How can I incorporate AAC into my speech therapy sessions?

ByLondon Speech and Feeding March 2, 2026February 26, 2026

Many parents are surprised when I bring AAC into a session, especially if they’ve come to see me primarily for speech sound work.

They might wonder: ‘If we’re working on pronunciation, why are we using a communication device?’

The simple answer is this: speech therapy is about communication first, and speech sounds second. Supporting a child’s ability to express themselves clearly and confidently is always the priority, and AAC can be a powerful tool alongside spoken speech.

What do we mean by AAC?

AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

This can include:

A speech-generating device (such as LAMP Words for Life or GRID as I used in the photo below)
A communication app on a tablet
A symbol board or communication book
Gestures, signs, or visual supports

AAC does not replace speech. Instead, it supports language development, reduces frustration, and builds communication success while speech skills are developing.

Pretend Play using Speech and AAC in my clinic room

But I mainly work on speech sounds… So how does AAC fit?

Most of the children I see are working on:

Articulation difficulties
Phonological delay
Motor planning challenges (including apraxia/dyspraxia)
Unclear speech affecting confidence

For these children, AAC isn’t a separate therapy. It’s simply woven naturally into what we are already doing.

If a child brings their device to sessions, I actively include it. If they don’t yet use AAC but could benefit from visual or symbolic support, I may introduce simple options within activities.

Using AAC to support speech practice

Let’s say we are working on early speech targets like: ‘GO’.

We might practise:

Saying the word verbally
Listening for the target sound
Using play (TOY TRAIN GOING ROUND A TRACK)

Now we can extend this using AAC.

On the device or communication board, we might model: ‘LET’S GO’ or ‘IT’s GOING up the hill’.

This allows the child to:

Practise their speech sound target
Build a simple sentence
Experience successful communication even if speech is not fully clear yet

All responses are valid and supported.

AAC helps children communicate more than they can say

Many children can understand and think in longer phrases than they can physically say.

For example:

A child who verbally says single words may build longer phrases on AAC.
A child who struggles to plan speech movements may use AAC to communicate smoothly while still practising verbal attempts.
A child who becomes frustrated when misunderstood gains a reliable backup system.

Rather than slowing speech progress, AAC often:

Reduces communication pressure
Increases participation in therapy
Encourages more attempts at speech
Supports language growth

When children feel understood, they usually become more motivated to try speaking.

There are no ‘prerequisites’ for AAC

One of the biggest myths I hear is: ‘My child isn’t ready for AAC yet.’

In reality, children do not need to:

Reach a certain speech level
Use pictures first
Prove they understand everything
Show immediate interest

Instead, we presume competence and introduce AAC in meaningful, playful ways.

That means:

Modelling words while blowing bubbles
Commenting during playdough activities
Choosing words during games
Building simple phrases in shared reading

AAC should never feel like extra ‘work’. It’s simply another way to join in communication.

My goal is always the same: to help each child communicate as clearly, confidently, and successfully as possible, using every helpful tool available.

If your child uses AAC (or might benefit from it)

Please feel free to:

Bring the device to sessions
Show me how your child currently uses it
Share advice from school or other therapists

I am very happy to incorporate AAC into our work together so that speech practice, language development, and real communication all move forward hand-in-hand. Because ultimately, therapy isn’t just about producing perfect sounds. It’s about helping your child be heard and understood.

If you’d like support or advice, please contact me and I can help guide the next steps.

Sonja McGeachie

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Owner of The London Speech and Feeding Practice.

Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists Member

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

Autism Therapy · Speech and Language Therapy

Milestones of autistic children: Crawling, walking, and talking
ByLondon Speech and Feeding October 25, 2023March 25, 2026
Image by wayhomestudio on Freepik

For all children every milestone achieved is a testament to the unique and intricate process unfolding within each young mind. For autistic children, this journey may present a distinct pattern, with some reaching developmental milestones like crawling, walking, and talking later than their neurotypical peers. Let’s have a look into the fascinating realm of Autism and explore why some autistic children might crawl, walk, and talk later, shedding light on the underlying factors contributing to this unique way of developing.

1. Individual Pacing:

Child development is not a one-size-fits-all journey. Each child, whether neurotypical or autistic, has a unique timeline for achieving milestones. Autistic children, like any other children, follow their own pacing. This individual rhythm might lead them to focus on one set of skills before they progress to others. Like some neurotypical children might focus on talking earlier than walking, autistic children might prioritise other areas before crawling or talking.

2. Neurodevelopmental Complexity:

The human brain is a remarkable entity, with a bewildering array of interconnected processes that lead to us achieving our developmental milestones. Autistic children often have variations in “neural wiring”, which can impact the balance between gross motor skills (crawling, walking) and fine motor skills. Speech and language acquisition falls under fine motor skills and may be momentarily disrupted due to the divergent neurological pathways at play in autism.

2. Sensory Processing Differences:

One of the hallmarks of autism is altered sensory processing. Autistic children often experience sensory stimuli differently than their neurotypical peers. This heightened or diminished sensitivity can influence a child’s desire or ability to engage in activities like crawling and walking. The sensation of movement while crawling or walking, for instance, might be overwhelming for some autistic children, causing them to either avoid or delay these activities.

3. Visual-Spatial Abilities:

Autistic children and adults frequently display excellent visual-spatial abilities. This strength might lead some children to focus more on activities that engage these skills, potentially delaying their engagement with activities like walking or talking. As they navigate their environment and process information visually, they might naturally invest more time in activities that stimulate this particular cognitive ability and strength.

4. Communication Challenges:

For many autistic children, speaking can be a really complex and difficult endeavour. Communication delays are a common feature of autism. This can affect both receptive and expressive language development. While some children might be physically capable of crawling or walking, they may not yet have the tools to communicate their desires and intentions. This leads to a temporary focus on non-speaking forms of expression. This does not mean that they do not communicate at all. But autistic individuals often start out using jargoning or echolalia as a form of communication as well as behaviours and physical forms of communication.

5. Executive Functioning and Motor Skills:

Executive functioning, or abilities for planning, organising, and carrying out tasks, can vary in autistic children. These skills are crucial for activities like crawling, walking, and talking, which need coordination and planning. About 40% of autistic persons have a motor planning difficulty.

6. Intense Interests and Routines:

Autistic children often develop intense interests in specific subjects, sometimes to the exclusion of other activities. These interests might become their primary mode of engagement. They might side-line milestones like crawling, walking, or talking. The mostly rigid adherence to routines and preferences might cause them to allocate more time to their preferred activities. This delays their engagement with other developmental tasks.

How can Speech and Language Therapy help:

Support and Intervention:

Early intervention and regular Speech and Language Therapy play a pivotal role in the developmental journey of autistic children. Therapies tailored to individual needs can aid in bridging the gaps between milestones. Occupational therapy, for example, can help address sensory sensitivities and motor skill challenges that might impact crawling and walking. Speech therapy can help communication development, gradually bridging the gap between non-verbal expressions and spoken language.

For example, we now know that echolalia or jargoning of longer phrases with intonation, repeating scripts from favourite tv shows or songs have many meanings and communicative functions. For example, a child who utters long strings of echolalic utterances, often difficult to understand, might want to do any one of the following:
- Comment
- greet
- ask a question
- make a request
- express surprise
- negate something.
We now understand that the way to support a child with echolalia is to acknowledge all utterances and try and find out what the meaning is behind these scripts. This is very supportive. Over time it will lead a child to move on to understanding and saying more clear and self-generated language. For more information about this Natural Language Acquisition here are some other great websites for you to look at:
- https://www.meaningfulspeech.com/
- https://communicationdevelopmentcenter.com/the-natural-language-acquisition-guide-echolalia-is-all-about-gestalt-language-development/
Conclusion

In conclusion, the journey of an autistic child’s development is a testament to the uniqueness and complexity of the human mind. The delays or differences in achieving milestones like crawling, walking, and talking can be attributed to a range of factors, including
- neurodevelopmental intricacies,
- sensory processing variations,
- and communication challenges.
It’s crucial to recognise that these delays are not indicative of a lack of potential, but rather a manifestation of the intricate interplay between an autistic child’s strengths and challenges. By embracing these differences and providing tailored support, we can help each autistic child unfold their potential at their own pace.

Do get in touch if you would like to book an appointment where we can explore how to help your child develop and thrive

Do get in touch if you would like to book an appointment where we can explore how to help your child develop and thrive

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

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Autism Therapy · Neurodiversity · Speech and Language Therapy

How do we know our Gestalt Learner is moving to Stage 2?
ByLondon Speech and Feeding February 14, 2024February 14, 2024
Image by Freepik

Is our student ready to move to NLA 2 (Natural Language Acquisition stage 2)?

We know that the GLP (Gestalt Language Processor) will move into the next stage when they are ready. But are they now ready you might think? When are they ready? How do I know? If you are not sure whether your child is ready to move forward then go and see your GLP trained Speech Therapist. Together you can work out what the next steps are and how to help your child settle into NLA 2. It’s very exciting!!

Tip

The first useful tip: keep a language sample of phrases your child says. This is very helpful!

You might want to check with your Speech Therapist and offer some language sampling you have taken so they can help you figure out where your child is currently. Always keep an Utterance Journal that you can share with your Speech Therapist and with others who look after your child.

Basically, we want to listen out for phrases our child says that you or nursery don’t say routinely; that way you can presume that this is not an echo but a mixing together of two chunks of gestalts. Watch out for those coco melon phrases though: double check it really isn’t an NLA 1 gestalt that is copied verbatim from a favourite you tube video.

You can best support your child best by listening, and thus figuring out what your child is TRYING TO SAY. Often your child might skip over the parts of gestalts they don’t want to say. This is common in older kids who have long gestalts, sometimes even whole episodes or whole stories!

Try and tease out their shorter mitigations and then focus on practicing and modelling those as they are so much more useful!

So back to our question: are they ready?

Are their gestalts covering a variety of situations and contexts?

Make a note in your journal to see what the backgrounds are to each phrase you ear, so for example:
- Transitioning: ‘it’s time for the park’ ‘what’s next’ ‘shoes on’
- Bed Time: ‘we need to wash’ ‘let’s get in (bath/bed)’ ‘ready for our book’
- Toilet/nappy: ‘we need the potty’ ‘where’s the potty’ ‘let’s wash hands’
- Mealtime: ‘time to eat’ ‘go get a spoon’ ‘yummy num num’
- Park/going out: ‘look at the squirrel’ ‘funny doggy’ ‘I wanna swing’
- At the shops: ‘let’s get the trolley’ ‘lots of veggies’ ‘no tomatoes’ ‘ooh long queue’ ‘back to the car’
And… does the child use the phrases for a variety of functions?
- labelling
- providing information
- calling out
- affirming
- requesting
- protesting
- directing
We need to offer lots of similar language models so that in their own time our children can extract/mitigate useful phrases for what they want to express. The more similar utterances a child hears around him the more he/she can discover the communalities. Once the child has a small range of phrases, he/she can mix them up and create semi-original own phrases.

If the answer is YES!! our child has perhaps not all but a range of functions and a range of situations where they use a variety of easily mitigable gestalts then yes they are ready for moving to stage 2 of NLA!

Hurrah!

Keeping a journal of what your child is saying and in what circumstance is crucial to help with our ongoing detective work!

Next time I will be looking at how we can help our NLA 2 GLP produce even more of their own mix and match phrases.

If you need help with your child, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

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Speech and Language Therapy

One activity, endless opportunities for speech and language therapy targets
ByLondon Speech and Feeding May 19, 2026May 18, 2026
Communication does not happen in neat little boxes. In Speech and Language Therapy we often use one great activity to target multiple areas of speech and or language development all at once.

Children are trying to:
- understand language
- build sentences
- organise their thoughts
- pronounce sounds
- remember words
- use grammar
- follow social interaction
- communicate meaning…
all at the same time.

This short therapy clip is a little example of that.

Within one playful interaction, we naturally work on:
- grammar
- sentence expansion
- pronouns
- speech sound errors
- modelling
- visual cueing
- turn-taking
- confidence in communication
And, importantly, the child remains engaged, relaxed, and successful throughout.

Using language activities to refine speech sound targets

We all learn language through:
- shared attention
- play
- repetition
- connection
- modelling
- responsive interaction
As a Speech and Language Therapist I am constantly thinking and considering how to bring in all the targets a child is working on. The reason for that is that often we do not have a full therapy hour to work leisurely and calmly on various targets! Many children have short attention focus and ‘go off the boil’ quickly and often suddenly. Therefore, I always feel a sense of ‘make hay whilst the sun shines’ and pack it all in whilst the going is good. So then we can afford five minutes of trampolining in between activities to help the child regulate themselves without losing valuable speech therapy opportunities or time.
- How can I expand this sentence?
- How can I model better grammar?
- Can I gently shape the pronunciation here?
- Should I recast that phrase?
- Is this the right moment to pause and encourage a longer utterance?
- How can I keep communication flowing while still targeting goals?
These decisions happen continuously during therapy.

Building longer sentences naturally

In this clip, one of the key areas we are targeting is sentence expansion through Colourful Semantics, which is a particularly useful and researched approach, developed by UK Speech and Language Therapist Alison Bryan in 1997 to support children with speech and language difficulties.

Colourful Semantics is a visual, colour-coded therapy approach that helps children break down, understand, and construct sentences by assigning specific colours to thematic roles (e.g., Who, What Doing, What).

Many children with language delay use reduced language for example: they might say:
- ‘dog’ instead of ‘the dog is running fast’
- ‘eatin a dinner’ instead of we are eating our dinner
- ‘baby shhh’ instead of ‘the baby is sleeping’.
Using the Colourful Semantics Framework helps create a solid baseline from which to work and with which to construct basic good sentences using WHO is DOING WHAT and WHERE.

We are building language upward gently and positively.

This technique is incredibly powerful because children learn language through hearing it used meaningfully over and over again.

Supporting pronouns through real conversation

Pronouns can be surprisingly difficult for many children.

Words such as:
- he
- she
- him
- her
- they
require children to understand perspective, grammar, and sentence structure all at once. Using pictures and basing the activity on the Colourful Semantics Model I can shape pronouns repeatedly as part of the overall activity.

Books, pictures, and play scenes are fantastic for this because they create endless opportunities for meaningful repetition.

Again, this may look simple from the outside.

But underneath it is highly intentional clinical work.

Listening for speech sound errors at the same time

While supporting grammar and language, I am also constantly listening to the child’s speech production.

In this short interaction, I respond to speech sound errors as they arise.

Sometimes I:
- model the correct production
- emphasise a sound slightly
- use visual cues
- slow the word down
- add gesture or sign support
- encourage another attempt.
And sometimes I intentionally let the error go in order to protect confidence and maintain communication flow.

That balance is incredibly important.

Children need support. But they also need to feel successful communicating.

The child simply experiences this as warm, responsive interaction.

But underneath it is detailed clinical reasoning.

This is why effective therapy is never about simply owning resources or downloading activities online.

The real skill lies in:
- how the therapist uses the activity
- how they adapt moment by moment
- how they analyse communication in real time
- how they shape interaction to maximise learning opportunities.
One activity. Endless opportunities.

A single book, picture scene, or playful interaction can provide opportunities to support:
- speech sounds
- language development
- grammar
- vocabulary
- attention
- confidence
- social communication
- emotional connection.
The magic is not in the activity itself.

The magic is in how a therapist uses it.

Because excellent speech therapy is never ‘just playing’.

It is careful, responsive, evidence-based intervention woven seamlessly into joyful interaction.

Contact me avia my contact form if you would like me to work with your child.

Sonja McGeachie

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Owner of The London Speech and Feeding Practice.

Reference

Bryan A (1997) Colourful semantics. In: Chiat S, Law J, and Marshall J (eds) Language disorders in children and adults: psycholinguistic approaches to therapy. London: Whurr, 143–61.

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

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Feeding · Speech and Language Therapy · Top tips

Hard munchables: Chewing through the weaning journey
ByLondon Speech and Feeding July 14, 2025July 23, 2025
As a Speech and Language Therapist with a specialism in paediatric feeding, I’m constantly looking for ways to support families in developing their little ones’ oral motor skills and fostering a positive relationship with food. While Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) has revolutionised how many families introduce solids, (see my previous blog in July 25) a concept that often sparks discussion and curiosity is the use of ‘hard munchables.’

Image by Freepik

What are hard munchables?

The term ‘hard munchables’ refers to specific types of firm non-digestible food items that are offered to babies for oral exploration and skill development, not for nutrition. These are typically foods that babies cannot bite off or swallow in large pieces due to their texture, but which provide resistance for chewing practice.

The phrase was coined by Marsha Dunn Klein, M.Ed., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist and feeding therapist. Well known for her work in paediatric feeding she introduced and advocated for the concept of hard munchables as part of a therapeutic feeding approach, particularly for infants learning to manage textures and develop crucial oral motor skills.

Common examples of hard munchables include:
- Large, raw carrot sticks: Too hard to bite through, but great for gnawing.
- Celery sticks: Like carrots, offering firm resistance.
- Large, raw apple slices (peeled chunks): A firm, slightly sweet option.
- A firm, uncut pear core: With the seeds removed.
- Dried mango cheeks (hard, unsweetened varieties): These offer a fibrous texture.
- A large, fully cooked but firm piece of meat (like a steak bone with some meat attached): The meat provides flavour and a bit of shreddable texture, while the bone is for gnawing.
- Hard crusts of bread or breadsticks (very firm, without soft inner crumb): These can soften slightly with saliva but offer significant resistance.
Image by Freepik

It’s crucial to emphasise that hard munchables are not for consumption or nutrition. They are tools for oral motor development and should always be offered under strict, active supervision.

How do hard munchables fit into weaning?

While weaning (traditional or Baby-Led Weaning) introduces solid foods that a baby can eventually bite and swallow, hard munchables are complementary to the weaning phase. They enhance that phase by helping a child to develop hand dexterity, hand to mouth movement, and oral development.

It’s important to differentiate: Weaning provides the digestible food for eating, while hard munchables provide the tool for skill practice. They are not substitutes for each other but can be used together under careful guidance.

Pros and cons from a speech therapy perspective

As an SLT, I see both the potential benefits and the necessary precautions when incorporating hard munchables.

Pros:
- Enhanced oral motor development: Hard munchables provide excellent resistance training for the jaw, helping to develop the strength, endurance, and coordination needed for efficient chewing. This is foundational for moving beyond purées and very soft textures.
- Promotes lateralisation of the tongue: The act of moving the hard item from side to side in the mouth encourages the tongue to move independently of the jaw, a crucial skill for managing food and for speech sound production.
- Preparation for more complex textures: By strengthening the oral musculature and refining chewing patterns, hard munchables can help babies transition more smoothly to lumpy and mixed textures.
- Sensory exploration: They offer rich sensory input (tactile, proprioceptive) that can be beneficial for oral mapping and awareness, especially for babies who might be orally sensitive.
Cons:
- Choking risk: While the intention is for the baby not to bite off pieces, there is always a risk. Small pieces can break off, or a baby might accidentally bite off a larger chunk than he or she can manage. Active, vigilant supervision is non-negotiable.
- Not a replacement for digestible solids: It’s vital to remember that hard munchables are for practice, not nutrition. They should complement, not replace, the introduction of varied, digestible solid foods.
- Not suitable for all babies: Babies with certain developmental delays, oral motor deficits, or medical conditions might not be appropriate candidates for hard munchables without highly specialised guidance. For instance, babies with an exaggerated gag reflex might find them overwhelming.
Key Considerations for Parents

Here are my top recommendations:
1. Consult with a professional: Always discuss this with your Paediatric Feeding SLT first before you introduce hard munchables. We can assess your baby’s individual readiness and guide you on safe practices.
2. Strict supervision: Never leave your baby unsupervised with a hard munchable, even for a second. Your full attention is required.
3. Appropriate size: Ensure the item is large enough that the baby cannot fit the whole thing in their mouth. It should extend well beyond their fist.
4. No biting off: The goal is gnawing and scraping, not biting off pieces. If your baby is consistently breaking off chunks, stop using them.
5. Focus on skill, not consumption: Reiterate to yourself that this is for practice, not for eating.
In conclusion, hard munchables, when used appropriately and under guidance, can be a very valuable tool to support oral motor development during the weaning journey. However, always be safe and consult with a specialist to ensure your little one develops his or her feeding skills effectively and joyfully.

Sonja McGeachie

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Owner of The London Speech and Feeding Practice.

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

References:

Rapley, G., & Murkett, T. (2008). Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Foods. Vermilion.

Morris, S. E., & Klein, M. D. (2000). Pre-feeding skills: A comprehensive resource for feeding development. Pro-Ed.

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Autism Therapy · Speech and Language Therapy

Explore how Intensive Interaction develops Autistic children’s communication
ByLondon Speech and Feeding July 31, 2023June 21, 2023
Intensive Interaction is an approach that I might suggest for your child. Here is an overview of this approach to increase your knowledge. There are a range of approaches that overlap and having trained in them all I use them all interchangeably to tailor to each child individually. This approach is particularly good for children who work mostly to their own agenda and find it hard to engage with others.

So, what is Intensive Interaction?

According to its founder, Hewett (1980), the approach “involves mirroring a person’s actions, sounds and facial expressions.” This allows your child to recognise and form communication between themselves and another, in a fun, play-based setting. Attention and listening are the fundamentals to speech and language development. By using the Intensive Interaction approach, we can increase the time your child can attend for and with another person. We are working towards a child enjoying another person’s presence. We are hoping to make gains with playing together with a child, taking turns and achieving reciprocity. That is the platform which we need to start with to build communication, language, words and perhaps even speech.

There are many aspects that this approach supports:
- such as using facial expressions
- being in the presence of other people
- having a shared space
- attending to others
- recognising and using non-verbal behaviours (e.g., gestures)
- making sounds/noises (vocalisations) that have meaning
- and eye contact. Although, we must be careful when suggesting ‘improving’ the use of eye contact. For some individuals making eye contact can be physically painful. So be aware that we are not making our children ‘look’ we are encouraging their natural behaviour.
Who benefits from Intensive Interaction?

Children with more complex communication and learning delay can benefit from the Intensive Interaction approach. Each session can be adapted to the needs of the individual and the sessions can be designed to use the whole or part of the approach. It is especially useful for children who are finding it hard to engage in any way socially with another person. Autistic children who tend to work to their own agenda often benefit from this approach.

How is Intensive Interaction implemented?

You need to have an environment that your child is comfortable in, and to be able to come down to their level so that you can see each other. This is why I often visit children in their own homes to ensure that they are comfortable and that they can withdraw for periods of time if they need to as well.

Ensure your child knows you’re there and you are 100% present. This is very important. I would recommend that you put your phone away for some 10 minutes or so and give your undivided attention to your child for that period of time.

Waiting

Waiting is very important: we need to give your child time to process what is happening around them. After waiting for a response, you might want to start copying any gestures they use, any facial expressions they make, or perhaps imitate any sounds. You’ll want to continue with this for a few minutes to see if the communication between you and your child changes. Remember always take the cues from your child; if they communicate a message with you, respond. It might be that they are ready to finish and that they’ve shown this by walking away or signing.

Giving your child a way to respond is vital. We can use visuals to support their communication. We can create ‘yes’ and ‘no’ symbols so they can use them in a functional way.

A top tip in these sessions is to use mirrors, so that your child can see and begin to recognise their own facial expressions.

There are other programmes that overlap with Intensive Interaction such as Hanen with following your child’s lead and the Gina Davies Curiosity Programme.

Now you know a bit about Intensive Interaction, why not book a call to discuss how we can support your Autistic child’s communication using this evidence-based approach.

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

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Speech and Language Therapy

When ‘star’ sounds like ‘dar’: Understanding speech sound disorders and the path to clearer speech
ByLondon Speech and Feeding January 26, 2026January 21, 2026
If your child says ‘dar’ instead of ‘star’, you might be wondering if they will simply outgrow it or if they require specialised support. While ‘cluster reduction’—dropping one of the sounds in a blend—is a normal part of learning to talk, we typically expect these sounds to lock into place by age four years. If these errors persist as a child approaches school age, it often signals a speech sound delay that may now no longer pass without help. As a Speech and Language Therapist, I specialise in helping children bridge this gap using evidence-based techniques like backward chaining.

This isn’t about constant correction; it’s about providing the right clinical scaffolding to move a child from ‘frustrated’ to ‘fluent’ before they hit those critical early school years.

Dropping sounds from words is a common feature of speech sound difficulties, and while it can look small on the surface, it can have a big impact on how clearly a child is understood. In this short video clip, I’m working with a child on an /ST/ sound cluster, demonstrating how I use an evidence-based speech therapy technique called backward chaining to help children build clearer speech with confidence.

What’s actually happening when a child drops the ‘S’?

Clusters like /ST/, /SP/, and /SK/ are tricky. They require:
- precise timing
- careful airflow
- and the ability to blend sounds smoothly
For many children, especially those with speech sound difficulties, this is a big ask.

So instead of hearing:

‘star’

we might hear:

‘tar’ or ‘dar’

This isn’t laziness or refusal. It’s the child simplifying the word to make it manageable.

Why I don’t start by saying ‘say star’

Telling a child to ‘just add the S’ rarely works.

Instead, I meet them where they are already successful.

In this clip, the child can already say ‘dar’ clearly. That’s our starting point.

Backward chaining: building speech from success

Backward chaining means we:
1. Start with the part of the word the child can already say
2. Gradually add the missing sound
3. Keep the child feeling successful at every step
So rather than jumping straight to ‘star’, we:
- secure the ending
- gently introduce the /S/
- and blend it in a way that feels achievable
This approach reduces frustration, builds confidence, and helps the sound stick not just in the therapy room, but out in the real world.

Why this matters beyond one word

This isn’t just about saying ‘star’.

It’s about:
- teaching the mouth a new movement pattern
- giving the brain time to organise the sound sequence
- and helping the child feel capable, not corrected
When therapy feels safe and successful, children are far more likely to generalise their new sounds into everyday speech.

Speech therapy works best when children feel supported not tested.

If your child struggles with speech clarity

If your child:
- drops sounds from words
- avoids longer or trickier words
- or becomes frustrated when they’re not understood
This is the kind of work I do every day building speech step by step, in a way that respects each child’s pace and strengths.

Support can be gentle, effective, and empowering.

If you’d like to learn more about how speech therapy can support your child, you’re always welcome to get in touch.

Sonja McGeachie

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Owner of The London Speech and Feeding Practice.

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

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READ MORE When ‘star’ sounds like ‘dar’: Understanding speech sound disorders and the path to clearer speech