: Ideas for School SLPs</a
  >
</p>

<p>
  To find out where schools need your specialized skills at exciting locations
  nationwide, browse our
  <a
    href="https://www.crosscountry.com/education"
    rel="noopener noreferrer"
    target="_blank"
    >school SLP jobs</a
  >
  now.
</p>


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