the "R" sound
How the "R" sound is produced and why it can be so difficult to master
Grrrrrrrr
The "R" sound can be a very difficult sound to master. Some children produce the sound as "W" ("wobot" instead of "robot"). This is actually considered developmentally appropriate for younger children. Some will produce the sound as "uh" ("ovuh" instead of "over") and some will substitute a "ee" sound ("geel" instead of :girl). There are variations within these productions and some more unique errors. Many children have difficulty hearing the difference between a correct "R" sound and the sound they are producing. An important first step is to help the child hear the error by discriminating the two sounds. In addition to the difficulty in hearing the correct v. incorrect production, students have difficulty learning proper tongue placement. The "R" is different from other sounds because it is very difficult to show proper placement. With sounds like "F", "S", and even "K", the student can watch the therapist's mouth and simply imitate the movement. With the "R", the tongue is pulled to the back of the mouth and the bunching that takes place blocks any visualization of it's contact points. In addition, tongue placement for "R" is more complex than most sounds.
There are two ways to produce the "R" sound, the retroflex "R" and the back/bunched "R". I personally prefer to teach the bunched "R" to most children. Every Speech Language Pathologist will have a method for teaching "R" production. For the bunched "R" the goal will be to assist the child in achieving positioning of the tongue that includes:
Once the "R" is learned in isolation, the student must learn to produce the sound in connection with other sounds. This is where things become even more complicated. Production of a vowel in front of an "R" will change the way the "R" is produced. This change is necessary to allow the person's speech to sound smooth. Some student's quickly adjust to changing placement but many do not. These students need to learn each variation of R production. J.Price
For further information on the production of this sound, click on the links below
The "R" sound can be a very difficult sound to master. Some children produce the sound as "W" ("wobot" instead of "robot"). This is actually considered developmentally appropriate for younger children. Some will produce the sound as "uh" ("ovuh" instead of "over") and some will substitute a "ee" sound ("geel" instead of :girl). There are variations within these productions and some more unique errors. Many children have difficulty hearing the difference between a correct "R" sound and the sound they are producing. An important first step is to help the child hear the error by discriminating the two sounds. In addition to the difficulty in hearing the correct v. incorrect production, students have difficulty learning proper tongue placement. The "R" is different from other sounds because it is very difficult to show proper placement. With sounds like "F", "S", and even "K", the student can watch the therapist's mouth and simply imitate the movement. With the "R", the tongue is pulled to the back of the mouth and the bunching that takes place blocks any visualization of it's contact points. In addition, tongue placement for "R" is more complex than most sounds.
There are two ways to produce the "R" sound, the retroflex "R" and the back/bunched "R". I personally prefer to teach the bunched "R" to most children. Every Speech Language Pathologist will have a method for teaching "R" production. For the bunched "R" the goal will be to assist the child in achieving positioning of the tongue that includes:
- Humping of the back of the tongue in a manner similar to the position of the tongue when "kuh" is produced
- Spreading the sides of the back portion of the tongue to touch the insides of the upper, back molars
- Holding the jaw in a relaxed position
- Pulling the lips back so that they are not puckered
Once the "R" is learned in isolation, the student must learn to produce the sound in connection with other sounds. This is where things become even more complicated. Production of a vowel in front of an "R" will change the way the "R" is produced. This change is necessary to allow the person's speech to sound smooth. Some student's quickly adjust to changing placement but many do not. These students need to learn each variation of R production. J.Price
For further information on the production of this sound, click on the links below
- A good summary of various techniques by Judy Kuster
- Tips from Playing With Words 365
- Ideas from Kay Adamson
Practice Worksheets
The "R" sound at the beginning of the word
The "R" sound at the end and middle of the word