Two-Pronged Approach

In my last blog (which you can read here) I talked about the speech staircase and how it can guide parents in picking appropriate speech targets for their child. The most difficult stair to tackle is the last one, unstructured conversation (also known as spontaneous conversation). To facilitate the generalization of target sounds from a structured to an unstructured context, I share my two-pronged approach with parents.

First Prong

The first prong of this approach is the daily practice. I recommend 10-15 minutes per day, but really, it's okay if all you can get is 5 minutes of dedicated practice time. If starting at 5 minutes is what will get your child to engage with you and practice, then that is certainly better than nothing! This provides your child with practice in a structured context, the first few steps of the Speech Staircase. Here are a few suggestions for your consideration:

Have fun - Combine practice with a game or a tasty treat

As I have mentioned in previous posts, one of the most important things you can do is make practice time enjoyable for you and your child. Firstly, it increases the likelihood that your child will look forward to spending this time with you. Secondly, making it more enjoyable also makes it more likely that your child will remember what you have worked on.

I will often use games like Pop-Up Pirate or Pig Goes Pop, which have game tokens that can be earned. I'll also have activities like making characters take a bath in some soapy water or puppets eating all sorts of silly things. Practice can also be combined with activities like beading, bingo daubers, cars, blocks, etc. Your imagination is the limit! I will usually pair a trial of the target with a turn of the activity. When possible, I also try to make the vocabulary relevant to the activity. For example, if working on /s/-blends, I might target the following vocabulary:

Pop-up Pirate: Stick, stab

Pig Goes Pop: Snack, smack, spatula, stomp

Cars: Slide, speed, stop

No more than three repetitions per trial

Sometimes, a child might be successful in one trial, and unsuccessful on the next. Parents sometimes believe that their child is just not trying hard enough, because they were able to do it before, and therefore, they will make their child repeat the target until they produce it accurately. While there are certainly times when children will start to become silly, it has been my experience that most of the time, children are doing their best and just struggling to make the target sound.

With that in mind, I ask them to try to say the target accurately three times, providing feedback as they do. If they produce the target appropriately on the first or second trial, they get to take their turn in the activity. If they are unsuccessful in all three trials, I praise their effort, and let them take their turn after the third attempt. We simply try again on the next go around. Why? Because nobody enjoys failure. A child may become frustrated if they are not successful, especially if it also affects their ability to enjoy the game they are playing with their parent. By keeping a positive attitude, and praising the effort that your child is bringing to the practice, your child is more likely to stay motivated and continue to try, even when trying is hard.

Have a clear beginning and end to the practice task

For those times when your child would rather be doing anything else, having a defined beginning and end to the activity can make it easier for the child to participate. Some children may need more encouragement. Another option is to have a reward for your child after they complete their practice, whether it be getting a desired item or playing a preferred activity.

Second Prong

The second prong is informal modelling of the correct pronunciation. The key here is informal. When your child says a word/sound incorrectly, wait for them to finish what they are saying, then repeat the message back to them while modelling the correct pronunciation. Emphasize the correct pronunciation. Do not make your child repeat after you.

What does this look like? Let's imagine your child is enthusiastically telling you about the garden snake they found in the yard. It might sound like "Mommy, I see a nake!" You might reply with "a SSSSnake? You see a SSSnake? Where?". If your child chooses to attempt to repeat, praise them either for their effort or their success, as the case may be. Otherwise, do not force your child to repeat. Keep going with the conversation. This will provide the child with accurate models in an unstructured context and provide support for bridging the gap between structured and unstructured contexts.

The Takeaway

As with anything, practice makes perfect. What we need to remember is that practice can be fun! Work with your child's strengths and interests to engage them in structured practice (prong one). Throughout the rest of the day, acknowledge your child's message and model the correct pronunciation of words produced in error. This helps carry over what the child is learning to an unstructured context (prong two). As always, if you suspect your child has a speech delay, see your local speech-language pathologist for a speech assessment.