Communication Bridges

Errors in the production of /r/ sounds in children are very common. It can be a tricky sound to correct, and intervention is harder as children get older, but it can be corrected. I use a combination of the “Say it Right” program and the PROMPT approach. The Say it Right program helps organize the treatment in terms of which /r/ to intervene first. There are in fact several /r/ productions- initial /r/ (e.g., rat, road, rain), and several vocalic /r/- (e.g. -er, -ar, -or, -air) and r-blends (e.g. br, kr, tr, fr, etc). There is a systematic approach to determine which /r/ should be targeted first for the intervention to be effective. In addition, I also use the PROMPT approach which is a tactile approach. The PROMPT approach provides the necessary sensory feedback by showing the child exactly what he or she needs to do to produce the /r/ sound. These PROMPTs are gradually faded until the child can produce the sound without the PROMPT. You can read more about the PROMPT approach on my website.