Happy Chatters Speech Pathology

04/07/2025

13/06/2025

/R/ vs. /L/ + Phonological Awareness = Progress! 🗣️✨

Struggling with those pesky /r/ and /l/ sounds? Let’s bring in phonological awareness to help kids hear the difference—because if they can’t hear it, they can’t fix it! 🧠👂

👧🏽 Example Goals Using /r/ and /l/:
🔸 Sound Discrimination:
"Do rain and lane start with the same sound?"

🔸 Minimal Pairs:
Practice listening and saying:
rip/lip, rock/lock, ride/lied

🔸 Segmentation:
“Let’s break apart the word leaf—what sounds do you hear?” (/l/ /i/ /f/)

👂 Helping kids become more aware of how sounds feel and sound is a game-changer for tackling liquids!

🌀 Combine speech sound production with phonemic awareness for better generalization and faster progress.

This is one of my kiddos in the clinic this week practicing her listening and written skills for /l/ vs /r/ sounds

11/06/2025

Is your child saying "nana" for "banana"?

They might be using a phonological process called Weak Syllable Deletion—a normal part of speech development! It happens when a child leaves out the unstressed syllable in a word.

💬 Example:
✅ "banana" → 🚫 "nana"
✅ "elephant" → 🚫 "ephant"

This process typically disappears by age 3;6-4. If it continues past that, a speech sounds assessment may help.

✨ Tips for parents:
👂 Repeat the full word clearly
🎶 Use songs or rhythm to highlight all syllables
📚 Read books with repetitive, multisyllabic words

I have been seeing lots of these patterns in the clinic this week. We have been loving playdough balls and smash mats!

05/06/2025

Speech Sound of the Week: /S/

👅 Let’s practice that hissing sound — like a snake! 🐍

🗣️ Sound: /S/ as in sun, sock, sandwich

👂 Tip: Little smile and keep your tongue behind your teeth — no voice needed!

🔤 Practice Words:
Sun ☀️
Soup 🍲
Sock 🧦
Sandwich 🥪
Seal 🦭

📚 Speech Tip of the Week:
Model slow, clear speech and emphasize the /s/ sound in daily routines!

🧠 If your child is 4+ you want to be modelling this correction to help reduce that lisp!

27/05/2025

Speech Sound of the Week: /r/

The /r/ sound can be really tricky — even for older kids! It requires precise tongue placement and lots of practice.

Common mistake: Saying “wabbit” instead of “rabbit.”
🪞 Try mirror practice to see your child pulling their tongue back
✅ start with ‘er’ words like or “bird”
📌 If your child is over 5 and still can’t say /r/, don’t stress — but don’t wait! A Speech pathologist can help unlock that tricky sound.

06/05/2025

🌟 Did you know that phoneme manipulation is a powerful tool for developing strong reading and writing skills? 📖✍️ Let's dive into why it's so important and how you can incorporate it into learning!

# # What is Phoneme Manipulation? 🤔

Phoneme manipulation involves changing individual sounds in words to create new words. This skill is crucial for literacy development because it enhances a child's ability to decode and spell words effectively.

# # Why is it Important? 💡

- **Boosts Reading Skills:** By playing with sounds, children improve their ability to read unfamiliar words.
- **Enhances Spelling:** Understanding phonemes helps kids spell words correctly by focusing on sounds.
- **Improves Vocabulary:** As children create new words, they expand their vocabulary and language comprehension.

# # Fun Activities to Try at Home! 🏠🎉

1. **Sound Swap:** Say a word and ask your child to change one sound to make a new word. For example, change "cat" to "bat."
2. **Phoneme Addition:** Start with a word like "at" and add a sound at the beginning to make "bat."

Remember, every sound counts in building a strong foundation for reading and writing success.

Happy learning! 😊📚

20/04/2025

Hoppy Easter from your speech buddy! May your day be filled with egg-cellent chats and lots of smiles!
Www.happychatters.com.au

12/05/2024

Happy Mothers Day to all of the wonderful mothers and mother figures in our lives. You bring so much joy and endless smiles. Enjoy the celebrations honoring you today