Are you looking for strategies to help students who mangle words or sounds while speaking? If so, keep reading.
1. Get the student’s hearing reviewed if it has not been recently reviewed.
2. Ensure that the student can hear the difference between words as they should be pronounced and the way words sound when incorrectly pronounced (sounds distorted).
3. Get the student to raise or clap hands when they hear the target sound pronounced during a sequence of isolated sound pronunciations (e.g., Isl, /sh/,/r/, /m/, Ir/, It/, /Id, Ir/, /zl, lwl, /n/, /r/, etc.).
4. Utilize a puppet to pronounce targeted words correctly and incorrectly. The student earns a sticker for correctly differentiating a set number of correct/incorrect pronunciations the puppet makes.
5. Get the student to stand up every time they hear targeted words pronounced accurately as contrasted with inaccurate pronunciations (e.g., shoup, soup, soup, shoup, soup, etc.).
6. Get the student to show thumbs-up every time targeted words are pronounced accurately when images are tagged and thumbs-down if targeted words are pronounced inaccurately.
7. Using images of similar sounding words, say each word and have the student point to an appropriate image (e.g., run and one, bat and back).
8. Get the student to tally the number of correct pronunciations of targeted words when the teacher or a peer reads a list of words.
9. Get the student to read simple passages and record them. Then have the student listen to the recording and mark incorrect and correct pronunciations.
10. Get the student to cut out images of things depicting the targeted words and display them where they can be practiced each day.
11. Record a random monologue given by the student. Get them to listen to the recording and count incorrect and correct pronunciations. The teacher should also listen to the recording. The teacher and the student should juxtapose their analyses of the pronunciations.
12. Get the student to read a list of words and rate their pronunciation after each word.
13. Select a peer to model correctly pronouncing targeted words for the student.
14. Organize a game such as Simon Says in which the student tries to mimic the targeted words when pronounced by the teacher or peers.
15. Using images of similar sounding words, have the student say each word as the teacher points to an image (e.g., run and one, bat and back).
16. Read The Edvocate’s Guide to K-12 Speech Therapy.
17. Consider using a language development app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.
18. Consider using an assistive technology designed to support students with articulation disorder.