Rotacism or difficulty in pronouncing the 'r' in children

The acquisition of the phonetic code in children is a learning process that occurs as the child grows. It is very common that children during this process will find difficulties in learning to pronounce the phoneme 'r' . This disorder in pronunciation is usually temporary, but it is important that c

The acquisition of the phonetic code in children is a learning process that occurs as the child grows. It is very common that children during this process will find difficulties in learning to pronounce the phoneme 'r' . This disorder in pronunciation is usually temporary, but it is important that children receive the necessary help to correct it.Why there are children who do not pronounce the R well

There are different reasons why the child may have difficulty producing this sound. Some of them are the following: El - The point of articulation:

the child does not place the tongue where it must be done to produce the sound R

, and does not blow as it should. - Cleft in the palate.- Auditory deficit. That prevents him from differentiating this phoneme from similar ones.

- Difficulty in hearing discrimination of the phoneme for other reasons.

- Intellectual disability.

- Long or short lingual frenulum.

Activities to be done to achieve the pronunciation of the R

It is important to work different aspects:

1- Breathing and breathing:

You can carry out simple breathing and breathing exercises such as blowing bubbles with a pompero, blowing candles, inflating balloons, move a grinder only with the breath, play soccer games by moving small foam balls ...

2- Lingual positioning : Exercises must be done so that the child becomes aware of the correct position of the tongue for the production of this phoneme. For this, you can place different foods behind the upper incisors (angel bread, pieces of sugus, nocilla ...) and the child must undo them only with the tip of the tongue.

3- Lingual mobility exercises:We must propose a series of exercises to increase the tone and mobility of the child's language.

Some examples are the following: - Crashing the tongue with the upper incisors and pulling it out strongly.

- This same exercise can be done by exerting a little pressure on the cheeks, to direct the flow of air.

- Walk the palate from back to front with your tongue and stick your tongue out and hit the upper incisors.

- Move to the sides inside and outside the mouth.

- Touch the last molars.

- Imitate that we eat an ice cream.

- Massaging the tongue with the toothbrush after washing them.

4- Auditory discrimination:

In order to correctly produce a phoneme, it is very important that the child knows how to differentiate it from a similar one. For this reason, it is advisable to carry out auditory discrimination activities.

To do this, we can say words and the child should classify them according to how they pronounce with / rr / / r / or / l /, for example. To make this activity more fun, we can ask you to write or draw the words in the corresponding column. 5- Pronunciation and repetition

: For this, you can use stories or songs in which the child has to repeat certain words that contain the phoneme R. Do not require the child to pronounce it correctly the first time, since this It will be achieved over time.

All these exercises must be done naturally and playfully, and integrated into your daily routine. It is important to bear in mind that, in some occasions, the child has acquired this phoneme in its repeated language but has not automated it in its spontaneous language. It is a process that takes time, so we must be patient and not be too demanding. And of course, in case of doubt, check with your speech therapist.