How to teach a child to say the letter “r”

Why is it difficult to growl?

The sound "r" is considered one of the most difficult to reproduce. To pronounce it correctly, you need:

raise the tip of the tongue to the upper teeth - while it should remain spread out, like a pancake, and not narrow from tension;
As you exhale, direct a powerful air stream to the tip so that vibration occurs.

For such manipulations, the child needs a developed speech apparatus, a strong tongue root and frenulum. Usually all this is formed by the age of six.

What's so difficult about the sound "R"?

Pronunciation of this sound requires a fairly developed speech apparatus. Both vibration and amplitude of the tongue are important here, which not all children manage to achieve.

Children usually make the following mistakes:

– they skip the “r” sound in words, say “mo_oz” (instead of “frost”), “ga_azh” (instead of “garage”);

- pronounce other sounds instead of the sound “r” - “y”, “l”, “y”, for example, “lot” (instead of “mouth”), “koyova” (instead of “cow”);

– they can pronounce the sound “r”, but do it incorrectly, too softly, vibrating too much.

If the child still cannot master this sound, there is no need to be upset - the problem can be solved, you just need to address it.

First, determine whether the child does not pronounce “r” at all or whether difficulties arise only in words. It's easy to find out. Ask the child to growl like a tiger cub “Rrrrr”, then move on to the syllables “ra”, “re”, “ro”, and only then ask them to say words with the letter “r”: “hand”, “motor”. If the baby growls diligently, but difficulties arise with syllables and words, then the problem is in the development of the speech apparatus, and special exercises that can be done independently at home will help solve it.
But if the child does not pronounce the sound “r” at all, then a visit to a speech therapist cannot be avoided.

What prevents you from pronouncing the letter “r” correctly?

Even with prepared instruments in their mouths, preschoolers manage to distort the ill-fated sound. And there are several reasons for this.

Short hypoglossal ligament

It is also called a bridle. It prevents you from moving your tongue freely and lifting it up. Most often, the problem is discovered in the maternity hospital. If the hyoid ligament does not allow the baby to suckle normally, it is cut. At a later age, the frenulum is usually stretched with the help of speech therapy exercises.

Phonemic hearing disorder

Phonemic hearing is the ability to correctly perceive and reproduce speech sounds. Normally, by the age of three, a child can already discern the difference between similar sounds, even if he does not know how to pronounce them.

Sometimes the development of phonemic hearing is delayed due to previous otitis media, adenoids or other health problems. As a result, sound analysis and synthesis are disrupted: the child hears the sound incorrectly, misses it in speech, or replaces it with another.

Incorrect speech breathing

To pronounce correctly, you need to be able to control your exhalation. Not all children succeed in this: some raise their shoulders while inhaling, others breathe too shallowly and unevenly, or do not know how to distribute the exhalation according to words.

Deep bite

With a correct bite, the upper front teeth overlap the lower ones by about a third, and the rest close together. But if the bite is too deep, the upper ones cover the lower ones by more than half. It becomes more difficult to achieve the correct position of the tongue with the emphasis on the upper teeth.

Why can't my child pronounce the letter "r"?

Many parents face the problem of their children not pronouncing sounds, especially “r”. The reasons for this phenomenon can be very different:

Anatomical. Some children have developmental abnormalities of the speech apparatus. Some may affect their ability to pronounce sounds:
poor tongue mobility;

abnormal structure of the hyoid frenulum;

malocclusion;
poorly developed muscles of the cheeks and lips.

Fixing such problems is quite difficult. Special articulation gymnastics and frenulum stretching will help with this. In some cases, surgery is required.

Features of sound perception . In this case, children often confuse letters, rearrange them, and replace some sounds with others. The cause may be a disorder of phonetic hearing - when the baby does not perceive certain sounds.

Also, such a violation may be associated with imitation of someone from a close environment (for example, an older brother burrs, and the baby copies his speech).

Problems with ENT organs. They can be triggered by breathing problems (weak inhalation) or diseases of the ear, nose and throat. Diseases that can provoke a violation of the pronunciation of sounds:
allergic rhinitis;

tonsillitis;

previous sore throat;
the presence of adenoids or polyps in the throat;
paresis of ENT organs.

In this case, individual treatment is selected to combat the underlying disease. Children will also need to select a set of speech therapy exercises to restore speech functions.

Neurological disorders. Damage to the speech apparatus due to neurological pathologies is called dysarthria. Such a violation affects not only the purity of diction, but also the ability to pronounce certain sounds.

The psychological causes of speech impairment are highlighted separately. In this case, consultation with a psychotherapist is required.

Hearing impairment

Phonemic hearing is the ability to distinguish, analyze and differentiate heard phonemes. From birth, children master their native speech by imitation. By the age of 4, a preschooler has developed the technique of pronunciation of all sounds, except sonorous ones.

Impaired phonemic hearing (dyslalia) complicates the perception of oral and written speech in school education, therefore, correction of defects is necessary as soon as they are detected.

Speech therapy exercises for the development of phonemic hearing, which parents can do independently:

The adult names a series of sounds, and the child claps his hands when he hears the one in question.
The adult claps his hands or taps a pencil in a rhythm that the child must repeat.
The adult dictates sound combinations, the child repeats them.
The adult shows the pictures, the child chooses those with the hidden sound.
The adult names the words correctly and incorrectly, the child claps his hands when he hears the correct option.

Automation of the letter "P".

Speech breathing problems

Speech breathing is the basis of spoken speech. It is responsible for voice-forming and articulatory functions. Speech breathing is the ability of a person to take a short, deep breath and distribute the air when exhaling while simultaneously pronouncing various sounds. Inhalation is 5-8 times shorter than exhalation. The long-term output is where speech is formed. With correct speech breathing, the child speaks clearly and expressively, observing pauses.

Preschoolers do not control themselves, they begin to speak while inhaling or on the residual output, and take in air before pronouncing each word. This affects correct pronunciation. If the child does not pronounce “R”, correction work should begin with breathing.

How to distort the letter "r"

On specialized resources Rotacism the following main variants of distortion of the sound “r”, or scientifically called rotacism, are described:

Burr, or throaty “r”. It is not the tip of the tongue that vibrates, but the soft palate. This pronunciation is normal for French and German, but not for Russian speech.
Lateral "r". One side of the tongue is pressed against the upper teeth, the other side hangs down, and the tip does not vibrate. The result is something similar to “rl”.
Single-stroke "r". Instead of vibrating, the tip of the tongue hits the hard palate once, forming something like the English r.
Nasal "r". When you exhale, the air flow does not pass through the mouth, but through the nose. In addition, the tip of the tongue is pulled back and does not participate in articulation. The phrase “Roma, open the doors!” will turn into “Ngoma, otkngoy dvengi!”
Kuchersky "r". And again, the vibration occurs in the wrong place, namely on the lips close together. The baby makes something similar to “whoa.”
Pararotacism, or replacement of “r” with another sound. Instead of “child” you hear “child”, “hebyonok”, “vebyonok”, “yaebyonok” or even “yebyonok”.
Missing "r". The kid simply avoids difficulties. He says not “fish”, but “yba”, not “glad”, but “hell”, not “thunder”, but “gom”.

How to make the sound “r” at home

How to teach a child to pronounce the letter “r” at home? Despite the desire to quickly make the sound “r” and learn to say it in 5 minutes, only patience and work will become the foundation on which you can build the clear sound of your baby’s speech, brick by brick. And in order to meet these conditions, do not forget about the emotional component: your task is to make speech therapy exercises on the sound “r” an exciting game and provide all participants with a good mood.

So, start exercises for pronouncing the letter “r” with a warm-up:

What follows is the main part on producing the sound “r” in children, in which three stages can be distinguished:

“r”, sounding autonomous;
“r” in syllables and words;
“r” in connected speech.

We put the sound “r” using one of the options:

1. Continuously pull “dddddddd” and do not lift your tongue from the roof of your mouth. When it vibrates with a strong exhalation, the sound will be “ddd-rrr”. Then move on to the syllables “dra”, “dro”, “dru” with a hard “r”. Then - on words with these syllables (firewood, friendship, drama) and on the sound “tr” (labor, tract, path). When these techniques are well developed, remove the “d” and “t” and learn to say the sound “r” without them: hail, take, crane, ram, city, cow, fence, ax.

If you can’t pronounce “r”, then at the stage of continuous “d” you can lightly push the child’s tongue into the depths of the mouth, for example, with an ice cream stick, or vibrate it in the middle of the tongue. You should get a “ddrrrr” sound! And then - syllables and words.

2. If the child has a clear and distinct sound “zh”, then you can teach the child to pronounce the letter “r” using this method. Buzz loudly and forcefully, while moving your tongue deeper. This produces a short “r” sound. Practice repeatedly, then move on to syllables and words that begin with “zhr”, and then remove the “zh” and work with “r”, as described above.

3. To learn how to pronounce “r,” ask your child to say “ssss” as he exhales, and then inhale through his mouth, pressing his tongue to the roof of his mouth next to his upper teeth. The desired vibration occurs and the sound “r” sounds. And then - the same algorithm: this sound in syllables and at the beginning, middle, end of the word.

4. You can make a production of “r” from “r”. Considering that the soft sound “rry” is single-impact, achieve a long vibration of it “rryr” and translate it into the sound “rrr”. Then practice both sounds in syllables and words.

Imitating phenomena in the surrounding world, for example, the roar of a tiger, the noise of a running airplane engine or a tractor engine, increases the efficiency of the educational process, and the long-awaited result comes faster.

What exercises can you do at home?

Establishing the exact cause of rotacism and determining how to deal with it in your particular case is a task for a speech therapist. But if the child is not yet six or due to certain circumstances it is not yet possible to visit a specialist, you can try to curb the “r” yourself. To do this, you need to fulfill only three conditions.

Have patience. The process is unlikely to be quick and the result easy. You may need months of daily practice.
Prepare the place. Speech therapy exercises are best performed while sitting together in front of a large mirror. The baby needs to clearly see the movements of the mouth - yours and his own. Alternatively, sit opposite each other, but then your student should have a large table mirror.
Get ready for the game. Although mastering the “r” is a serious matter, it is better to conduct classes in a playful way. Let the child perceive them as a reason to have fun with mom or dad, and not as a difficult and boring chore. In any case, training should take no more than 10–15 minutes a day, and even then with breaks.

Now let's move on to the exercises.

Articulation gymnastics

You need to start the lesson by warming up your speech apparatus. These exercises will warm up the muscles, strengthen the tongue and help stretch the hyoid frenulum.

Swing

We open our mouth wide and swing our tongue up and down, touching the upper and lower teeth. Then we hold the tip near the upper teeth for 15–20 seconds.

Cuckoo

The mouth is still wide open. We stick out the tip of our tongue and touch it to the upper lip, and then hide it behind the upper teeth.

Painter

We imagine that the tongue is a wide brush, and carefully “paint” the teeth, cheeks, and upper palate with it.

horse

We click our tongue on the upper palate, as if a horse’s hooves are clicking.

Treat

We lick our lips clockwise and counterclockwise with our tongue outstretched.

Kitty

Imagine that there is a treat on the saucer - jam or ice cream. Now you need to stick your tongue out as far as possible and lick the treat so that the tongue does not curl into a tube, but remains spread out.

Harmonic

We lift the tongue up and “glue” its tip to the palate. Now, without lifting your tongue, open and close your mouth.

Hammer

We stretch our mouth into a smile and tap the tip of our tongue on the base of the front teeth, as if we are hammering nails.

Exercises for making the sound “r”

To pronounce “r” correctly, you need to start with other sounds.

Drum

Open your mouth wide and hit the tip of your tongue behind your upper teeth, pronouncing the sound “d.” Slowly at first, then faster. And there it’s already not far from “r”.

Buzzer

We pronounce the sound “zh” and at the same time constantly pull the tip of the tongue deep into the mouth. Over time, the “zh” will turn into a weakly vibrating “r”.

Snake

We repeat the sound “s-s-s” several times, after which we swallow our tongue and touch the tip of our tongue to the roof of our mouth.

Turkey

We stick out our wide tongue and perform movements back and forth, sliding the tip along the hard palate. At the moment when the tongue touches the alveoli - the tubercles behind the upper teeth, a single-beat “r” is produced.

Komarik

Open your mouth wide, lift your tongue up and rest it on the alveoli. And now for 10-15 seconds I buzz energetically, like a mosquito.

Motor

Place your index finger or a cotton swab under your tongue and vigorously move it back and forth, while simultaneously performing the “Mosquito” exercise.

Consolidate the result

When the sound itself is already obtained, you need to bring its pronunciation to automaticity. To do this, after articulation gymnastics, instead of positioning exercises, perform a complex to consolidate the skill.

We pronounce the letter “r” loudly and clearly several times.
We practice “r” through the consonant sounds “d” and “t”: “dra-dro-dru”, “tra-tro-tru”.
We remove the supporting “d” and “t” and work with “ra-ro-ru”.
We move on to the reverse syllables “ar-or-ur”, as well as to the position of “r” between vowels - “oru-ura-ara”. We repeat these combinations in different combinations day after day until the child is able to pronounce “r” with vibration. Only then can you practice with words.
First, we practice words that begin with “r” or even with “tr” and “dr” (grass, firewood, throne, drone, ladder, drape, hand, river, shirt). Then we take on nouns where “p” is in the middle or at the end (cow, great, carpet, fence, axe).
We include sentences, rhymes and tongue twisters with the letter “r”.

Types of incorrect pronunciation of the sounds P and P' and forms of their appearance

Introduction

Good speech is the most important condition for the comprehensive development of children [13, 3]. The richer and more correct a child’s speech, the easier it is for him to express his thoughts, the wider his opportunities for understanding the surrounding reality, the more meaningful and fulfilling his relationships with peers and adults, the more active his mental development is. One of the aspects of speech is sound pronunciation, which is the basis. The relevance of the problem of developing correct sound pronunciation in children is determined by the importance that correct speech plays in the mental development of the child and his readiness to study at school. As noted by O.V. Pravdin [10, 108], incorrect pronunciation can be observed in relation to any sound, but in practice it is most often found in the groups: whistling - 22%, hissing - 24%, p - 26%, l - 10%, voiced - 4.5 %, posterior palatal - 1%, soft - 1.5%. Why is not pronouncing the sound “r” a common problem? The sound R is one of the most differentiated and therefore difficult sounds of human speech. The indicated pattern in the distribution of pronunciation defects is associated with a greater or lesser complexity of the articulatory work required to pronounce these sounds and the complexity of their sound. Numerous studies of domestic researchers in the field of defectology and speech therapy A.N. Gvozdev, N.I. Zhinkin, G.A. Kasha, P.E. Levina, O.V. Pravdina [10, 105-110], L.F. Spirova, T.B. Filicheva [14,60], M.F. Fomicheva [13, 3-5], G.V. Chirkina, S.N. Shakhovskaya [4, 114], the problem of education of correct speech, in particular, the formation of the pronunciation of sounds, has been studied and illuminated in detail.

Forming correct pronunciation in children is a complex process; the child learns to control his speech organs, perceive speech addressed to him, exercise control over the speech of others and his own, exercise control over the speech of others and his own. But for many children this process is delayed. Nowadays, most children have difficulty pronouncing sounds in words that include certain groups of consonants - whistling, hissing, sonorant sounds. Sound pronunciation defects do not disappear on their own. Under favorable learning conditions, children are capable of self-correction. The entire preschool age is a time of vigorous development of speech and, in particular, mastery of correct sound pronunciation.

Main part.

The pronunciation of P-Pb is normal.

A preschool child is just learning to control his tongue, so, unlike adults, pronunciation of many letters is a whole lot of work for him. The sound R is one of the most difficult sounds in the Russian language. The consonant sounds p and p', according to the degree of voice participation, are classified as sonorant. According to the method of formation, these sounds are tremulous (vibrants), According to the place of formation - lingual-alveolar, p - hard, p' soft. Resonates in the oral cavity.

The sound R is a consonant, oral, sonorant, hard, tremulous, anterior lingual.

The sound Pb is a consonant, oral, sonorant, soft, tremulous, anterior lingual [13, 70]

Speech therapy profile

Articulation p Articulation p'

Articulatory structure and mechanism of formation of sounds r and r'

The lips are open and take the position of the next vowel sound, as can be seen, for example, when comparing the syllables ra, ro, ru. A distance of 4-5 mm is maintained between the upper and lower incisors. The tongue takes the shape of a spoon. Its lateral edges are adjacent to the upper molars, and the front edge is raised to the alveoli, comes into contact with them and vibrates under the pressure of exhaled air. The back of the tongue is pushed back and rises slightly towards the soft palate, the vocal-exhalatory stream passes in the middle. The soft palate is raised and closes the passage to the nose, the vocal cords are closed and vibrate, producing the voice.

The soft phoneme p' differs in articulation from the paired hard one by an additional rise of the back of the tongue to the hard palate (approximately as with the vowel and), the tip of the tongue is slightly lower than with p, the back of the back of the tongue, together with the root, is moved forward [14, 60] .

There are several reasons for the violation of the correct pronunciation of this sound:

—physiological structure of the tongue. This reason is usually considered first. We are talking about the hyoid frenulum. It happens that the tongue simply does not reach the palate, thereby making the sound “r” burr;

- low mobility of the articulatory apparatus, i.e. low-moving tongue. This difficulty lies in insufficient conversational practice. The less a child speaks, the slower the amplitude of the tongue and its vibration develop;

- phonemic hearing impairment. The child hears the speech of an adult and then tries to quickly reproduce it. As a result, he confuses the sounds “d” and “t”, “ya” and “a”, “u” and “yu”. The sound “r” also disappears from words;

-physiological features of breathing; Some diseases (runny nose, diseases of the cardiovascular system, enlarged adenoids) affect breathing, thus affecting speech breathing.

Staging

There are several ways to make the sound R:

—by imitation based on the auditory image, on the visual perception of articulation; this technique only occasionally leads to positive results, so others have to be used more often.

- mechanical method - using auxiliary means (spatula, probe) the articulatory organs are given a certain position;

- production from other sounds, correctly pronounced, without mechanical assistance:

- setting from the articulatory structure (using articulation exercises);

—mixed method.

Automation

After vibration has been achieved, it is necessary, through various exercises on the material of syllables, words and phrases pronounced at a gradually accelerating pace, to achieve automation of the learned articulation.

Sound R'.

After automating P, using the technique of imitation, they achieve the correct pronunciation of Pb. A long, rolling r is successively combined with the vowels i, i, e, e, yu, while stretching the lips into a smile. Having achieved the correct pronunciation of Рь in syllables, enter the words in which it appears

- at the beginning: river, turnip, rowan, belt, radish, drawing, lattice, etc.;

- in the middle: tree, chicken, turtle, jam, beret, root, sailor, cucumber, etc.;

- at the end: bubble, lantern, anchor, cracker, calendar, primer, door.

Make sentences with practiced words, for example: Rita cooks rice. Rimma has a lilac beret. A curly birch tree grows on the river bank. Seryozha has a belt with a buckle. Rita gives Bora a flashlight [13.74].

Distortion of the sounds R, Rb.

It is not difficult to distinguish throat pronunciation from the correct one: to do this, you can ask the child to open his mouth wide and pronounce r for a long time. At the same time, it is impossible to say the correct r, but the throat one is pronounced freely. Correction of throat p can be done as follows.

Preparatory stage

. If the child’s tongue is clumsy, tense and there are no correct sounds Ш and Ж in speech (which also require the wide tongue to rise upward), you should resort to articulatory gymnastics, through which the necessary positions and movements of the tongue will be developed.

Sound production

. If the child has the correct sounds Ш and Ж, you should immediately begin setting up the proton R and generating vibration at the tip of the tongue (as in the absence of the R sound). P is necessary to obtain in order to activate the tip of the tongue and remove the vibration of the small uvula or soft palate. The resulting sound is consolidated through repeated repetition. It is necessary to ensure that the child uses the tip of his tongue behind the upper teeth at all times. It is also necessary that he visually controls his movements in front of the mirror.

Sound Automation

. When the correct r sound is obtained, it is very carefully introduced into the words. Having become accustomed to the throaty pronunciation of r, the child cannot always keep track of his articulation. Therefore, self-control and monitoring by a speech therapist are necessary for a long time. The number of words and sentences with the sound R is increased gradually. First, the child learns short poems and nursery rhymes, then short stories. Only when the child has no errors in the material he has mastered can he be required to always correctly pronounce the sound R in independent speech.

Conclusion

The problem of forming the sound side of speech has not lost its relevance and practical significance at the present time.

The sound R is one of the most differentiated and therefore difficult sounds of human speech. The sound R is a consonant, oral, sonorant, trembling, anterior lingual, can be hard or soft. Normally, it appears in a child by the age of 5-6 years. However, there are several reasons why a child cannot pronounce the letter “r” correctly, these are the physiological structure of the tongue, immobility of the articulatory apparatus, impaired phonemic hearing and physiological characteristics of breathing. Of all the sounds of the Russian language, the sound p is the most complex in formation; it requires precise movements of various parts of the tongue, therefore its violations are diverse. There are two types of defects in the phonemes P and P': rhotacism (distortion) and parorotacism (replacement). Speech therapy intervention is carried out in the usual manner, in stages: the preparatory stage, sound production and automation. Techniques for producing the sounds P and P' have also been developed.

Thus , it should be emphasized that the problem of forming the sound side of speech has not lost its relevance and practical significance at the present time. But with proper organization of speech therapy work, a positive effect is achieved with all types of violations of the pronunciation of the sounds P-Pb.

Literature:

1.Identification and overcoming of speech disorders in preschool age. / Comp. I.Yu. Kondratenko. - M.: Iris - press, 2005.

2. Zhukova N. S. Speech therapist lessons: correction of speech sound pronunciations / N. S. Zhukova; - M: Eksmo, 2015. From 108 - 127

3. Correction of violations of the pronunciation of sonorous sounds in preschoolers and primary schoolchildren: a manual for speech pathologists and teachers of institutions providing preschool education / comp. E. I. Shablyko. - Mozyr: LLC Publishing House "Bely Veter", 2008. - 130 p.

4. Speech therapy./ Ed. L. S. Volkova, S. N. Shakhovskaya. – M., 1998. S. 112 – 115

5. Lvov M.R. Fundamentals of speech theory: Textbook. village for students ped. universities – M.: Academy, 2000. – 247 p.

6. Negnevitskaya E. I., Shakhnarovich A. M. Fundamentals of the theory and practice of speech therapy. – M., 1998.

7.Novotvortseva N.V. Workbook on the development of speech on the sounds P and P'. – M., 1998. – P. 54

8. Fundamentals of the theory and practice of speech therapy / Ed. R. E. Levina – M., 1968. – P. 271 – 337

9. Paramonova L.G. Sound pronunciation disorders in children. Publishing house: Union, 2005. – 224 p.

10. Pravdina O. V. Speech therapy. Textbook manual for defectologist students. fact-tov ped. Inst. Ed. 2nd, add. and processed - M.: Education, 1973. P. 105-110.

11.Povalyaeva M.A. Speech therapist's reference book. - Rostov n/d., 2008. P. 38

12. Uspenskaya L. P., Uspensky M. B. Learn to speak correctly. Book in 2 parts. Part II. – M., 1995. P. 36 – 86

13. Fomicheva M. F. Education of children with correct pronunciation, - M., -1999. – 240 s.

14. Filicheva T. B. et al. Fundamentals of speech therapy: Textbook. manual for pedagogical students. Institute of Specialists “Pedagogy and psychology (preschool)” / T. B. Filicheva, N. A. Cheveleva, G. V. Chirkina. - M.: Education, 1989. - P. 60 -63.

15. Reader on speech therapy (extracts and texts): Textbook for students of higher and secondary special pedagogical educational institutions: In 2 vols. T. II / Ed. L. S. Volkova and V. I. Seliverstov. — M.: Humanite. ed. VLADOS center, 1997. – pp. 51-55.

16. Khvattsev M.E. Speech therapy. M., 1959. P.106

17. Shashkina G.R., Zernova L.G. Speech therapy work with preschoolers. — M.: 2007. P. 78

Introduction

Main part.

The pronunciation of P-Pb is normal.

The sound R is a consonant, oral, sonorant, hard, tremulous, anterior lingual.

The sound Pb is a consonant, oral, sonorant, soft, tremulous, anterior lingual [13, 70]

Speech therapy profile

Articulation p Articulation p'

Articulatory structure and mechanism of formation of sounds r and r'

There are several reasons for the violation of the correct pronunciation of this sound:

-physiological features of breathing; Some diseases (runny nose, diseases of the cardiovascular system, enlarged adenoids) affect breathing, thus affecting speech breathing.

Types of incorrect pronunciation of the sounds P and P' and forms of their appearance

There are two types of defects in the phonemes P and P': rhotacism (distortion) and parorotacism (replacement). ROTACism (Latin rhotacismus, from the Greek letter “rho”) is a violation of the pronunciation of the sounds (phonemes) P and Pb. PARAROTACISM (from the Greek prefix para, meaning deviation or being near something. Previously, rotacism was called burr, currently the term burr is not used, instead the expression “flaws, defects or violation of the pronunciation of R.” is often used.

Varieties of rotacism.

1. Often the sound P is completely absent in children’s speech or an overtone of a vowel appears instead. In this case, a complete absence of the necessary articulatory movements is revealed.

2. Disadvantages in the pronunciation of the sound P can manifest themselves in the form of a throaty

trembling sound.
The first type of such articulation is velar
P (from
velum
- soft palate), in which the root part of the tongue approaches the lower edge of the soft palate, forming a gap with it.
Passing through this gap, the exhaled air causes a fine, random vibration of the soft palate, resulting in noise, which, when mixed with the tone of the voice, imparts a specific defective sound. In the second type - uvular
P (from
uvula
- tongue) - only the tip of the soft palate vibrates - as a result, a distinct rumble is heard.

3. Bilabial

R. The first option is the “coachman’s” pronunciation, formed by the vibration of both lips. The second option - without vibration - is to reproduce P by forming a bilabial fissure, when something like the English “w” is heard.

4. With lateral

In the pronunciation of R, vibration is present, but its location moves. Lateral pronunciation is usually based on organic reasons: paresis of the tongue, a massive, short hyoid ligament, which is often accompanied by a narrow, high palate or incorrect arrangement of the teeth of the upper jaw. These factors interfere with the formation of elasticity of the tip of the tongue and the raising of the tongue upward, which leads to the child’s attempts to compensate for his defect. Thus, the bow is formed in the following ways:

a) raised back of the tongue + palate. This produces the sound [рл];

b) the tip of the tongue or one of the lateral edges of the tongue + the inner surface of the gap: the vibration is rough, resulting in a “cheek” sound [p]; [10, 105-110]

c) tongue + upper lip: the vibration is rough, and the sound [p] slips through;

d) the closure of the tip of the tongue, or more often one of its lateral edges, with the palate occurs either to the right or to the left of the midline - the sound of [p] is somewhat softened.

5. Instead of P, sometimes there is a nasal sound like the English or German “ng”, formed by closing the root part of the tongue with the soft palate with the free passage of air from the pharynx to the nose.

6. In some cases you have to deal with the so-called single-impact

P, in which the anterior edge of the tongue comes into contact with the alveoli only once, there is no vibration, and a sound resembling the English (alveolar) “d” is heard.

7. Possibly deaf

pronunciation of the sound R. With a single-beat and voiceless pronunciation of the sound R, articulation turns out to be closest to the norm [15, 24]

8. Labiodental rhotacism (distortion of P and Pb caused by the formation of sound between the lower lip and upper teeth (incisors) or upper lip and lower teeth);

9. Laryngeal (laryngeal) rhotacism (manifests itself in extrapyramidal diseases or is caused by a cleft palate, the sounds P-Pb arise due to the vibration of compressed false folds or strongly closed vocal folds);

10. Nasal rhotacism (defective pronunciation of P-Pb is caused by fluctuations between the posterior plane of the soft palate and the posterior wall of the pharynx);

11. Pharyngeal (pharyngeal) rhotacism (defective pronunciation of P-Pb is caused by the formation of a hoarse sound similar to P between the root of the tongue and the back wall of the pharynx);

12. Nasal pronunciation of R (the root of the tongue forms a bow with the soft palate and exhalation occurs through the nose);

13.Replacement of hard P with soft Pb (cow - bark, hand - ryuka);

In addition, there are several types of pararotacism.

In preschoolers, the sound P is often replaced by L or Lb and D. In these variants of pararotacism, the place of sound formation remains more or less correct, but the method of pronunciation changes, the sound ceases to be trembling. In cases of sound replacements: the place of pronunciation also changes:

anterior lingual P is replaced by midlingual [j], labiodental [v], posterior lingual [g], and
the method of pronunciation: trembling
It is possible to replace the sound P with a paired soft Pb.

In most cases, one or another type of rhotacism covers both hard P and soft Pb. Often, however, with impaired P, intact Pb is observed. The opposite is less common [15, 31].

When to take your child to a speech therapist

It is advisable to do this before the baby goes to school. Otherwise, a problem with the pronunciation or perception of “r” may affect your studies or communication with peers.

How long will the correction take? Everything is very individual: for some, three or four sessions with a specialist are enough, while others need months of regular training at home under the supervision of a speech therapist. In any case, in adulthood, the process of correcting speech errors will require much more time and effort than at 6–7 years old.