Suggestions for Reducing Stopping of Continuant Sounds

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This is definitely an area that can be very difficult for many of our phonological process students. I, too, have had a few students that I saw with very similar difficulties and I have come to believe that there is not one particular method that works for all students. For the students that I worked with, I tried various methods trying to see which particular approach works for that individual student. Two very simple but effective approaches that have been successful for my students include the following:

1. Provide a visual for the student to not only look at but to also allow them to move a finger on when producing the initial sound, for a target. For example, creating an image (ex. snake, long wavy line) on a piece of paper that would allow them to drag their finger on while elongating the initial sound before adding the vowel. Sounds should be produced with easy onset (similar to the fluency technique). When their finger gets to the end of the picture, they should be at the end of the vowel or word (depending on the level that they are on). Make sure that you monitor the rate of speech and comfort level of the student. You want them to feel confident and comfortable about producing the word correctly.
   
   
2. I have also tried to chunk two sounds, starting off with producing the sounds with a big pause in between the C and V, then slowly minimizing the pause between the sounds until the sounds are very closely produced. Make sure to produce the sounds slowly and exaggerated as you chunk the sounds together. At first, the student may continue to add the stop but with the easy transition from one sound to the next, hopefully he will decrease the power of the stop in between the CV and then finally deleting the stop all together.