Chicken bald back

[iar fach goch]

Have seen from other threads that there are some speech therapists on here, hopefully you can advise me. My 7 year old son is still unable to pronounce the r sound correctly. He was late starting to talk, was assessed at about 27 months, understanding found to be excellent, received a few sessions, started talking in sentences! Pronunciation of some sounds unclear, but improved rapidly apart from r. I was not concerned as I know many children have this difficulty, and was advised that many do not have the ability to do so until aged about 7. However, when YS started talking, MS became aware that his younger brother could do something that he couldn't and health visitor referred him back to speech therapist. He was seen a few times over the course of a year, with no change, apart from the fact that it seemed to become more of an issue with him. Since then I have largely ignored the matter, but as he is now coming up to his 8th birthday and having watched The King's Speech, just seeing my boy on the screen, I don't know what to do for the best. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

[chickencam]

I can only give advice from a mother's perspective. My DS is now nearly 15 and he was a late speaker, he had speech therapy for about 2 years age 5-7. It helped in some ways, but he still struggles with his 'r' and 'th' sounds. Fortunately for him he is at an all boys grammar school and he is not the only person who struggles it does seem to be more common in boys. He is very eloquent but he thinks before he speaks and will often pause for a while as he is telling a tale. Just as in your son's case his speech therapist said his understanding of vocabulary was excellent, but he just couldn't express himself.

 

I would say keep plugging away for your son to get any help that he can, it is important that he gets the support to develop his own self esteem so that he can make himself heard. We have been very fortunate with both our son's primary and secondary schools, it has taken time but he now has much more self belief and is gradually reaching his full potential.

 

Good luck, but try not to worry (although I know from experience that you will).

[Alis girls]

My eldest now 15 has had speech theraphy on and off for years. Doing GSCE's is hard as they have to do presentations but with understanding teachers (mainly) he has got through. Also see if they do any holiday schemes - where they get a group of kids of similar ages together for about 4 hours 5days a week and do teaching sessions, and take they out to buy sweets etc. They have to tell the shop keeper they have a stammer and buy something - not easy but good experience. My son was told to introduce his stammer by telling other kids he stammered when he first met them so they dont wonder why hes having problems - first time he did this on holiday a kid he'd just met replied "SICK" (teenage speak for cool for those not in the know ) He might need a letter when it comes to exams for more time. My son gets bad at exam times - but his friends are supportive and hes had a g/f so its a positive picture generally.

Kings speech - I have read comments on here but I cant watch something which I dont consider to be entertainment, its too close to home for me. My ES wouldnt see it purely as hes a blood and gore man Good luck - hes young and you have time to sort before secondary school. Be firm with him a good speech therapist will get round any hurdles. Love Ali x

[Lavenders_Blue]

Hi, I'm a speech therapist although not worked with children for a while now so a bit rusty! Is it a stammer that your son has or is it difficulty with pronouncing the 'r' sound?

If it's a stammer, you need to insist on a speech therapist that has had specialist training, usually for children it's called Lidcombe Programme which is a stammering programme and needs a Lidcombe-trained therapist to work with the child.

If it's a difficulty with the sound 'r' your son needs to first be able to produce the sound on its own (ie not in a word) looking at how someone else forms the sound (looking at your lip pattern or a therapist's) and then looking at his own lip and tongue patterns in a mirror can be helpful. When he's confident in this he can move onto using the sound in front of a vowel (e.g. roo, ree, ra, row etc), then using the sound at the beginning of a words (right, wrong, rush, run etc) then middles of words ('r' sound does not occur at the end of words).

A speech therapist to show him how to do this would be helpful, and he will need to work on it between therapy sessions as well.

Hope this is of some help. There might be another speechie on here who works with children who can give some better advice than me.

[WitchHazel]

looking at how someone else forms the sound (looking at your lip pattern or a therapist's) and then looking at his own lip and tongue patterns in a mirror can be helpful.

 

Lavenders_Blue: would it be helpful if both the "someone else" and your son use a mirror - so you are both next to each other looking into mirror(s). Otherwise whilst he is watching you, he will have translate it in his head first, because your right is his left. If you are both looking at mirrors, then the lefts and right are the same

 

It wouldl also helkp the "someone else" see properly whether the shapes he is making are the same as their own.

[Lavenders_Blue]

Lavenders_Blue: would it be helpful if both the "someone else" and your son use a mirror - so you are both next to each other looking into mirror(s). Otherwise whilst he is watching you, he will have translate it in his head first, because your right is his left. If you are both looking at mirrors, then the lefts and right are the same.

 

Yes! Even better.

 

It wouldl also helkp the "someone else" see properly whether the shapes he is making are the same as their own

 

It would, as long as the child is encouraged to use the mirror to copy the shapes and not the 'someone else' using the mirror to 'correct' when the shapes are not the same. I'm sure this would be the case though.

'R' can be a tricky sound, the mouth shapes are not so clear as other consonant sounds.

[Saronne]

Hi, I'm a children's speech and language therapist.

 

Yes, perfection of /r/ can take some time. We were told during training that it can happen as late as 7 or 8 years. If your son was a bit of a late talker anyway, this might translate to a relatively longer wait for a clear /r/.

 

Mirror work is good as is auditory discrimination; e.g. can he hear the difference between /w/ and /r/? You can check this by writing a /w/ and an /r/ on two separate bits of paper. Demonstrate each one. Then get him to point to the one you've just said. Really get him to listen carefully. If this is easy for him, then focus on articulation using the mirror for a visual cue.

You may need to exaggerate your own articulation, e.g. say an 'errr'. If he can do that, then add a vowel, e.g. an 'oh' sound. Leave a slight gap between the 'errr' and the 'oh' if necessary. Practise in very small steps trying a new vowel sound only after he's mastered blending the last one - after all, your son has had this habit for a while.

 

Also important to consider is how motivated is he? Apart from knowing his younger brother can do it, is he really bothered and prepared to work on it daily? Is he being teased? Have his friends mentioned it? If he's happy with his speech and can otherwise communicate well, participates in class, and no one else is bothered apart from yourself, then I would suggest leaving it for now until he requests help. Hope that makes sense!

 

Saronne x

[iar fach goch]

Thanks for your advice guys. He has not seen a speech therapist for a couple of years now, but there has been no improvement. I have just let it be, as I did not want to make an issue out of it. He doesn't have a stammer, but at times, particularly when having to do some public speaking, for example school concert, he becomes self conscious and struggles to get the words out. Day to day he is fine apart from the r sound. I thought he was fine about it, but last week he asked his Dad if there was something wrong with him because he couldn't say r. I don't know if someone has said something to him, but it's obviously on his mind. I just want to do the right thing for him.

[chickencam]

Without trying to be flipant, Johnathan Ross has made not being able to make 'r' sounds his trademark.

 

I was also wondering if it would be harder for my son who is nearly 15 to learn mouth shapes with the mirror technique? We were never given this as an idea, although it is logical and practical.

[Saronne]

I don't think 15 is too old. Often it's the older ones who understand the techniques better and are more motivated to change the habit..but remember, is your son happy with how he speaks and can he otherwise communicate well? Speech Therapy is about good, overall communication skills, and not necessarily perfect elocution.

 

Saronne x