Many children have speech impediments. It is not uncommon for a child to have a difficult time saying at least a couple sounds throughout their childhood. Generally as the child matures and learns, they will start to figure out how to say each sound, but some children become delayed and have a hard time learning the differences in the sounds. In this case you would want to intervene with therapy. One of the sounds that is the most difficult to say is the R sound. Here are some things you need to know about the R sound and your child.
1. Your Child May Not Master the R Sound Till after Kindergarten
It is important to be realistic about your child's development with language. Many children have a hard time saying their R's, so in the early years it is not a reason to be concerned. However, if over time, especially if the child has already started elementary school, your child is still having problems, it may be time to address it more seriously. If your child is nearing 8–9 years old and still has not mastered this sound, you may need to have professional intervention with a speech therapist.
2. Look for the Sound in Every Part of Language
It is important to recognize the severity of the problem. R appears in the English language often and in many different respects. Although you might notice that your child has a hard time saying words that start with R, they may not struggle with R in the middle or the end of the word. Thus, you might think your child has a mild problem and it is actually far more serious, or vice versa. This is why it is important that before you jump to conclusions about the child's speech that you have them evaluated by a speech pathologist. They will be able to determine at what point in the language the child cannot say R and which exercises to do to help them.
3. Make It a Part of Everyday Life
If it is determined that your child has a speech impediment then they will probably need to complete speech therapy. However, therapy will only be a couple of days a week, which means the real progress will happen right in your home. Parents should be attending therapy as much as possible so that they know what to do at home with the child. The more you can make it a part of your everyday life, the more likely the child will move past the impediment.
Share8 September 2015
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