The tricky /R/: Mastering tongue placement for clear speech

ByLondon Speech and Feeding March 5, 2025March 3, 2025

The /R/ sound is notoriously challenging for many children (and even some adults!). It’s one of the most complex sounds in the English language, with various pronunciations depending on its position in a word. If your child is struggling with their /R/s, you’re not alone. As Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs), we frequently work on this sound, and a key component of our therapy is focusing on proper tongue placement.

Why is the /R/ so difficult?

The /R/ sound requires precise coordination of the tongue, jaw, and lips. Unlike sounds like /P/ or /B/ that involve simple lip movements, the /R/ involves intricate tongue movements and tension. There are also different ways to produce the /R/ sound, which adds to the complexity:

Retroflex /R/: The tongue tip curls up and back towards the roof of the mouth.
Bunched /R/: The body of the tongue bunches up towards the roof of the mouth, while the tongue tip remains down.

The importance of tongue placement

Regardless of which /R/ variation is being targeted, accurate tongue placement is crucial. Even a slight deviation can result in a distorted or inaccurate sound. That’s why SLTs dedicate significant time to teaching and practising tongue positioning.

Speech therapy techniques: Focusing on the tongue

Here’s a glimpse into how I address /R/ sound difficulties, with a focus on tongue placement:

Visual aids:
- Mirrors: I use a mirror to help children see their tongue movements and make adjustments.
- Tongue diagrams and models: These visual tools provide a clear representation of where the tongue should be positioned.
Tactile cues:
- Tongue depressors: These can be used to gently guide the tongue into the correct position.
- Food-grade tools: Sometimes, I use flavoured tongue depressors or other tools to provide tactile feedback and increase awareness of tongue placement.
Auditory discrimination:
- I help children distinguish between correct and incorrect /R/ sounds.
- I use auditory cues and verbal feedback to reinforce proper pronunciation.
Exercises and drills:
- Tongue strengthening exercises: Strengthening the tongue muscles can improve control and coordination.
- Tongue placement drills: We practise positioning the tongue in the desired location and holding it there.
- Sound approximation techniques: Sometimes we use other sounds to help approximate the /R/ sound. For example, I use the /L/ sound, to help achieve the correct tongue placement. Once my child has found the /L/ sound it is then a matter of pulling back just slightly to get a good /R/.
Contextual practice:
- Once the child can produce the /R/ sound in isolation, we gradually introduce it into syllables, words, phrases, and sentences.
- We also practise the /R/ sound in different contexts, such as at the beginning, middle, and end of words.

Tips for Parents:

Be patient and supportive: Learning the /R/ sound takes time and practice.
Practise regularly: Short, frequent practice sessions are more effective than long, infrequent ones.
Make it fun! Use games, stories, and other engaging activities to keep your child motivated.
Work with an SLT: A qualified SLT can provide personalised guidance and support.

In conclusion:

The /R/ sound can be challenging, but with targeted speech therapy and a focus on tongue placement, most children can achieve clear and accurate pronunciation.

I hope this blog post is helpful!

Get in touch with me via my contact form if you need support

Sonja McGeachie

Early Intervention Speech and Language Therapist

Feeding and Dysphagia (Swallowing) Specialist The London Speech and Feeding Practice

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.

Speech and Language Therapy

One book, dozens of therapy opportunities: What speech therapy really looks like
ByLondon Speech and Feeding May 13, 2026May 18, 2026
As speech and language therapists, some of the most effective moments in therapy don’t come from flashcards, worksheets, or even drilling sounds (though to be fair I do drill quite a lot too! needs must…😊).

By and large they happen in natural interaction — during shared attention, laughter, storytelling, and connection.

This short video clip captures that.

In under two minutes, while simply reading a book together with a three-year-old child, we naturally work on:
- Speech sounds
- Vowel production
- Early phonological patterns
- Motor planning
- Signing and total communication
- Visual cueing
- Repetition and practice
- Confidence building
- And engagement through play
To many people, it may just look like ‘reading a book’.

But underneath that moment are years of specialist training, clinical decision-making, preparation, and therapeutic skill.

Therapy hidden inside play

One of the most important parts of paediatric speech therapy is knowing how to embed targets into meaningful interaction.

Books are one of my favourite therapy tools! Why: because as speech therapists we need to prepare for our child and our sessions. And having a book gives me the structure to know beforehand what kind of sounds or words might be coming up. Then I can be prepared for providing extra support for them. As you can see in this clip, I had the sound cards just there because I had anticipated what might be coming up!

A single story can provide opportunities for:
- Speech sound practice
- Vocabulary development
- Sentence building
- Turn-taking
- Symbolic understanding
- Attention and listening
- Gesture and signing
- Motor speech cueing
- And social communication
In this clip, I follow my little one’s interests while carefully weaving in her individual therapy targets.

It looks relaxed and spontaneous — and it is — but it is also highly intentional.

Catching opportunities in the moment

One lovely example in the clip is when she says ‘yes’.

She is now starting to say the final /S/ sound, so I immediately model and draw attention to it using the ‘snake sound’ visual cue, giving her positive feedback that she can now also try using this sound at the start of words.

My gently shaping the word ‘yeSSSS.’ gives her:
- Auditory feedback
- Visual support
- And an achievable opportunity to try again
A few seconds later, we naturally practise it again.

That’s responsive therapy.

Speech therapists are constantly listening, analysing, adapting, and deciding:
- When should I model?
- When should I pause?
- When should I repeat?
- When should I let it go?
- How can I keep confidence high while still targeting speech?
These decisions happen in seconds.

Working on speech without ‘stopping the play’

Another moment in the clip focuses on the word ‘out’, where the vowel sound is one of her speech targets.

Then we move into practising the word ‘open’, a word she has previously found difficult.

Within this one word, we can support:
- Sequencing
- Motor planning
- Lip shape
- Vowel production
- And speech sound accuracy
We also briefly practise the /K/ sound — a sound produced at the back of the mouth which can be particularly tricky to produce.

Instead of explaining it verbally (which is often too abstract for young children), I use:
- Visual demonstration
- Exaggerated mouth movements
- Gesture/sign support
- And playful modelling
Children learn through seeing, hearing, doing, and experiencing.

That is why Speech Therapists use multiple layers of cueing simultaneously.

Why I use signs alongside speech

Throughout the clip, I also use signs such as ‘book’ and ‘pig’.

Using signs does not stop children talking.

In fact, for many children, signs:
- Reduce frustration
- Support understanding
- Increase participation
- Reinforce vocabulary
- And help bridge the gap while speech is developing
Communication always comes first.

Speech is only one part of communication.

When children feel successful communicating, they are far more likely to keep trying.

The skill behind ‘natural’ therapy

One thing I often hear from parents is:

‘You make it look so easy.’

That is actually one of the biggest compliments a therapist can receive. (Though we also often feel we need to justify our very existence with these thoughts because we don’t just play/just read but we know it can look like that!) 😊 this is the reason for this blog…

High-quality paediatric therapy should feel warm, playful, responsive, and natural.

But underneath that natural interaction is:
- Clinical knowledge
- Phonological analysis
- Motor speech understanding
- Language development expertise
- Sensory awareness
- Relationship-building
- And careful session planning
Before this session even began, I already knew:
- Which speech patterns to target
- Which words would likely appear in the book
- What visual cues might help
- Which signs to model
- And how to adapt depending on the child’s responses
That preparation allows therapy to stay child-led without losing therapeutic focus.

Following the child while leading the therapy

The best therapy is rarely rigid.

Children do not learn communication through pressure or endless correction. They learn through interaction.

That is exactly what this short clip demonstrates.

One book.
One conversation.
Hundreds of tiny therapeutic decisions.

And all within a joyful moment shared together.

Because good speech therapy should never feel like hard work for a child.

It should feel like connection, confidence, success — and fun.

If you’re concerned about your child’s speech and language or wondering whether they might benefit from speech therapy, feel free 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.

3
READ MORE One book, dozens of therapy opportunities: What speech therapy really looks like
Autism Therapy · Neurodiversity · Speech and Language Therapy

The power of containment: A therapeutic approach for autistic children
ByLondon Speech and Feeding August 16, 2024August 15, 2024
Photo by lemonlenz

The practice of wrapping or swaddling children, often referred to as ‘containment,’ has been used for centuries to soothe and comfort infants. I use this therapeutic approach with autistic children at the London Speech and Feeding Practice. While it might seem counterintuitive, the act of being tightly wrapped can provide significant benefits for children who struggle with sensory processing, emotional regulation, and communication.

Understanding sensory processing and autism

Autistic persons often experience challenges with sensory processing, which is their brain’s ability to interpret and respond to sensory information. This can lead to sensory overload or under-responsivity. Containment can be a valuable tool in helping children regulate their sensory input.

Photo by lemonlenz

To summarise, here are some of the benefits of containment:
- Sensory Regulation:
  
  Provides deep pressure input: The tight, enveloping sensation of being wrapped can provide deep pressure input, which is calming and organising for many children.
  
  Reduces sensory overload: By creating a controlled sensory environment, containment can help to reduce overstimulation and promote a sense of safety.
- Emotional Regulation:
  
  Containment creates a sense of security: Being wrapped tightly can mimic the feeling of being in the womb, providing a sense of security and comfort.
  
  Facilitates calming: The deep pressure input can help to calm the nervous system and reduce anxiety.
- Improved Body Awareness:
  
  Enhances proprioception: Containment can improve the child’s awareness of their body in space, which is essential for motor development and sensory integration. I often provide extra pressure on a child’s arms and legs sticking out of the yoga mat; this helps my child understand where their limbs are in space: I can feel my legs and I can feel my arms and I can feel where they are right now, i.e. they are under Sonja’s hand, I can feel them.
- Facilitates Communication – and this is obviously where I come in as a Speech and Language Therapist:
  
  Swaddling creates a safe space: When a child feels calm and secure, they are more likely to engage in communication.
  
  Enhances joint attention: The shared experience of being wrapped can foster joint attention, which is essential for language development. You can see this one in my highlights where I swaddle my student in the yoga mat (picture above). She absolutely loves it, and what is more she is calm and steady when usually this child likes to be on the move constantly. Here we have a wonderful moment of joint engagement. She looks at me, she can listen to what I say or sing, and she can tell me in her own way to carry on rolling her or to carry on singing or providing calming pressure to her legs and arms or to stop.
A few pointers for when you try this at home: How to practise containment safely and effectively
- Create a safe environment: Ensure the wrapping material is soft, breathable, and free from any hazards.
- Observe your child’s cues: Pay attention to your child’s body language and verbal cues to determine their comfort level.
- Respect your child’s boundaries: If your child shows signs of distress, stop the containment immediately – this might seem obvious but sometimes we adults get so carried away with some ‘great idea’ that we have seen work elsewhere. And so we can be a little too ‘determined’ sometimes to ‘make it happen’… perhaps this rings a bell with some of my readers.
- MAKE IT FUN: Start carefully and take it step by step. See if the student is having a nice time. It is all about trust and therefore it might not work the very first time you do it.
It’s important to remember that containment is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Some children may respond better to other sensory-based interventions. However, for many autistic children containment can be a valuable tool in their journey towards improved communication and emotional regulation.

For more information follow me on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn.

Sonja McGeachie

Early Intervention Speech and Language Therapist

Feeding and Dysphagia (Swallowing) Specialist The London Speech and Feeding Practice

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.

1
READ MORE The power of containment: A therapeutic approach for autistic children
Speech and Language Therapy

The art of selective care: My journey as a semi-retired private therapist
ByLondon Speech and Feeding September 3, 2025November 6, 2025

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome. I’m writing this today to share a bit about my professional journey, a journey that has evolved over many years from a bustling, full-schedule practice to a more intentional, deeply fulfilling semi-retired life. This shift wasn’t born out of a desire to slow down, but rather an understanding of what truly matters: my time, your time, and the quality of the work we do together.

For decades, I poured my energy into a full calendar, helping as many families as I possibly could. It was a wonderful, demanding, and rewarding time. I learned so much, grew immensely as a professional, and had the privilege of witnessing countless moments of breakthrough and success. But over recent months, I began to realise that the most impactful work wasn’t about quantity; it was about quality. It was about giving my whole, undivided attention to a select few, creating an environment where true progress could flourish.

Change

This realisation led to a significant change in my practice. I am now at a point in my career where my time is both valuable and precious. It is no longer a commodity to be filled, but a resource to be invested wisely. This doesn’t just apply to my personal life, but to my professional life as well. I’ve chosen to be more selective about the clients I see, and this selectivity is rooted in a single, powerful question: ‘Who can I truly, profoundly help?’

I believe that successful therapy is a partnership. It requires commitment, trust, and a genuine connection between therapist and client. When I take on a new family, I am not just filling a slot in my schedule; I am making a deep commitment to them. I am dedicating a part of my precious time and decades of expertise to their child’s success. This is why I am now focusing on who I can really work with: families who are equally invested in the process, who understand that progress is a team effort, and who are ready to engage fully in the journey.

My fees reflect this deep investment. You will find that my rates are higher than those of many other therapists, and I want to be transparent about why. It’s a reflection of the extensive experience I bring to the table. I have spent years honing my skills, navigating complex cases, and developing a unique, effective approach to speech, language and feeding challenges. This is not just a job for me. It is my life’s work, and I honour the value of that expertise and the time I dedicate to each family.

I want to ensure that every minute you spend with me is productive, focused, and truly transformative. Therefore, I provide a ‘boutique style’ of care. Think of it as an exclusive, personalised experience where every detail is considered and your needs are at the forefront. You won’t feel like you’re just another appointment on a long list. You will feel that you have my full, undivided attention, as if you were my only client.

This means less time spent on administrative tasks and more time dedicated to preparing for your sessions, reflecting on our progress, and providing you with the most thoughtful, tailored support possible. It means an environment of calm and focused expertise, where we can truly dive deep into the specific challenges and build a clear, effective path forward.

New perspective

For parents reading this, I hope this provides a new perspective. Choosing a therapist for your child is one of the most important decisions you can make. It’s about finding not just a professional, but a partner. I want you to feel that, if we choose to work together, you are entering into a unique partnership where your child’s growth is my singular focus.

In this next chapter of my career, I am prioritising passion over pace, depth over breadth, and meaningful connections over a packed schedule. I am here to work with families who are ready for a truly collaborative and transformative experience. If you are seeking a level of care that goes beyond the standard, an approach that is both highly experienced and deeply personal, I would be honoured to speak with you.

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.

1

READ MORE The art of selective care: My journey as a semi-retired private therapist
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.

0
READ MORE Explore how Intensive Interaction develops Autistic children’s communication
Speech and Language Therapy

Explore the relationship between poor speech, language and communication and literacy skills
ByLondon Speech and Feeding November 14, 2022January 31, 2023
Communication skills are critical in all areas of communication throughout childhood and into adulthood. They are needed for understanding, narrating, making predictions and to develop social skills, for example in understanding everyday language or talking in the classroom or socialising with peers. Children with communication needs can experience low self-esteem, potential behavioural difficulties, lower school attendance and attainment.

Communication skills have a strong impact on literacy. Let’s look at some of the facts:
- 50% of children with language delays also have challenges with literacy (Burns et al, 1999).
- 73% of poor readers in year three had a history of difficulties with phonemic awareness (the ability to hear, identify and manipulate sounds) or spoken language in pre-school (Catts et al, 1999).
The effect of expressive language on spelling and reading

The ability to read is very much dependent on competent language skills. Furthermore, a limited vocabulary will also have an impact on literacy skills. The more we know about a word, the easier it is to retrieve, recall, understand and use. So, if a young person has a poorer vocabulary, it’s likely that they will not have the same decoding skills as a peer with a richer set of vocabulary. By decoding we mean the ability to apply knowledge of letter-sound relationships including pronunciation of words. Decoding is a vital skill used in literacy.

Whilst learning to read is a key skill, it’s important to remember that a solid foundation is needed for success. We need to ensure that no steps are missed, otherwise there will be gaps in knowledge.

As your child moves further through the education system, they will be “reading to learn”. This is where young people with poorer language skills may show literacy difficulties (for example, reading comprehensions become more challenging, and their expressive language skills impact on their written abilities).

When should I seek advice or support?

Always seek the advice from a qualified professional such as a Speech and Language Therapist. You need appropriate advice for the age and stage of your child’s development and early intervention is of course key to success. It is never too late to ask for advice. The earlier you seek support, the better the outcome for your child in all areas (language, literacy, and emotional well-being).

Have you still got unanswered questions? Contact me here and we can have a look at your child’s phonemic awareness, auditory processing skills, verbal understanding and assess his/her ability and likelihood of reading and literacy struggles. If we find that your child has dyslexia I can refer on to a specialist colleague who can help you further.

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.
READ MORE Explore the relationship between poor speech, language and communication and literacy skills
Autism Therapy · Neurodiversity · Speech and Language Therapy · Top tips

Unlocking communication: My daily life with the Saltillo 88 Core Board
ByLondon Speech and Feeding June 25, 2025January 29, 2026
Introduction

As an AAC speech and language therapist who uses the Saltillo 88 Core board every day, I can tell you it’s more than just a communication tool. It’s a doorway to independence, connection, and expressing my students’ unique voice.

What is the Saltillo 88 and why do I use this one?

In this blog post, I want to share practical, real-world examples of how I integrate the Saltillo 88 into various daily activities, empowering my students and parents to learn to communicate.

There are literally hundreds of core boards out there and I have tried many different ones over the years. Which one should I use with this particular client? Should I make up my own? (I have made up tons!) or should I use a ready-made one like the one below which is what this blog is about.

For me the best ones are boards with a good number of core words (at least 60) so that the board is versatile and can be used across a range of activities. The board needs to have a range of pronouns, verbs, descriptors, prepositions and question words to be useful and to stimulate not just requesting but commenting and asking questions. Another consideration is: can the board easily be transferred to a more robust AAC system. Once my student is used to the symbols and where they are could we move to an electronic talker/device. And if this answer is ’yes’ then we have a great board to get started with.

Below is a picture of the Saltillo 88.

Saltillo 88 Core Board

It has 88 words and I find it really does suit most activities. The same board and design is also then found on the TOUCHCHAT AAC device which can be a seamless transition for our learner.

Let me dive into how core words/board or AAC can be used daily:

1. Getting dressed

Whilst choosing clothes for your little one and getting them ready for the day you can use the following words: want, like, get, finish. Always pack the words into little phrases you can speak naturally when using a board. I have tried to show you phrases that you could use below.

The words in bold are the core words on the board and the other words are just words you say whilst pointing to the core word.
- Goal: Express choices, needs, and preferences about clothing.
- Ideas:
  
  ‘I want this one [specific item of clothing: ‘shirt’, ‘pants’]’
  
  ‘I like that one [colour/type of clothing]’
  
  ‘Help me [put/get it on/take off]’
  
  ‘let’s get your socks now’
  
  ‘finished let’s go’ (when dressed)
2. Having a shower/bath
- Goal: Bath time tends to happen daily and so it lends itself to using the same useful phrases and words to chat about temperature preferences, to ask for toys or for washing routines.
- Ideas:
  
  ‘let’s go have a bath/shower’
  
  ‘let’s turn on the tap/water’
  
  ‘now turn it off’
  
  ‘let’s get/have more toys/water/bubbles/tickles’
  
  ‘all gone, what’s next?’
  
  ‘how about washing your hands/feet’
  
  ‘let’s do that again’
  
  ‘need some help?’
  
  ‘Stop it now, let’s do something different’
3. Mealtimes
- Goal: Mealtimes can be (or should be) enjoyable and motivating to ask for specific things we like, and commenting about our eating experiences.
- Ideas:
  
  ‘I want/give me [food item: ‘apple’, ‘bread’]/[drink item: ‘water’, ‘juice’]’
  
  ‘More foods/drinks/snacks’
  
  ‘All done’
  
  ‘that’s messy we like that (not)’
  
  ‘Like’/‘Don’t like’
  
  ‘Big’/‘Little’
  
  ‘this is so nice!’
4. Playing
- Goal: This is where it’s at for children of course and we can use our core words to chat and engage with our little learners.
- Ideas:
  
  ‘I want play’
  
  ‘Go’/‘Stop’
  
  ‘More/again’
  
  ‘not it’s my My turn’/’it’s Your turn’
  
  ‘that’s a Big one!’/‘let’s do Little bubbles’ (describing toys)
  
  ‘let me Open it for you’ (for boxes, doors in play)
  
  ‘I See it’ (to draw attention)
  
  ‘Help me’ (with a tricky toy)
5. Opening boxes/doors/etc
- Goal: Most kids love opening boxes, doors and cabinets to see what there is to play with. Help your child to ask for what they want.
- Ideas:
  
  ‘let’s Open that box/bag/zip/door’
  
  ‘get me a (toy) out of here’
  
  ‘Let’s Take it out and see what it is?’
  
  ‘finished’ (when finished with the task)
  
  ‘I want [what’s inside]’
  
  ‘What’s next? Let’s see’
Tips for using AAC effectively
- Consistency is key: Emphasise using it regularly, even for small things.
- Modelling: this is crucial, the adults need to use the board for all situations first and foremost before we can expect our child to be interested.
- Patience: Communication takes time and practice.
- Celebrate successes: Acknowledge every communicative attempt.
- Make it accessible: Keep the board within easy reach at all times.
Conclusion

If you’re considering the Saltillo 88, or TouchChat, or are already using it, I hope these examples inspire you. It’s a journey of discovery, and every word communicated is a step towards a more connected and independent life. What are your favourite ways to use the Saltillo 88 or which core board do you love using? I would love to hear your comments and stories.

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.

2
READ MORE Unlocking communication: My daily life with the Saltillo 88 Core Board