Speech therapy exercises for sound [l]: speech therapy homework

Young children often distort words when speaking, and some sounds are particularly difficult for them. What to do if the baby does not pronounce the sound [l]? The speech therapist will determine the cause of the speech defect and prescribe a set of exercises to eliminate it. But before going to a specialist, parents can try to work with their child on their own. It is possible that home lessons will be enough.

Letter or sound?

Before your first speech therapy session, carefully study the theoretical material, become familiar with the basic prerequisites for the occurrence of the defect, sound production techniques and types of exercises to consolidate success.

Gaps in parents' knowledge are the main reason for the ineffectiveness of classes. First of all, remember that a speech therapist teaches you to pronounce not the letter but the sound [l]. Speech sounds in writing are indicated by letters. A letter can only be written, but not pronounced or heard. Several different sounds can be represented by one letter when written. The Russian language has more sounds than letters. By calling a sound a letter, you give your child the wrong idea about the Russian phonetic base.

This is interesting[edit | edit code]

words containing four letters “l”
(common nouns): “
cellulose acetate
”, “
benzylcellulose
”, “
villanelle
”, “
-oil separator
”, “
subsoiler-flat cutter
”, “
carboxymethylcellulose
”, “
methylcellulose
”, “
triacetylcellulose
”, “
school-lyceum-college
", "
electric steel smelter
", "
ethylcellulose
"
a word containing five letters “l”
: “
parallel-serial
”

Reasons for incorrect pronunciation

Doctors identify three main reasons why a baby has problems pronouncing the sound [l]:

[l] is not perceived by the child by ear;
there is a defect in the oral cavity;
underdevelopment of the muscle tissue of the tongue.

Parents are often overly demanding of their children. At 2-3 years of age, speech therapists consider errors when pronouncing words with the letter L to be normal. If at 4-6 years the problem does not disappear on its own, it makes sense to think about corrective classes.

Historical background[edit | edit code]

Alphabet sheet with letter L[7]

Origin of the letter[edit | edit code]

The origin of both the Cyrillic and Glagolitic letters is the Greek lambda (Λ, λ) (uppercase statutory and lowercase italic, respectively), although, as usual, there is also a Semitic version of the origin for the Glagolitic letter.[8] In the Old Church Slavonic language it could be pronounced firmly and softly; in the latter case, it could be equipped with a bow on top (chamber) or a hook on top on the right (which looked similar to glued lg

).
This same property of double pronunciation [l]/[l'] has been preserved in most Slavic languages, including Russian; in Serbian, for the soft version, Vuk Karadzic introduced a special style Љ
, which later became part of the Macedonian alphabet.[9][10]

In Old Slavonic and church writing[edit | edit code]

In the Old and Church Slavonic alphabets it is called “lyudiѥ” (Old Sl.) or “people” (C. Sl.). In Cyrillic it is the 13th in a row, looks like and has a numerical value of 30; in the Glagolitic alphabet the number 14 looks like and has a numerical value of 50.

Modifications and modernity[edit | edit code]

L shape

from antiquity to the present day has not experienced any special changes, except that it is worth mentioning the transition from its old Λ-shaped form to the modern one (with a U-shaped top), introduced in the fonts of the St. Petersburg Foundry of Revillon and Co. in the 1840s and in the following decades, spreading everywhere.[11]

Correct position of the vocal apparatus

The correct position of the articulation organs can be achieved as follows:

teeth do not close;
the lateral parts of the tongue are not adjacent to the molars of the upper row;
the tip of the tongue is tense, it focuses on the base of the front teeth of the upper jaw or on the gums above them;
the root of the tongue is raised;
the upper palate is positioned so that it covers the openings of the nasopharynx;
vocal cords vibrate.

Common articulation errors

A child pronounces [l] incorrectly if he:

pulls the tongue into the inside of the mouth. This is how the sound [s] appears - for example, [yotka] instead of [tray] in the word “boat”;
placing his lips incorrectly, the child says [v] instead of [l] - [uvoshat] instead of [loshat] in the word “horse”;
incorrectly passes the air flow - [fuk] instead of [bow], [dejection] instead of [smile] in the word “smile”.

Children often unconsciously replace the previously mastered sound [r] with [l]. To avoid new problems with articulation, before practicing the sound [r], practice the sound [l].

Preparatory exercises before sound production

Before moving on to the main part of the lesson, you need to do a short articulatory warm-up. It consists of five exercises.

"Om-Nom-nom". The tongue is scapula-shaped, sticking out, lips motionless. Lick your upper lip from top to bottom.
"Turkey baby." The initial position of the speech apparatus is the same. While licking your upper lip at a fast pace, try to say “bl-bl-bl.”
"Horse". The exercise is aimed at strengthening the muscles of the oral cavity. Imitate the clatter of hooves by clicking your tongue near the front teeth of your upper jaw.
"Swing". Smile widely with your mouth slightly open. Alternately press the tip of your tongue against your lower and upper teeth.
"Mushroom". Pull the lingual frenulum, resting your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Hold the position for a moment.

Sound setting [l]

Speech therapy relies on two main methods of producing the sound [l].

Try to pronounce [s] together - cheerfully, drawlingly, in a sing-song manner, etc. Next, ask them to repeat after you short words with the syllable -ly-: fangs, skis, bast, smile, hear, etc. One fine moment the baby will be able to catch the interdental position of the tongue, and he will pronounce the word correctly. When this happens, focus his attention on where the tip of the tongue should rest.
The exercise is also performed jointly. Open your mouth so wide that all your teeth are visible. Stick your tongue out between your teeth and say [a]. At the same time, lightly close your jaw, pressing the tip of your tongue. The syllable should be -la-. When the child begins to pronounce [l] clearly, invite him to move his tongue to the correct position.

Don't forget that this is still a small child. The best learning methods for him are repeating the actions of an adult and playing. You shouldn’t push if your baby is not in the mood to study. Whip up interest in the lessons, explain what you are doing and why. Start with 1-2 classes a day, 3 repetitions.

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.

"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.”
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.

Sound Automation

Bringing pure pronunciation of the sound [l] to automaticity is a complex and time-consuming training process. When the sound is delivered, the child can successfully pronounce it separately, but also skip it in words or syllables. It is better to start by practicing the soft sound [l'], namely the syllables -lyu-, -la-, -li-, -le-. As soon as the syllables are easy for the child, move on to words with these syllables, for example: deer, fox, fields, etc.

After verbal training, move on to pure speeches, such as:

la-la-la – summer fields;
lyu-lyu-lyu - I’ll pour some milk;
li-li-li - we found the fox.

Pure twisters are replaced by tongue twisters.

Lena barely ate; she didn’t want to eat out of laziness.
Valenka's felt boots are too small for the giant.

Then begin to master the reverse type of articulation: the syllables –al-, -yal-, -el-, etc. The training scheme remains the same with one exception: at this stage you need to carefully control the position of the tongue on the gums or teeth.

The hard sound [l] is more difficult for children. The technique is no different from that used with soft sound, but the number of approaches and repetitions of speech therapy exercises will have to be increased several times.

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.

Rules for conducting exercises

In order for your classes to meet methodological and medical requirements, you must follow several rules.

Classes are held daily to successfully transform the acquired skill into a skill.
You cannot perform more than 5 exercises per session.
When selecting tasks, you need to be guided by the principle “from simple to complex.”
Classes are conducted in the form of a game.
Of the 5 exercises, only one should be new for the baby. The other 4 are familiar to him from previous classes.
The lesson is carried out only in a sitting position.
The child clearly sees both his own face and the adult’s face in order to control the correctness of the task. It is better to sit next to a large mirror.
An adult must supervise the correct execution of the exercise.
The lesson is conducted in a relaxed atmosphere with a positive attitude of the child.
Highlight and praise any successes of the baby.

Other ways to develop the speech apparatus

It has been proven that in the human brain the centers responsible for speech and fine motor skills of the hands are located nearby. There is a direct relationship between delayed speech development and poor coordination of children's fingers. By developing a child’s speech, you stimulate the mechanisms of fine motor development, and vice versa. Thus, to eliminate difficulties in articulating sounds, it is necessary to play finger games with the baby. Methodological manuals are rich in examples of homework assignments in speech therapy based on finger games for children of primary preschool age:

modeling from plasticine or clay;
drawing, coloring, creative work with drawings;
games with pebbles, beads, balls;
stringing beads or buttons on a thread;
tying knots on a rope;
fastening buttons, hooks, zippers;
design;
collecting puzzles;
folding cubes and pyramids;
playing with water and sand;
applique.

Such games have their own characteristics.

A combination of games and exercises for speech development. Games are not played in silence. Every action is voiced and spoken.
Regular training. Finger games should be allocated a separate time in the child’s daily routine.
Vigorous movements and maximum motor load on children's fingers are important.
Short duration of classes.

Games and exercises aimed at developing fine motor skills also help children learn to understand the content of poetry and distinguish the rhythm of speech. The formation of subtle movements of children's fingers contributes to the maturation of visual-motor coordination and the readiness of the hand to write.

Classes will not be successful without the maximum involvement of parents in the learning process. Relearn how to pronounce complex sounds with your child. Use your imagination to interest him. Turn an ordinary exercise into a fun activity, and the results will not take long!

Recommendations for parents

Before moving on to exercises with the letter L, adults need to learn a number of simple rules that will make classes easy and spending time with your child enjoyable:

Speak as equals. Don't try to make things easier by babying, you'll only make things worse. Pronounce all words correctly - this is an extremely important condition.
Answer questions. If your child doesn’t understand something, stop and explain in more detail. This way your baby will feel strong support, and you will gain his full trust.
Turn activities into games. Children learn information well through play. It is important that the exercises evoke a positive emotional response in the baby. Make up fairy tales and arrange unusual adventures. Under such conditions, the child will begin to pronounce the sound L reflexively.
Exercise shouldn't be a punishment. In this way, you will discourage your child from wanting not only to study, but also to communicate with adults.
Maintain regularity. Conduct classes systematically, at a time that is comfortable for you and your child. The ideal option is exercise for 5-10 minutes 3-4 times a day.

By following these simple recommendations, your child will quickly learn to pronounce the letter L at home.