Many of my clients are working on generalizing speech sounds. That means they have now figured out how to say the sounds they were struggling with, AND they can use them in their words, AND they can use the sound in phrases and sentences...BUT they are not using the sounds in conversations yet.
When we talk we have so much to think about (what we are going to say, waiting for our turn, checking to see if our partner is listening, being louder than the other noises around, using the right inflections and pacing...) it is hard to remember to correctly use sounds that we habitually have been skipping or saying the wrong way. Getting new sounds into conversations will take time and is very difficult. Give your child time!
Lots of my favorite strategies to helping generalize sounds come from this activity book:
www.soundsforliteracy.com.au/documents/FBGeneralizeSounds.pdf
One technique in particular is called Talking Time. Basically you set aside 3-5 minutes at least twice a day where you focus on speech sounds in conversations. Your child speaks and you track his specific sound. Only focus on one sound at a time, and remind your child before you begin which sound you will be listening for.
Today I hit the JACKPOT! Every speech therapist loves ready made games; and I just found on GetAwayToday.com a bunch of activities that are PERFECT to use for Talking Time. These games feature subjects kids are happy to talk about.
You can find all of these activities here:
Would You Rather Games
Disney Would You Rather
Harry Potter Would You Rather
Star Wars Would You Rather
These games are awesome for getting some creative thinking and language practice in with your speech therapy time. Your child needs to pick his answer and then explain his choice...why would you rather have a fairy godmother than a magic genie?
Mad Libs
Disney Princess Mad Libs
Star Wars Mad Libs
Also fantastic for literacy and grammar (parts of speech). I like to encourage kids to try to think of nouns or adjectives or _________ that have their speech sound in the word. Then when they read through their finished story you know there will be lots of opportunities for speech practice! You can access nice lists to reference on homespeechhome.com.
Conversation Starters
Disney Conversation Starters
Fun for car rides and speech therapy! Basically you ask a question and encourage your child to talk for 3-5 minutes about their answer. Listen for their use of their target sound.
I like to track speech sound productions using a simple spreadsheet, + for if they got the sound right, - for if they missed it.
When we talk we have so much to think about (what we are going to say, waiting for our turn, checking to see if our partner is listening, being louder than the other noises around, using the right inflections and pacing...) it is hard to remember to correctly use sounds that we habitually have been skipping or saying the wrong way. Getting new sounds into conversations will take time and is very difficult. Give your child time!
Lots of my favorite strategies to helping generalize sounds come from this activity book:
www.soundsforliteracy.com.au/documents/FBGeneralizeSounds.pdf
One technique in particular is called Talking Time. Basically you set aside 3-5 minutes at least twice a day where you focus on speech sounds in conversations. Your child speaks and you track his specific sound. Only focus on one sound at a time, and remind your child before you begin which sound you will be listening for.
Today I hit the JACKPOT! Every speech therapist loves ready made games; and I just found on GetAwayToday.com a bunch of activities that are PERFECT to use for Talking Time. These games feature subjects kids are happy to talk about.
You can find all of these activities here:
Would You Rather Games
Disney Would You Rather
Harry Potter Would You Rather
Star Wars Would You Rather
These games are awesome for getting some creative thinking and language practice in with your speech therapy time. Your child needs to pick his answer and then explain his choice...why would you rather have a fairy godmother than a magic genie?
Mad Libs
Disney Princess Mad Libs
Star Wars Mad Libs
Also fantastic for literacy and grammar (parts of speech). I like to encourage kids to try to think of nouns or adjectives or _________ that have their speech sound in the word. Then when they read through their finished story you know there will be lots of opportunities for speech practice! You can access nice lists to reference on homespeechhome.com.
Conversation Starters
Disney Conversation Starters
Fun for car rides and speech therapy! Basically you ask a question and encourage your child to talk for 3-5 minutes about their answer. Listen for their use of their target sound.
I like to track speech sound productions using a simple spreadsheet, + for if they got the sound right, - for if they missed it.
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