Disadvantages of pronunciation of the sounds l and l' (distortions - lambdacism, substitutions - paralambdacism)

Competent, beautiful speech without defects is the key to socialization and successful development. When communicating, everyone pays attention to how a person speaks. If the speech is beautiful and “flows like a stream,” it is pleasant to listen to such a person. In childhood, it is necessary to correctly formulate the child’s speech. The main problems and difficulties are the consonants “l” and “r”.

The pronunciation of “l” seems simple to an adult, but in some cases it is possible to pronounce it only by the age of 6. This article will help you follow the rules when it comes to pronouncing the hard and soft sound “l” in a child.

Setting the “l” for a preschooler

Preschool age is an important period for everyone. Until this moment, babies learn to walk, talk, understand the world around them and themselves. Some consonants are difficult to pronounce and develop over time. It’s worse when parents don’t pay attention to their child’s speech defects. In adulthood, it is already very difficult to eliminate them, which is why speech therapists work with children in groups and individually in all kindergartens.

The most common consonants that are difficult to pronounce are “l” and “r”. Of course, as you grow older, problems may go away without outside help, and sometimes they don’t. The job of speech therapists is to help the preschooler develop correct pronunciation. The sound “l” can be both soft and hard. Sometimes a baby cannot pronounce one type, but more often children have problems pronouncing “l” in both cases.

Sound setting [l]

The position of the organs of the articulatory apparatus when pronouncing the sound correctly [l]

When pronouncing the sound [l], the lips take the position of the subsequent vowel. The distance between the upper and lower incisors is 2-4 mm. The tip of the tongue is raised and pressed against the base of the upper incisors (but can also occupy a lower position). Between the lateral edges of the tongue and the molars there is a gap for the passage of an air stream. The root part of the tongue is raised and pulled back, a spoon-shaped depression is formed in the middle.

Creating an auditory image of sound

Gaming techniques

- Listen to the fire truck siren. A police car gives this signal.

The sound [l] is pronounced repeatedly.

Formation of a visual image of sound (l]

Show articulation of sound. Articulation profile display. Clarification of the position of the lips, teeth and tongue. Description of the position of the organs of articulation.

Formation of a sense of the position of the organs of articulation

Formation of a kinesthetic image of sound

Invite the child to bring his palm to the speech therapist’s mouth and feel a warm air stream on the side of his mouth. Showing the position of the organs of articulation using the fingers. Squeeze the fingers of your right hand tightly and give them the shape of a “bucket” - this is our tongue. Slightly bend the fingers of your left hand (it’s like our mouth), then touch the fingers of your right hand (it’s like our tongue) to the junction of the fingers with the right palm. Pay attention to the gap between your palms. These slits on both sides are needed for the air stream to escape.

Using toys (monkey or any other).

- Look how the monkey lifts its tongue by its upper teeth.

Sound production [l] according to M.E. Khvatsev (1959)

Open your mouth wide. Place the narrowed tip of the tongue (“sting”) to the necks of the upper teeth, draw out the sound [a] loudly and in a chant. At the same time, against the background of [a], the tip of the tongue rises and falls, touching the upper incisors, and then the upper gum several times per exhalation.

Sound production [l] according to R.E. Levina (1965)

1. Hold the tip of your tongue between your teeth and, without changing the position of your tongue, pronounce the sound [a] or [s] in a drawn-out manner. The speech therapist articulates in front of the mirror without a voice. With this position of the speech organs, a drawn-out sound [l] can be produced.

2. It is useful to do the same exercise first in a whisper with intense exhalation, paying attention to the stream of air coming out from the sides of the mouth. If there is difficulty, suggest that the child hold his tongue wide between his teeth and exhale air so that his cheeks swell. Having achieved the goal, you should turn on your voice. First, the sound [l] is heard mixed with noise, which gradually disappears during further work.

3. The resulting correct articulation of the sound [l] is fixed in syllables with a vowel [a], first in a closed syllable ( al

)
,
then between vowels (
alla
) and finally in an open syllable (
la
)
.
Next, syllables with vowels [ы], [о], [у] are included (
ala, alo, alu, ly, lo, lu,
etc.).

4. If it is difficult to form side slits, you should use a probe or a round plastic stick, which is placed across the tongue. The child is asked to raise the tip of the tongue to the upper teeth and pronounce the sound [s]. This way you can get a long sound [l]. In this case, the exhaled air rushes into the passages between the lateral edges of the tongue and the upper molars, formed with the help of a probe or stick.

Setting the sound [l] according to O.V. Pravdina (1973)

1. Make the sound [a] and at this time push your tongue between your teeth, and then bite it in the middle.

2. When softening the sound [l], give the opportunity to feel the tension in the shoulder girdle and neck. To do this, you need to bend your head forward and in this position pull out the sound [l] as low as possible.

Setting sound [l] according to A.D. Filippova, N.D. Shuravina (1967)

1. The child is asked to insert the tip of his tongue between his teeth, biting it lightly. Then pronounce the vowel sounds [u] or [s] in a drawn-out manner. The result is a sound close to the correct sound of the sound [l]. Then vowels will join this sound: l-a, l-y

etc.

The interdental position of the tongue can be maintained at the first stage when pronouncing syllables and words. When the sound [l] is heard clearly, move the tip of the tongue behind the upper teeth.

2. When pronouncing the sound [l] softly, you can use the following technique: place your thumb between the chin and larynx (in the chin dimple), apply light pressure and pronounce the sound [l].

3. Connect your fingers and press them on your chin.

4. If [l] is pronounced with the participation of the lips, then the movement of the lips should be delayed with the fingers.

Setting the sound [l] according to A.I. Bogomolova (1979)

Round your lips (give them an oval shape). Open your teeth at a distance of 1.5 fingers. Place the tongue in the “cup” position, without changing position, insert it into the mouth and touch the alveoli with the curved tip.

Setting the sound [l] according to L.S. Volkova (1989)

The speech therapist shows a sample pronunciation. The child is asked to open his mouth slightly and pronounce the combination ya.

In this case, [s] are pronounced briefly with tension in the organs of articulation.
After the child has mastered the desired pronunciation, the speech therapist asks to pronounce this combination, but with the tongue clamped between the teeth. At this moment the combination la is heard.
When performing the task, make sure that the tip of the tongue remains between the teeth. Auditory attention should be drawn to the sound that was produced at the time of its production.

Consolidation of the auditory image of the sound [l] in isolated sound

Game tasks: “The whistle of a steamship”, “The siren of a police car”, “The rumble of an airplane”.

More on this topic:

• Automation of the sound [Сь] in forward and backward syllables
• Sound automation [Сь] in isolated form
• Automation of sound [C] in isolated form
• Automation of the sound [С] in reverse syllables
• Automation of the sound [С] in straight syllables
• Speech material for automating the sound [С] in phrases and sentences
• Automation of sound [С] in words
• Summary of an individual speech therapy lesson Topic: “Automation of the sound [S] in syllables, words, sentences”
• Summary of individual lessons. Topic: “Sound Automation [R]”
• Automation of sound [Ш]
• Sound automation [H]
• Sound automation [F]
• Sound automation [Ш]
• Summary of individual speech therapy sessions. Topic: “Automation of the sound [L] in syllables, words, sentences”
• "Automation of the [S] sound in syllables, words and phrases." Summary of an individual developmental lesson on the correction of rhinolalia

Incorrect pronunciation of sounds

Each period is characterized by the appearance of new sounds. By the age of three, children should be able to pronounce all letters except difficult sibilants and “r”, a derivative of it “ry”. At this age, children develop increased speech activity.

By the age of five or six, the child should pronounce all sounds and express his thoughts not in simple sentences, but use complex phrases. This age refers to the period of growing up and transition to school age. If a child has difficulties with pronunciation, then you should seek help from a doctor or study hard at home.

The most common sound errors:

• hissing ones are replaced by the sound “s”, “z” (sorokh - rustle, hay-puppy, ez-hedgehog);
• r are replaced by “l”, “l” (work-labota, rul-lul, labor-ladost).

What is lambdacism and paralambdacism?

Incorrect pronunciation of the sound “l”, “l” or its complete absence has a scientific name - lambdacism. It is divided into 4 types:

• nasal. The sound coming out with the air flow tends to enter not through the mouth, but through the nose. This occurs when the root of the tongue pushes against the roof of the mouth, obstructing the passage. In such cases, instead of “l”, it turns out “ng lapa-ngapa, lak-ngak;
• bilabial. The child puts his lips in a tube, so that instead of the prescribed “l”, the result is “u”: doctor-whecker, lamp-uampa;
• interdental. The tip of the tongue gets into the space between the teeth, producing an incorrect sound;
• lack of "l". One of the most common options. The baby does not pronounce “l” at all; instead, words without it are obtained: Luk-uk, lens-inza.

What lambdacism is is now clear, but what then is paralambdacism. This includes replacing “l” with other sounds. Such replacements include:

• replacing “l” with the sound “v” or “b”: lala - woman, lava-vava, moon-wuna;
• replacing “l” with “g”: gog-gog, table-stack;
• replacing “l” with “d”: horse-horse, lupa-dupa;
• replacing “l” with “ya”, “yo”, “yu”: lader-yager, spoon-hedgehog, bow-yuk;
• replacing “l” with a soft “l”: doing-sharing.

Reasons for incorrect pronunciation of “l”

Incorrect pronunciation of L occurs for certain reasons. These reasons include:

• a preschooler, due to his small age, cannot yet pronounce this sound. This defect is natural up to 4 years of age. At the age of 4-5 years, the baby should already know how to learn to pronounce the letter “l”, and by the age of 6 years he should distinguish between hard and soft “l” in words;
• weak muscles of the tongue and lower lip. Language performs the main function in the production of speech. If a child has problems with weak tongue muscles, then “v” will be heard instead of “l”;
• violation of phonemic perception of sound in the stream of speech. This effect is typical when a baby says “l” and at that moment puts his tongue between his teeth. This option also includes bilabial pronunciation, when the tongue is adjacent to the lower jaw and interferes with the correct pronunciation of sounds.

Such reasons are often not associated with any developmental defects. The problem occurs due to incorrect position of the tongue, or incorrect distribution of the released air. If a preschooler has difficulty pronouncing the “l” sound, this can be easily corrected. It will take time to stage it. Usually 15-20 minutes a day at home, and after a while the child will achieve success. If after a long period of time your efforts are in vain, you should contact a speech therapist. .

How to make correct pronunciation automatic

Once the correct pronunciation has been established, it needs to be reinforced. This process is difficult and time consuming for children. At home, it is enough to practice a few minutes a day in the morning and evening. It will be better if the lessons take the form of a game.

Soft L

The child often misses the soft L and even entire syllables with its participation. Therefore, it is better to start speech therapy exercises for sound from this moment.

To begin with, the pronunciation of syllables is fixed. Then you can move on to words. Individual syllables can be reinforced using special tongue twisters.

Examples are given in the table

When the child begins to develop straight syllables, you can move on to reverse ones. First, individual sound combinations are worked out, then they move on to whole words and tongue twisters.

Solid L

It is somewhat more difficult to teach a child to say hard L. To automate the sound, the same techniques are used as for soft ones. But it may take more time to consolidate.

You need to master correct speech in stages:

1. First, the baby learns to speak syllables - Le, Lo, Ly, La, Lu.
2. Then the combinations can be complicated with other consonants - Sla, Fly, Klo, Glu, Ple, etc.
3. After direct syllables they move on to reverse ones - Al, Ol, Ul, Yl, El.
4. When the combinations of letters are firmly fixed, they move on to whole words - boat, lamp, skis, moon.

Children can be offered pure tongue twisters and tongue twisters:

• lu-lu-lu - a puddle on the floor;
• la-la-la - swept up the trash;
• lo-lo-lo - there was a broom;
• near London - the lair of a sorcerer;
• put the coal in the corner.

When training, it is advisable to avoid combinations with the letter R. These letters are especially difficult for children to pronounce, they are often confused.

Formation of correct pronunciation of sounds

If the child does not suffer from diseases or pathological developments of the speech apparatus, then adults can quickly solve the problem. To understand how to make the “l” sound at home, you should follow a few simple rules.

1. Work should begin with strengthening articulatory motor skills. Its strengthening is achieved through exercises and games.
2. The next stage is sound production. The methods are different. There is a method for each case.
3. The production of sound flows into pronunciation. When the student has learned to pronounce the letter, he must move on to syllables, and then to simple words and sentences with many repeating sounds.
4. Let's move on to more labor-intensive work. We learn rhymes and tongue twisters. A preschooler will learn sounds faster and develop memory.
5. Results should be consolidated through telling and repeating fairy tales, short stories, poems, stories, and singing songs.

These simple rules should be given very little time a day. It is easier to transform a unique curriculum into a game. The process won't be boring. You and your child will be passionate about business, not tedious work.

Methods for making the sounds L and L

What sound can you make the sound L from?

determined individually for each child, taking into account capabilities and skills. In speech therapy practice, the following methods are distinguished:

1. By imitation. Performed while sitting in front of a mirror. The baby is shown the correct location of the speech organs in the reflection and asked to repeat. After a successfully completed task, they are asked to sound out the letter in this position.
   

   Note: the lesson is most suitable for children with a complete absence of phonemes in words, when there is no need to rearrange the established positions of organs during reproduction.

2. Setting from the letter “Y”. Occurs in a playful way, simulating a steamship. The baby is asked to smile broadly. Lightly bite your tongue and pronounce the sound “Y” in a drawn-out manner. It will smoothly turn into a drawn-out l-l-l. You can try this exercise with other vowel sounds.
3. Setting from the letter "B". The lesson is aimed at inhibiting the lower lip. When pronouncing the letter “B”, the baby should not move his lower lip. If it doesn’t work, the adult holds the sponge with his finger. For preschoolers
   , they read special
   poems
   or sing
   songs
   with an abundance of the letter “L” in the words and ask them to repeat.
4. Production from the sound “L”. A soft sound is pronounced more readily by a child. It does not require tongue tension and is faster. To get a solid phoneme, the baby is asked to reproduce syllables
   (La, Lo, Lu). At the same time, they are asked to reach the upper lip with the tip of their tongue.
5. Mechanical method. Performed using a special tool or clean fingers. Carry out the manipulation only under the supervision of a speech therapist or with his participation. The tongue is asked to be lifted by the upper incisors. The instrument maintains it at the desired level during pronunciation of the phoneme. The method is suitable for patients with dysarthria.

Expert opinion

Margarita Sergeevna S.

Speech pathologist and speech pathologist with 15 years of experience working in various speech correction centers with children of different ages.

The above methods can be performed one at a time or several can be used at once. All the secrets

You can learn how to perform the techniques during a consultation with a speech therapist.

How to make the sound "l"

The very first thing to start with is to tell and show the student the correct pronunciation of the sound, and how the tongue and lips behave. There are many free photos and videos available online for this purpose. Many methodological works have been developed on how to teach a child to say the letter “l”. To put an "l" you need to work on your breathing and articulation.

At home, you yourself can explain how to correctly pronounce this or that sound. Just think about how you do it, and then show it. Children always learn better from the example of others. Just show the principle and let the child repeat after you.

Problems with speech production in children are common. The lessons will help the child develop auditory perception of the sound “l”.

It is important to breathe correctly and position your tongue and lips. Breathing exercises are designed as a game.

The simplest exercises will be interesting to the baby. Having fun outside can be educational. While walking, you can play with dandelions, offering to blow off all their “feathers” and blow soap bubbles.

At home you can play with a lit candle, blowing it out, or a match, but only under the strict supervision of adults, and various similar games for blowing air. Such games will interest your baby and will at the same time be educational in nature.

It is necessary to develop the child’s fine motor skills. It is necessary for speech correction, intellectual and physical development.

Why doesn't the letter "Ш" hiss?

The reasons for incorrect pronunciation may be the following:

Physiological: malocclusion, large tongue, high palate. In addition, the quality of the spoken sound depends on the development of the speech apparatus. Prolonged use of the pacifier. This item spoils the bite, which leads to distorted pronunciation of whistling and hissing sounds. "Lisping" with a child

By repeating after their elders, children distort their speech. Repeating incorrect pronunciation after adults who have speech impediments. Memory, thinking and attention are poorly developed. Speech hearing impairment (in some cases, dyslexia may develop).

If, after homework, the child still cannot pronounce the letter “SH,” you should contact a speech therapist.

Guidelines for parents

Sometimes parents do not turn to a speech therapist for various reasons. Some due to financial difficulties, others in accordance with their beliefs. At the same time, parents should know how to teach their child to say the letter “SH”.

Sound production tips

Learning to pronounce a sound correctly is not so easy and therefore a child needs the support of adults. Every day you need to devote about 20 minutes to the lesson.

Warm up for tongue and lips

The most effective and easy-to-implement way to cope with failure to pronounce sounds is articulatory gymnastics.

It includes the following exercises:

1. “Let’s warm our palms.” His goal is to learn how to release a strong stream of air. The child needs to exhale air in even portions with rounded lips, without puffing out his cheeks.
2. Naughty tongue. The exercise helps relax the tongue muscles. With the tongue placed on the lower lip, the syllable “five-five-five” is pronounced from 1 to 10, the edges of the tongue do not rise upward.
3. Glue on some candy. The result of such training should be strengthened tongue muscles and a practiced upward movement of the tongue. The tip of the tongue is located on the lower lip, a small piece of toffee is placed on the edge, which must be glued to the palate. The jaw should remain motionless, only the tongue works.
4. Swing. The tip of the tongue touches either the upper or lower teeth.
5. Horse. Clack like a horse.
6. Pancake. Place a relaxed tongue on the lower lip.
7. Kitty. The child needs to reach his nose with his tongue.
8. Focus. You need to open your mouth while smiling and place the edge of your tongue on your upper lip so that a groove is formed in the center; now you need to blow off the cotton wool that lies on your nose.

Exercises for breathing development

• “Kick the ball into the goal”, a game of unusual football. A gate is built in the center of the table and cotton “balls” are made. Players from both sides blow on cotton balls so that they fly into the goal. The adult monitors the child’s correct articulatory actions: a wide smile, tongue on the lower lip.
• "Snowflakes on the nose." Invite the preschooler to blow a cotton ball off his nose using the correct movements of the jaw: a wide smile, tongue on the upper lip, blow so that the ball flies up.
• The games “Blizzard”, “Leaves are Flying”, “Ships”, “Planes” are played in the same way.

Staging exercises from sound C

The most common method of producing the sound Ш from S. This method is used when no impairment of the mobility of the speech apparatus is detected. Even a not loud whistling sound will be useful for staging hissing ones. The child needs to raise his tongue to the roof of his mouth and pronounce S without tension. After that, he needs to release the air when pronouncing. This produces a sizzling Sh.

The air should come out without unnecessary effort; the child should not strain his facial muscles or make excessive facial expressions. The sound “Ш” is introduced to the child in stages in order to clearly explain the differences in the position of the tongue. Children often confuse the upper position with the sound S with the lower sound Ш, which is why a mixture of whistling and hissing occurs.

Mistakes when trying to pronounce "l"

When working on the production of the “l” sound, a child may encounter some errors. In this case, learning attempts may fail.

Reasons why you cannot pronounce “l”:

• incorrect placement of lips;
• the tongue is not located near the upper teeth, but goes into the inside of the mouth;
• incorrect exhalation of air - using the cheeks or through the nose.

To get the correct pronunciation of “l”, you should use articulatory gymnastics.

Exercises for the speech apparatus

Articulation gymnastics —

the most important component of successfully overcoming

pronunciation
deficiencies Completing tasks
with an emphasis on the speech organs is
a preparatory stage
before setting the phoneme. Basic exercises for training the mobility of the lips and tongue:

1. Hammock . Use the tip of your tongue to touch your upper teeth. The rest of the organ is bent downwards, forming a hammock. Stay in this position for 10-15 seconds.

2. 
   Delicious jam

   . Move the wide tongue first along the upper, then along the lower lip. In this case, the lips should be motionless.
3. Turkey . The tongue licks its lips at an accelerated pace. At this time, the child should try to say bl-bl-bl-bl.

4. 
   Horse.

   
   The baby is asked to imitate the clicking of an animal's hooves. The tip of the tongue flicks the roof of the mouth.
5. Wide smile.
   The baby is asked to stretch his lips into a smile as far as possible and freeze in this position for a few seconds. The exercise will be repeated 2-3 times.

Note: classes help train articulation
if it is difficult to place any types of phonemes - voiceless or voiced , hard or soft, etc.

Breathing exercises

The sounds “L” and “L” are produced as you exhale. To correctly place the phoneme, experts recommend regularly performing inhalation-exhalation exercises:

• Stop, horse! Take a deep breath, and as you exhale say br-br-br.
• Ball.
  The baby is asked to lie down on the floor. Hands are placed on the tummy. As you inhale, the “ball” (tummy) inflates, and as you exhale, it deflates.
• Ship. A paper boat is lowered into a basin of water. The baby is offered to move it with a stream of air.

Breathing exercises are performed for 2-3 minutes daily.

Advice: a detailed
work plan and more detailed methods of training the speech organs are provided by a speech therapist. The specialist will explain how to quickly and effectively carry out the exercises.

Articulation gymnastics training

The most effective and efficient speech therapy exercises for the sound “l”: “Steamboat”, “Turkey”, “Horse”, “Breeze”. Let's take a closer look at how each exercise works mechanically.

"Steamboat." Aimed at helping the student learn to control the muscles of the tongue. The baby should smile a little and open his mouth slightly, stick out his tongue about halfway, bite it and sing repeatedly “Y-y-y-y.” The result is an imitation of a steamship whistle. If you hear a different sound, check the position of your child's tongue.

"Turkey baby." The mouth is slightly open, the curved tongue is placed on the upper lip, and movement is made up and down the lip. We quickly exhale the air, producing a sound reminiscent of a turkey “talking.”

"Horse". The first thing is to teach a preschooler to clop like a horse. The lower jaw should be motionless. The tongue rests on the roof of the mouth, a slight smile, a slightly open mouth. The next stage is to make a clicking sound, but without a voice and volume, silently. This is how the jaw muscles are developed.

"Breeze". We imitate the breeze. It should not come out along the central part, but along the edges. To do this, a novice student needs to bite the tip of the tongue and release the air. You can check the correct execution using cotton wool. Bring it to your mouth and see the direction of the stream.

Hard "l"

If a child can pronounce a soft “l”, then a hard one is a little more difficult for him due to the fact that the position of the tongue requires him to occupy the upper position. Usually in such cases there is no sound at all or is replaced by others.

To raise the tongue up, there are several exercises that also strengthen the muscles of the tongue.

1. "The tongue is sleeping." The tongue is motionless between the teeth. The child is given the task of repeating “a” protractedly and continuously; after a little time, the baby is given the task of periodically biting the tip of the tongue, which results in “al.”
2. Another exercise for a hard “l” is to sing “y”, but already biting your wide tongue. After this, we ask you to pronounce words with different placements of “l” in the words. The sound “l” at the beginning of a word: puddle, ski, fly, flying, burst, laser, bark, light bulb, lion, fox, pour, burst. In the middle of the word: class, eyes, analysis. At the end of the word: table, glass.

The next stage is the pronunciation of rhymes and tongue twisters, where the hard “l” is often found.

Automation

A number of articulation exercises carried out require consolidation and constant pronunciation. If the child does not yet know how to read, parents should pronounce the words themselves and then ask their children to repeat them. This way the preschooler better assimilates spoken sounds.

First, the syllables “l” with vowels are pronounced: l-a, l-o, l-i; then vice versa: o-l, a-l, i-l, e-l. Then the full words are spoken. “L” is at the beginning, middle, end of a word, softened or made hard, next to other consonants, and so on.

Next, you should pronounce whole exercises, it is desirable that there is an “l” in each word: the forest has put on foliage, the fox loves summer.

We repeat and learn poems and tongue twisters. When working, all phrases and sentences must be pronounced slowly and clearly to avoid distortion. If your child makes a mistake, go back to the beginning of the sentence and repeat it all over again. Praise him, this will help him feel confident. Repeat everything several times.

These simple rules should be followed to teach your child to pronounce the letter “l” automatically.

Exercises to improve speech hearing

To develop speech hearing, speech therapists recommend playing games with your child:

1. They suggest speaking the words first quietly, then with medium force, then loudly. You can show toys and give tasks - a small toy speaks quietly, a large one speaks loudly, then vice versa.
2. They read fairy tales by role, where the characters speak in different voices - quietly or loudly, in a low or high voice.
3. The child is shown pictures and named them. Some names are misspelled. If the player notices a mistake, he raises his hand or claps his hands.
4. An adult shows a picture and says several similar words. Among them you need to choose one correct one (bow - meadow - hatch).
5. The parent or teacher names a generalizing word. Children are asked to name examples of words from the named group. They should contain the letter L (fruits - lemons, apples, trees - maple, linden, etc.).

Training must be carried out systematically. Game activities can be supplemented with musical accompaniment.

Help from a speech therapist

Don't worry if a child under 5 years old has trouble pronouncing one or more sounds. However, if at a later age it is difficult for him to master letters, first resort to self-correction. If your attempts are unsuccessful, then you should contact a specialist. A common mistake parents make is their own mispronunciation, unclear speech, speech impediments, and so on.

There are other cases when you need the help of a speech therapist:

• if the baby has problems with the speech apparatus (ONP, dysarthria);
• for neurological diseases;
• for mental illness.

In these cases, self-help can only do more harm than good.