Shhh…..Don’t tell (but I like working on R)

Shh Don't Tell

(This post appears in the April 2012 ASHA Leader, First Person on the Last Page)

I have a secret. I like /r/. And I think it matters.

When I see a referral for /r/, especially if there is no additional language or articulation issue, I get excited. Here we go! It’s the start of a relationship. I know it’s unlikely the child will have an immediate breakthrough or surge forward. I’ll need to lay a foundation, to build slowly, step by step, a new motor pattern.

I’ll get to know this child. I’ll know the names of his siblings, friends, and pets with the troublesome sound. There will be seemingly endless drill, games, attempts and re-attempts. We’ll discuss weekend plans and after-school activities because, I’ve found, /r/ requires a lot of carryover activities.

When I was growing up, my sport was ice skating. I spent hours every week before and after school working on my performance. There were spins, jumps, footwork, and programs to master. But what really intrigued me was “patch.” Known as the compulsory figures, this is the classic “figure eight” and all its permutations. The skater would select a clean patch of ice, get centered, and push off. The specific figure would dictate if there would be a turn, a bracket, or serpentine pattern. You would carve the pattern and then retrace it two more times. Judges would base your score on the size and shape of the circles, your ability to maintain the correct blade edge, and the closeness of your tracings.

Patch wasn’t the glitzy part of the competition. Competitors generally wore dark sweaters and skirts. The lights were dim. They looked down.

Compulsory figures were removed from competition after 1990 primarily because of their lack of watchability. But detractors missed the point. Figures were about discipline and technical skill at its most basic.

The attention to detail that’s required to perfect an unnatural skating pattern is similar to my students’ efforts to perfect the /r/.

We sit at a small, uncluttered table. We listen to our target. We discuss minute muscle movements that will achieve the correct pattern. We judge (not harshly). We encourage. We trace it again and again.

Those /r/ students will interview for jobs, ask someone on a date, read books to their children. With sustained effort, there should be no reason for a mushy /r/ to distract from their words. It’s a frustrating task, but in almost all instances, it’s fixable.

So, we sign on for those /r/ kids. We’ll push them and they’ll push us, because /r/ requires an endlessly creative approach. And one day they’ll get it. The movements will be fluid and, well … they’ll be ready to glide away.

 

 

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This Post Has 8 Comments

  1. Sheryl

    would like ideas on how to elicite /r/

    1. admin

      Sheryl, I’m going to refer you to 2Gals Talk… who compiled a list of /r/ tricks you can try. You can find it at: http://2galsspeechproducts.blogspot.com/2011/05/eliciting-sounds-r.html Also, check out my “Scary boxes” and “Eureka” posts for possible starting points. I also find that trying tr, dr, or “ear” words (either in the initial position like “earring” or, alternatively trying “eary” words like “cheery”) are a good place to start. Pam Marshalla (http://www.pammarshalla.com/) is a speech goddess with /r/ and has a fabulous book for eliciting the sound as well as online courses through Advanced Healthcare or http://www.speechpathology.com. The #SLPeeps on Twitter are also always willing to weigh in if you want to pose a query there. Certainly feel free to contact me directly if you have specific questions. Good luck! Kim

      1. Sheryl

        Thanks for the website ideas!

  2. Katie

    Oh how exciting you are in the ASHA leader! *dreams*
    I love your approach to /r/…It still scares me a little since I haven’t practiced, but I have great resources like this and #SLPeeps 🙂

    1. admin

      Katie, The Leader looks for submissions so when inspiration strikes go to http://www.asha.org and fill out a proposal. You never know what might happen! As for /r/ nerves, well, I think it’s good to have some. Every single child, or adult, we see is so different from every other and what works one week might not work the next (even with the same client). If I got to a point where I felt like I could do this in my sleep and had no anxieties at all (what should we try next? what would really engage this child? where can I get more info?), I’d pack it up and do something else 🙂 Best, Kim

  3. Brenda Arsenault

    Thanks for your article. I have approached /r/ with nerves as well, but using the Entire World of /r/ has helped. It IS important to address this sound because we as SLPs are the only ones who have the skills to help.

    1. admin

      Brenda, thank you so much for mentioning Say It Right (disclosure, they are the publishers of my Artic Attack books). Christine and her methods are wonderful, particularly for assessment, goal setting and on-going planning. Kim

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The views expressed in this blog are my own and are intended to inspire other speech-language pathologists in their own practice. If you are a parent, teacher or other educator, these ideas are not intended to take the place of treatment by a certified clinician. Read full disclaimer here.