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:
Start with the part of the word the child can already say
Gradually add the missing sound
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.
If your child’s speech is difficult to understand, it can feel tempting to focus straight away on individual sounds: those tricky /S/, /K/, or /SH/ sounds that just won’t come out clearly.
But in therapy, we don’t always start there.
When a child is very difficult to understand, and I have ruled out that the underlying cause is motor-based, I often opt for the Cycles Phonological Approach. This is helpful for those kids where we can feel like we don’t know where to start! The Cycles Approach helps to generate a broad overall increase in speech clarity by sequentially targeting a variety of speech patterns over the course of 8–10 weeks.
So rather than working on one sound until it’s ‘fixed,’ we:
Work on patterns (not just individual sounds)
Target each pattern for a short period of time
Then cycle to the next one
And come back around again later
This mirrors how speech development naturally happens: gradually, with increasing accuracy over time.
Why don’t we start by fixing erroneous sounds straight away?
To use a metaphor, if a child doesn’t have a strong syllable structure, working on individual sounds is like decorating a house that doesn’t have solid walls yet.
Many children with speech sound difficulties:
Drop syllables (e.g. ‘banana’ → ‘nana’)
Simplify longer words
Struggle to maintain rhythm and stress patterns
So, before we refine speech sounds, we need to build the framework of speech.
Why syllables come first in every cycle
In the Cycles Approach, we always begin with 2- and 3-syllable words, even if that’s not the main concern.
Why?
Because syllable awareness supports:
Speech clarity (intelligibility)
Word structure and sequencing
Prosody (rhythm and stress)
Motor planning for longer words
Without this, even perfectly produced sounds can still be hard to understand in real speech.
What do ‘2 and 3 beats’ mean?
When we talk about ‘beats’ we mean syllables you can clap.
Try it:
‘Table’ → ta-ble (2 beats 👏👏)
‘Banana’ → ba-na-na (3 beats 👏👏👏)
In therapy, we help children:
Hear the beats
Feel the rhythm
Produce the full word (without dropping parts)
What this looks like in therapy
In my sessions, this part of the cycle is active, visual, and repetitive.
You might see me using:
👏 Clapping or tapping out syllables
🧩 Using visual supports or blocks for each beat
🎲 Play-based repetition of target words
🎯 High-frequency practice (lots of turns!)
I also keep the focus on success and flow, rather than correction.
If you’re watching the video clip I’ve shared here, you’ll notice:
I’m not over-correcting every sound
I’m prioritising getting the whole word out
I’m building rhythm, confidence, and consistency
Why this stage is so powerful
It can look simple, but it’s doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Working on syllables helps children:
Say longer words more clearly
Reduce ‘mumbling’ or collapsing of words
Improve overall intelligibility quickly
Prepare for more precise sound work later
Often, parents notice early wins like:
✨ ‘They’re easier to understand already’
✨ ‘They’re saying longer words!’
✨ ‘They’re more confident speaking’
And that’s before we’ve even fully targeted specific sounds.
But will my child still learn their sounds?
Yes. Absolutely.
The Cycles Approach is structured so that after syllables, we move into:
Early developing sounds
Then more complex patterns (like fronting or clusters)
And importantly, we come back around again.
Nothing is missed. It’s just sequenced in a way that supports success.
A different way of thinking about progress
One of the biggest mindset shifts with the Cycles Approach is this:
👉 We’re not aiming for perfection straight away
👉 We’re aiming for gradual system-wide change
That means:
Your child doesn’t need to ‘master’ something before moving on
Progress builds across cycles
Speech becomes clearer over time, not overnight
So, to sum up
Starting with syllables might seem unexpected but it’s one of the most powerful foundations we can give a child whose speech is hard to understand.
By building rhythm, structure, and confidence first, we make everything that comes next more effective.
If your child is starting speech therapy and you notice we’re clapping words like ‘banana’ or ‘elephant’, there’s a very good reason for it.
We’re not going backwards.
We’re building from the ground up.
We’re making later sound work more effective and more likely to generalise into everyday talking.
Next steps:
If you’re concerned about your child’s speech clarity or wondering whether they might benefit from a structured approach like this, feel free to get in touch. I offer individualised assessments and therapy plans tailored to each child’s speech profile whether that’s early sound development, phonology, or motor speech difficulties.
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.
Parent FAQ section
Why is my child practising words like ‘banana’ instead of sounds like /K/ or /S/?
Because your child first needs to be able to hold and produce the full shape of a word. If they’re dropping syllables (e.g. ‘banana’ → ‘nana’), working on individual sounds won’t carry over into real speech. We build the structure first, then refine the sounds.
What if my child can already say some long words?
That’s great. But we’re looking for consistency and clarity across many words, not just a few familiar ones. This stage helps stabilise that skill so it becomes reliable in everyday talking.
How long will we stay on syllables?
Usually, this is a short but important phase within each cycle. We revisit it regularly, but we also move on to other patterns (like specific sounds or sound processes) within the same therapy block.
Will this delay my child learning their sounds?
No. In fact, it often speeds things up overall. Once the syllable structure is in place, children are much more able to use correct sounds in longer words and sentences.
What can I do at home?
Keep it simple and playful:
Clap out words together (e.g. ‘el-e-phant’)
Emphasise full words naturally in conversation
Repeat back what your child says with the full structure (without pressure)
Consistency and exposure matter more than correction.
My child gets frustrated. Will this help?
Yes. Many children become frustrated when they’re not understood. Improving syllable structure often leads to quick wins in clarity, which can boost confidence and reduce that frustration.
Building clearer speech: Why we practise syllables first
What are syllables?
Syllables are the ‘beats’ in words.
‘Table’ = 2 beats (ta-ble)
‘Banana’ = 3 beats (ba-na-na)
Why is my child working on this?
If your child:
Drops parts of words (‘banana’ → ‘nana’)
Mumbles longer words
Is hard to understand
…then we need to build the structure of words first.
This helps your child:
✔ Say longer words clearly
✔ Be easier to understand
✔ Feel more confident speaking
What does this look like in therapy?
We practise:
Clapping or tapping out beats 👏
Saying full words with rhythm
Repeating target words through play
Using visuals or actions to support learning
How you can help at home
Keep it light and playful, little and often!
Try this:
Clap words together أثناء play (e.g. toys, food, animals)
Model full words naturally (‘Yes, ba-na-na!’)
Repeat and expand what your child says
Example:
Child: ‘nana’
You: ‘Yes! Ba-na-na‘
Important to know
This is a key first step in speech therapy
We will move on to sounds—but this helps them stick
Small changes here can make a big difference in clarity
Between 9 and 18 months, your little one undergoes a remarkable transformation, blossoming from a curious explorer into a budding communicator. This period is filled with exciting milestones in speech, language, and social development. Let’s delve into what you can expect.
9–12 months: The world opens up
Communication takes flight
Babbling becomes more complex with a wider range of sounds. By babbling we mean syllables like: pa ga ka ma da and then ‘baba’ gohgoh’. First we hear one and two syllables together and then longer and longer strings! This is so exciting!
First words! One day around the 12 months–14 months mark we hear a first word! My older son’s first word was ‘Licht’ which is the German word for ‘light’ as literally every time I carried him along the corridors in our home, I pointed out the light switches to him and turned them off and on a few times. And each time I said ‘Licht!’ and it stuck! PS: sadly I cannot remember what my younger son’s first word was… poor second and third babies they just have to muddle along and call loudly to get noticed!
Understanding grows! Baby now understands simple instructions like ‘where is your ball’ and responds by looking to the ball across the room!
Social butterflies
Your baby now starts to show interest in other children, and may try to copy their actions. Now we are getting proper traction with simple social games like peek-a-boo and patty-cake. Whilst your baby is generally interested in other people and children he or she may show separation anxiety when mum or dad or other familiar person suddenly leaves the room and they feel alone with strangers.
Fine motor skills
Pincer grasp develops. This is where your child puts an index finger to the thumb in order to pick up of small objects, hold them and transfer them to either a box, back on the floor or into the other hand.
Your baby may start to explore objects by banging, shaking, and mouthing.
12–15 months: Words are taking shape
Language explosion: From our early words we now suddenly see baby’s vocabulary expanding, with new words added each week. I would highly recommend parents keep a little journal of all the words they hear. If nothing else this is a wonderful aide-memoire for years down the road when you might like to reminisce about the first ten words. I promise you otherwise you won’t recall! (especially for second and third babies; I would do this now, had I the time again).
Understanding grows:
By about 15 months our baby can follow simple two-step instructions like ‘Go get your shoes and bring them here.’
Begins to understand the concept of ‘no.’ and that’s a very useful thing. Though before you breathe a sigh of relief… your toddler may well show you that he is understanding a ‘no’ though he may not stop doing what he is doing or come down off the table!
Playtime gets interactive:
Now we engage in more complex play, such as stacking blocks, pretending to eat with a spoon, and imitating actions.
Many toddlers now start showing an interest in picture books.
15–18 months: Communication blossoms
Words combine: Towards 18 months or around about then your toddler may start to put two words together, such as ‘more milk’ or ‘bye-bye dada.’
Gestures and sounds: Now we also use gestures to communicate, such as pointing, shaking head ‘no,’ and waving ‘bye-bye.’
Exploration and curiosity:
Your toddler is now EVERYWHERE! Turn your back and he or she is gone! Your toddler now shows a strong sense of curiosity and explores their environment with enthusiasm.
Copying
Look out for actions and gestures your toddler will copy such as clapping hands or patting a cushion or banging a spoon on the table .
Remember
Every child develops at his or her own pace.
These are just general guidelines, and some children may reach certain milestones earlier or later than others.
If you have any concerns about your child’s development, please consult with your speech and language therapist. We are always keen to hear from parents and happy to help promote all those lovely early skills.
General tips to encourage communication if you feel your child needs a little more help
Talk, talk, talk! Engage in frequent chatting with your child.
Listen to your child: Allow for periods of silence when playing with your child to allow them to say something or make sounds which you can then copy and respond to.
Read aloud regularly. Use books with simple words and pictures.
Play interactive games: Hickory Dickory Dock, Row Row the boat, Old McDonalds, 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed, chasing and catching, tickling games.
Respond to your child’s babbling and gestures. You can copy them or if your toddler says long strings of babbling you cannot understand you could just say: ‘Oh ok!? ‘yes that’s great!’ ‘who knew!’ ‘wow you’ve got much to say!’ as if you understood.
Limit screen time or if your child is very passionate about watching clips then sit and watch with your child so that you can see what is the best bit, which songs they like the best and what sort of phrases they love hearing.
This exciting period of rapid growth and development is a precious time for both you and your child.
By providing a loving, stimulating, and responsive environment, you will naturally nurture their communication skills! Any more questions, please get in touch!
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.
What is Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) and what does a Speech Therapist do?
Speech and language therapists provide treatment, support and care for children and adults who have difficulties with communication, eating, drinking and swallowing. We help children and adults who have problems speaking and communicating.
How to find the perfect therapist for my child/client:
There are a huge number of speech and language difficulties, or feeding and swallowing problems that we can help with and the first thing to think about is what age group the person is you are seeking help for. Most SLT’s specialise in a range of disorders and treatments and they often treat specific age ranges. This could be, for instance, very young children up to 3 years, or school aged children, adolescents or just adults. Once you have narrowed it down to age and general area of difficulty you can then go and seek your perfect SLT match.
Generally it is my view that SLT’s with a narrow area of specialist interest are most likely to help you better if the problem you or your child/adult is having is significant and/or profound. For example, if your child has a very severe stutter/stammer but is otherwise developing fine and has good skills all round, then I would recommend to look for an SLT who only specialises in stammering/stuttering, or has only a small range of other specialist areas related to stammering , such as speech and language delay.
The reason is that it is a tall order for any professional to stay up to date with latest research, latest clinical developments and training for more than, say, five distinct areas of interest.
However, a more generalist Speech therapist who has lots of experience in many different areas could be a very good option for your child or adult who has more general speech and language delay in a number of areas, perhaps a global delay or a syndrome which means that their learning is delayed in general. It also means that your child might benefit from a Generalist SLT because they have many more tools in their SLT bag and your child might need a variety of approaches for several areas.
A good place to start is www.asltip.com which is the Association for Independent Speech and Language Therapists in the UK. Any SLT registered with ASLTIP will also be registered with the HCPC (Health Care Professionals Council), as well as RCSLT (Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists). These two important UK professional regulatory bodies ensure all its members are fully qualified, and are fully up to date with latest developments within their areas of work.
Here you can enter your post code and look for a therapist near you and you can look for specific problems such as stammering for example and narrow down your search. Most therapists have a website which you can then access too. I would recommend you speak to a few therapists on your list and then go with the person you had the best rapport with. You and the therapist will be spending a lot of time together and you will need to feel that you trust them and that you can relax into the process.
How I can help you:
I have 3 main areas of specialism:
Parent Child Interaction Coaching
This is an amazing way to help children with the following difficulties:
Social Communication Difficulties, Autistic Spectrum Disordersand
Speech and Language Delay – for children under the age of 4 years old, this is my preferred way of working because it is so very effective and proven to work. If your child is not developing words or not interacting, has reduced attention and listening and you feel is not progressing or, in fact even regressing, then this way of working is the best. For anyone wanting to read a bit more about the efficacy of this method, below are some research articles. You may also like to check out www.hanen.org which is the mainstay of my work and method when it comes to Parent-Interaction Coaching. You can also look at my latest blog, entitled: Tele-therapy, does it work?
In brief, what’s so great about Parent Coaching is that it empowers you the parent to help your child in daily life! This is where speech, language and social communication develop typically, in a naturalistic way and environment. Simple steps and strategies are discussed and demonstrated every week and you are encouraged to use these strategies with your child in daily routines: getting dressed, having breakfast, on the school run, whilst out in the park or shopping or simply playing at home or having dinner or bath time. Whatever your family routine happens to be, every strategy I teach you will help create a responsive communication environment; generally, if your child is able to develop speech then they will do so in direct response to your changed interaction style.
Speech Sound Disorders, Verbal Dyspraxia, Phonology and Articulation
I love working with children of all ages on developing their speech sounds. Whether your child has a lisp, or a couple of tricky sounds they simply cannot produce quite right, or perhaps your child is really unintelligible because he/she is having lots of different sound errors, making it really hard to understand them. I typically work on getting “most bang for your buck” , meaning I address the sounds that cause the most problems and, therefore, when they are fixed your child/person’s speech becomes that much clearer fairly quickly.
Feeding and Swallowing Difficulties
Having worked for over 20 years in NHS Child Development Clinics and Special Needs Schools I trained and worked with feeding and swallowing difficulties early on in my SLT career. I later trained as a Lactation Consultant and so I am well placed helping and support all types of Infant feeding, both breast or bottle, as well as toddler weaning. I aim to ensure that your little one swallows the right kind of foods and drinks for their abilities. I am experienced in managing and supporting children with physical needs and mobility problems, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome or any other type of syndrome or presentation.
What does a speech therapy session look like?
All sessions differ slightly depending on the age of the child and the nature of the difficulties.
However, mostly our sessions look like FUN! After arrival and washing hands we tend to start off with the tricky work straight away whilst our child still has energy and the will to engage. So, for speech work we will focus on the target sounds first: this could be sitting at a table doing work sheets together, playing games using the target sound and really any type of activity that gives us around 70-100 repeats of the target pattern. For example, a child who is working towards saying a ‘K’ at the end of the word I will try and get around 100 productions of words like: pack/sack/lick/ pick/bike/lake and so on.
Then we often play a fun game where I might try for a ‘rhyming’ activity or other sound awareness type activities, for perhaps 10 minutes and within that time I aim to trial the next sound pattern we need to improve on; I will test which sound your child can do with help from me. During he last 10 minutes we might look at a book, again listening to and producing whatever sound we are working on. If I did not get 100 sounds earlier on in the session I will try and practice them now as part of the story. In total I aim to have about 40-45 minutes of activities, all aimed at the target sound we are working on.
What does a Coaching session look like?
During a Parent Coaching Session we meet online for about an hour and we discuss how the week has been for you trying out the strategies. Typically parents start off recalling what went well, what progress was made and what had been more tricky. We work through it all, and then follow on to the next strategies: I will show you examples and demonstrations of each strategy and I will get you to think about how you can use this with your child and in what situation you might use it. I will explain what we are doing and what the purpose is. You might want to write down what you are going to work on for the week. Over the course of about sessions we can cover all the major strategies that are proven to help kickstart spoken language and/or help your child to connect more with you. Through that connection spoken words most often develop.
Research Papers on the Efficacy of Parent Child Interaction Coaching
The It Takes Two to Talk Program has been shown to be effective in changing how parents interact with their children, and that children’s communication and language skills improve as a result.
Baumwell, L.B., Tamis-LeMonda, C.S. & Bornstein, M.H. (1997). Maternal verbal sensitivity and child language comprehension. Infant Behavior and Development, 20(2), 247-258.
Beckwith, L. & Cohen, S.E. (1989). Maternal responsiveness with preterm infants and later competency. In M.H. Bornstein (Ed.). Maternal responsiveness: Characteristics and consequences: New directions for child development (pp. 75-87). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1974). Is early intervention effective? (Publication No. (CDH) 74-25). Washington, DC: Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Child Development.
Girolametto, L. (1988). Improving the social-conversational skills of developmentally delayed children: An intervention study. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 53, 156-167.
Sonja has been a real help for my 5 year old daughter. Due to her support, my daughter is now able to clearly and correctly enunciate ‘th’ ‘f’ and ’s’. She was also helpful in making positional changes to her seating to help her concentrate better and kept her engaged throughout all the lessons which is a feat in itself on zoom!
Helen, Mother of Catherine Age 5.
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.
Your child’s speech, language and communication difficulties may impact their self-esteem. And they may show signs of increased frustration. You want them to be full of confidence, increasing their participation in school and fully engaging with their peers.
1. Practise active listening
Speech difficulties can mean that it’s more challenging to understand what your child says. It’s important to show that you’re paying attention, giving them time to express themselves. Focus on what your child says rather than how they are speaking. Remember to maintain eye contact, and actively listen. Active listening and giving time can be trickier than it sounds. I can provide strategies to support your active listening skills.
2. Give other means and forms of communication
Allowing children to express themselves in a variety of ways (e.g., gesture, signs, written, use descriptions to describe a word (e.g., sand – you find it out the beach, it can have pebbles on it, it’s not the sea), use of symbols or high-tech augmentative communication methods such as a computer). Using different ways is vital in reducing frustration and communicating their message. If you’re unsure of what other forms of communication you can use, please contact me for some top tips.
3. Praise efforts
Providing specific praise allows your child to understand what they’ve achieved. E.g., you could praise the way your child listens, or how they take turns, or their resilience (e.g., “I like the way you listened” or “good listening”). Think of different ways you could praise you child during different activities, so you are prepared with phrases that you can use.
4. Have clear start and end points in activities
Some children with speech, language and communication needs have difficulties with transitioning from one activity to another. They also have difficulties with changes in routine. This can add to their frustration and changes in behaviour. So, how do you show a clear start and end to an activity? You can have a visual timetable, or you could have ‘start’ and ‘finish’ boxes where you place all the materials in the box labelled ‘start’. And once the activity has finished, you put the items in the box labelled ’finished’. If you need support with transitions, please contact me.
5. Use visuals
Visuals can support your child to understand routine and spoken language. Visuals can range from symbols to online images, to photographs, or a combination. Explore which type of visuals work well for your children. Using visuals can be powerful if used correctly. Make the most of the opportunities that visuals can provide for your family.
Increase confidence and reduce frustration in children with speech and language and communication difficulties today. Please feel free to contact me if you need any support or tips on maximising these opportunities.
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.
As a parent, you’ve likely experienced the triumphant feeling when your child, who’s been working so hard on his or her /S/ sound, produces it perfectly in a therapy session. He or she is rocking those ‘sun’ and ‘socks’ words, his or her lisp seemingly a distant memory. You leave feeling elated, confident that all that hard work is finally paying off.
Then you get home. And within minutes, you hear it: ‘Thooper!’ instead of ‘Super!’ Or maybe the clear /R/ in ‘rabbit’ from therapy reverts to a ‘wabbit’ when his or she is playing with his or her toys. It’s frustrating, confusing, and can feel like you’re back to square one.
So, what’s going on? Why is it so difficult for children to take those amazing skills learned in a focused therapy session and seamlessly apply them to their everyday conversations? You’re not alone in wondering this. It’s a common challenge in speech therapy and understanding the ‘why’ can help both parents and children navigate this crucial stage.
The brain’s habits: Old pathways are strong pathways
Think of your child’s brain as having established ‘pathways’ for how he or she produces certain sounds. If he or she has been lisping his or her /S/ sound for years, that neural pathway is deeply ingrained. It’s like a well-worn path through a field: easy to follow because it’s always been there.
In therapy, we’re essentially trying to forge a new path. We’re teaching him or her a new, more accurate way to make the sound. This new path is initially faint, like a barely visible trail. It takes conscious effort and repeated practice to strengthen it. Outside of the structured therapy environment, his or her brain often defaults to the old, comfortable, and well-established pathway, even if it’s not the most accurate.
The demands of daily conversation: A multitasking challenge
Therapy sessions are designed to be focused and controlled. We isolate sounds, practice them in specific words, and provide immediate feedback. There are minimal distractions, and your child’s full attention is on his or her speech production.
Now, consider daily conversation:
Speed: We speak much faster in natural conversation than we do during structured practice. There is less time to think about individual sounds.
Cognitive load: Children are simultaneously thinking about what they want to say, understanding what others are saying, processing social cues, and managing their emotions. Adding the conscious effort of producing a new speech sound correctly on top of all that is a huge cognitive demand.
Variety of contexts: In therapy, we might practise ‘sun’ and ‘socks’. In real life, the /S/ sound appears in countless words, in different positions within words, and alongside a vast array of other sounds. Each new word and phonetic context present a fresh challenge.
Lack of immediate feedback: In therapy, the speech therapist is right there to provide instant correction and reinforcement. In a playground, during a family dinner, or while playing with friends, that immediate, consistent feedback isn’t present.
The role of automaticity: Making it second nature
The ultimate goal of speech therapy isn’t just correct sound production; it’s automaticity. This means producing the sound correctly without having to consciously think about it. It’s like learning to ride a bike. Initially, every pedal stroke and steering adjustment is deliberate. Eventually, it becomes second nature.
Generalisation is the process of moving from conscious, controlled production to unconscious, automatic production. This takes time, consistent practice, and exposure to a wide variety of real-life speaking situations.
How can we help? Bridging the gap
So, what can parents do to help their children bridge this gap between therapy success and everyday speech?
Be patient and positive: This is a marathon, not a sprint. Celebrate the small victories and avoid getting discouraged by setbacks. Your positive reinforcement is crucial.
Practise little and often: Instead of long, infrequent practice sessions, aim for short, consistent bursts throughout the day. ‘Sprinkle’ in opportunities to practise their target sounds in natural conversations.
Create ‘sound awareness’ moments: Gently draw your child’s attention to his or her target sounds in everyday words. For example, if he or she is working on /R/, you might say, ‘Oh, you said ‘wabbit.’ Can you try to make your /RRR/ sound for ‘rabbit’?’
Model correct production: Continue to model the correct production of their target sounds in your own speech.
Collaborate with your speech therapist: Your therapist is your best resource! Ask them for specific strategies and activities you can do at home to support generalisation. They can also provide guidance on when and how to gently correct your child.
Tips and tricks
Below I have listed a few good tips and tricks that can help the transition from therapy room to daily life:
Empowering your child as the ‘sound detective’:
‘Secret sound listener’: Instead of you doing the correcting, make your child the detective. When you’re having a conversation, say ‘your /S/ sounds are sometimes a bit “slippery”’ (or whatever fun, non-judgmental term you like). Ask your child to quietly listen for your /S/ sounds. You can even purposely make a few ‘slippery’ ones (or correct yourself immediately after) and see if they notice. This shifts the focus from being corrected to actively listening and identifying the sound in a non-threatening way.
‘Sound scorecard’: For a short period (maybe 10–15 minutes during a specific activity, like dinner or a game), provide a small notepad and pencil. Explain that your child is going to listen for his or her /S/ sounds and gently mark a tally every time he or she uses it correctly. The goal isn’t perfection, but awareness. This gives your child agency and a visual representation of progress. You can even make it a game: ‘Let’s see how many /S/ sounds we can catch in five minutes!’
/S/ sound song/rhyme creation: Work together to create silly songs or rhymes that are packed with /S/ sounds. The sillier, the better! You can sing them in the car, while doing chores, etc.
/S/ sound superpower: Frame the new sound skill as a ‘superpower’. ‘You’re getting so good at using your /S/ superpower! It’s going to help you speak so clearly and confidently.’
Highlighting successes: Always go out of your way to acknowledge and praise successful /S/ productions in natural conversation. ‘I really understood you clearly when you said ”s_top”.’ or ‘That /S/ sound was perfect when you told me about the “s_tory”!’
Important considerations:
Keep it low-pressure: The goal is generalisation, not perfection. If your child is feeling pressured, he or she will likely revert to old patterns.
Focus on awareness, not just correction: Help your child become aware of his or her own speech rather than relying on you for corrections.
Short, frequent bursts: A few minutes of subtle focus multiple times a day is more effective than one long, forced session.
Acknowledge feelings: If your child expresses frustration about ‘being corrected’, validate these feelings. ‘I understand it can feel like a lot of listening, but we’re just trying to help you use that super /S/ sound all the time!’
By incorporating these strategies, you can help your child naturally integrate the new /S/ sound into daily speech, fostering independence and confidence without it feeling like constant ‘testing’ or ‘correction’. Generalising new speech sounds is arguably the hardest part of speech therapy, but it’s also the most rewarding. With patience, consistent effort, and a collaborative approach between parents and therapists, children can successfully integrate their new, clearer speech sounds into every aspect of their daily lives.
Any comments or if you need help and support with your child’s speech please do not hesitate to get in touch with me: simply fill out the contact form here on the website. I endeavour to reply within 48 hours.
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.
We all have the right and want to express thoughts, feelings, and needs. For non-speaking or minimally speaking children, finding an avenue to communicate effectively can be a challenging journey. Parents are often at a loss as to where to start. Sometimes a little bit of Makaton signing has been used here and there but we mostly find that gradually signing fades as parents feel that it just doesn’t seem to get copied and used by the children.
They live and breathe their system
This is where we need to pick up the pieces and start again: because all successful families where children start using their boards or their electronic AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) systems do this one thing: THEY LIVE AND BREATHE THEIR SYSTEM.
They have boards in every single room of the house;
They have a board in the car, attached to the side of car door so their child can point to it as they need to;
They have a smaller board in their handbag/rucksack when out and about;
They have a board for shopping and attach it to the shopping trolley;
They are never ever without their board.
Because they realise that a child should never be without their mouths to speak, should never be without a means to speak. They use their own board to model and the child has always access to their board to model back or to just look.
This is where success begins
Success begins at consistent and joyful use of the board/AAC system throughout the entire day. If we think about it, doesn’t it make sense? Of course, it does! We talk to our child for the first two years of their life continuously wherever we are and our child is continuously encouraged to use their mouths for talking in all situations.
Same goes for Signing: Makaton or any other sign system is a very powerful means to aid communication and I certainly advocate and use it in practice. Though much like words, signs are very elusive and temporary—as soon as the sign has been made it is gone and no longer present. Same with words of course. This can be difficult for people who need longer to process information.
The beauty of symbols or photographs is that they are permanent: they don’t vanish, they stay and with the core board they stay in the same place! This is very reassuring. We can learn where a symbol is and we can be assured that it will still be there the next time we look at the board.
It has 48 cells and we can see the most frequently used core words on here, words that we use 80% of the day when talking with our non-speaking/minimally speaking children, younger children and children with cognitive delay. We keep our sentences short and we say phrases pertaining to their daily lives;
Let’s GET your toy
PUT it here, PUT it away, PUT it IN
Let’s READ a book
UP you get
WANT some MORE?
That’s GOOD isn’t it?
Let’s OPEN the box and LOOK
And so on… All these phrases can be aided with the above board. Your child will learn OVER TIME and OVER CONTINUOUS USE where GET/PUT/MORE/WANT/IN—where these symbols are. For children who are slow to process this is so helpful, to have a visual representation of what has just been said. It aids understanding in the first place. Gradually as a child starts to copy they will point to powerful symbols themselves and if they want to speak they can also speak of course:
A child might point to WANT + MORE and then say with their mouths: BANANA!
Board examples
Here are some other boards I have made specifically for daily situations and preferences of some of my students. Here is one for toileting:
And another one:
These boards incorporate high-frequency and versatile words, enabling us to make little sentences.
Building Language and Literacy Skills
AAC Core Boards are not just tools for immediate communication. They also play a pivotal role in language and literacy development. By using these boards, non-speaking children engage with words and symbols, reinforcing their understanding of language structure and grammar.
Over time they naturally absorb language patterns, laying the foundation for improved literacy skills.
Customisation for Individual Needs
Every non-speaking child is unique, and their communication needs can vary significantly. AAC Core Boards are designed with this diversity in mind. The boards can be adapted to include specific vocabulary relevant to the child’s daily life, interests, and activities. This personalisation ensures that the AAC Core Board is a true reflection of the child’s personality and needs, making communication more engaging and effective.
Collaboration between AAC Core Boards and Speech Therapy
While AAC Core Boards are an incredible tool, they are only used effectively by the non-speaking child when the board is used BY ALL COMMUNICATION PARTNERS around the child.
Again, I know I am being repetitive here, but the board needs to be used and modelled by the adults constantly in the first place and for a period of time before we can expect our children to take an interest and use the boards themselves. Think how long it typically takes for a child to learn their first word: around a year! During that time the adults talk constantly to their child without hesitation or expectation! The same goes for introducing this new way of communicating.
Collaborating with your child’s speech-language therapist (SLT) ensures that your child receives the right guidance in using the AAC system. SLTs can assess your child’s communication abilities, recommend appropriate boards and provide guidance on how to best implement them.
Conclusion
For non-speaking children, AAC Core Boards are bridges to their world.
These boards foster language development, social interaction, and personal expression. AAC Core Boards offer a beacon of hope, helping non-speaking children break through communication barriers and thrive in a world that is waiting to hear their voices. Boards are simple for anyone to use and understand. Have a go! You will be surprised how lovely it is to use a board with ease and once your child sees you do this, you have a chance for your child to start copying you…and express something! HOW ABOUT THAT! I look forward to hearing your stories!
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.
