Ever wondered about the steps a child takes to produce a speech sound accurately?
The articulation ladder is a visual that demonstrates the typical sequence of acquiring speech sounds. It starts from the base of the ladder, sounds in isolation, which requires the most support through the top of the ladder, generalization. Not all children require progressing through every step (e.g., a child may move from isolation to the word level, skipping syllables), and not all children begin at the isolation level. Every child is different!
For example, a child may be working on the “s” sound in isolation. Once they are able to consistently and accurately produce “s” in isolation, they move on to syllables “sa, see, si, so, su”. Once the syllables are mastered, they move on to words.
SLPs typically move on to the next stage once the child is consistently and accurately producing a sound at a given level.
Here is an examples of how a child could move through each stage of the articulation ladder:
ISOLATION: “s”
SYLLABLE: e.g, “sa, see, si, so, su”
WORD (initial position): “sun, sing, seven”
PHRASE (2-3 words): “see animals, seven cookies”
SENTENCE: “Sally likes to sit in the sun.”
READ ALOUD: Read a passage from a book with the target sound “s”. Skip this step if the child does not read.
STRUCTURED CONVERSATION: Ask your child to describe how to do something they know well, such as washing their hands or getting ready for bed.
GENERALIZATION: everyday conversation
Post contribution by: Rachel Haskins M.S., CCC-SLP
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