36
MENTAL WELFARE. /
Corrective Teaching for Defects of Speech in Backward and Mentally Defective Children. By Ellis
LJwyd Jones,
Irene R.
Lecturer in ihe
Ewing,
Training of
the
Deaf, Manchester University.
the last five or six years many teachers whom I have met have disthe defects which are so common in the speech of backward and defective children, and the difficulties which lie before the teacher who tries to correct such defects.
During-
cussed with
me
Lately much more attention is being- paid to the question of speech correction. The Board of Education and Authorities of Training Colleges are recognising its importance and are providing speech-training as part of a teacher's course of study. Most of such training bears upon the teacher's own speech, and as yet little instruction is given in the correction of children's speech. In my opinion the greatest influence towards securing more perfect speech schools is the more perfect speech of teachers. It is well, therefore, for everyone who is interested in this subject to examine his or her own speech? We are all apt to detect and correct any imperfections that may be present. to form careless, slipshod habits when we talk, to catch local inflexion of voice Our speech is so largely a matter of imitation or the local stressing of a word. that it is not easy to avoid imitating the provincialisms of the district in which I would suggest, therefore, that if we are to improve the quality we live or work. of the speech in a school as a whole and also to correct individual peculiarities and defects we must first of all ensure that the speech the children hear in school shall be as perfect as possible. This presupposes that teachers realising the danger " " to catch of their own tendency in common with all mankind provincialisms will quite simply and definitely give ear to their own speech. The swiftest and " " for speech is, in my opinion, through the study an ear surest way to develop In such a course of study not only does one gain a systematic and of phonetics. scientific knowledge of the formation of the sounds (i.e., vowels, diphthongs, consonants and all their combinations) of which our language is composed, an understanding of the relative positions of the organs of speech for each sound, but one also acquires facility in diagnosing faults, in controlling lips, tongue, etc.?a facility greatly needed when we wish to imitate a fault for the purpose of diagnosis and correction. in
our
are many teachers of backward and defective children who, though neither enough time nor opportunity for the study of phonetics, are keenly interested in speech correction, and would gladly devote some time and thought to it, if they knew how to set about it. To them the following suggestions are offered in the hope that they may be of practical help as a basis upon which to work.
But there
having
If suggestions are to be of real practical help, when making them, one must bear in mind the conditions under which the average teacher works. For instance, usually she has a class of twenty or more children, whose speech is slovenly and inaccurate at best, and among whom there are one or two whose speech is definitely fault such as stammering, faulty and unintelligible. When there is a specific" speech " t for c or k (e.g., toat habits resulting from cleft palate, given lisping, bad " for coat), d " for g (e.g., do for go), corrective teaching must of necessity be individual?and we know it is not easy for a teacher responsible for a class to
37
MENTAL WELFARE.
devote time to individual needs. I think that satisfactory and lasting' results, when dealing with specific speech defects, can only be obtained through much teaching and practice?direct personal teaching regularly and systematically given by a the child during the speech person whose whole attention can be devoted to lesson. It is not possible for a teacher to supervise a class doing other work and for the lisp of one child. at the same time to give adequate corrective teaching is lO be obtained, time in I am persuaded that if a speech permanent improvement an arrangement so that one teachei for individual either be must made, by teaching each class or superintendent shall be responsible for this work, or by allowing teacher a short time daily in which to deal with the worst types of defects among is the children in her class. Even in schools where one teacher or superintendent unless each responsible for all speech training, the best results cannot be obtained member of the staff works in co-operation with her. Twenty minutes' teaching " " " " th instead of s and practice daily in sounding {e.g., child who lisps and " " the new speech habit in a establish alone not will for soap, etc.), says thoap backward child. He is slow to form new habits and unless he is reminded every time he uses a word in which the faulty sound occurs, he will not of himself apply what he has learnt; the old" habit will re-assert itself and he will continue to lisp except when talking to the speech teacher." She acts as a reminder and " Sometimes we forget that it is not enough to lie sounds the " s as a result. it and secure from the child the right sound ; we need to give enough practice in in such a way that he produces it its to fix it in the child's
speech
application
eventually automatically and not with a conscious effort; and, again, let us remember that we are dealing with backward children and therefore we must be prepared to give extra practice, and yet even so to obtain a result more slowly. I believe that it is well worth while to persevere with speech correction, no matter how slow the progress made, and that very encouraging results are possible with defective children in this branch of teaching, but only in so far as the speech is a
One or two keen individuals can about much improvement in the speech of a school, but the most lasting results can only be obtained when makes every teacher in a school co-operates and the utterance of every child her concern.
matter of interest to every member of the staff.
bring
I hope that I may be pardoned for repeating what I have already written? that it is well worth the trouble and time to study phonetics and to attend a course of lectures in Speech-training, especially where several members of a staff can attend together. I believe that it is very helpful?it is certainly more amusing if two or three or more work in co-operation when studying this subject,
analysing, criticising, comparing
and
in the school. To
such teachers, anxious to suggest that it is helpful to think of 1. 2. 3. 4.
imitating faulty develop
"
an
ear
sounds made by children "
for
I
speech,
speech from four different aspects
would
:
The
voice?pleasant and resonant? sounds?pure or local? Consonants?clearly uttered or thickly? Accent?is stress laid on the right syllable?
Vowel
Devote a short time daily for a month noting defects in the speech of diffeient children ; later analyse each fault, and ask yourself quite simply :? 1. 2. 3.
Is that defect due to the child's voice? Is it due to a wrong vowel sound? Is it due to a wrong consonant, or to consonant?
a
slovenly
sound,
or
to
lack of
a
38
MENTAL WELFARE.
4.
Is it due to the wrongobserve) ?
of
a
syllable (e.g.,
observe instead of
it and examine it to discover to this plan every day for a month you will find that the vagueness as to the origin of defects will clear away and that you will learn to locate that part of the mechanism which is responsible for them. And the second step, I believe, This is the first step towards correction. Train yourself to repioduce as exactly as you lies in the imitation of the fault. can what the child says. Develop a sense of mimicry so that you can imitate faults a teacher knows what is wrong with the child's speech she Unless instantly. The mere repetition by the teacher of the cannot show him how to correct it. It is of no value for the teacher to word correctly spoken is practically useless. " No ! that is wrong?this is right," again and discourage a child by saying, again as he tries to copy her pronunciation. She needs to show him how to produce the right sound, so simply that he can follow her directions. Not only must she understand how the correct vowel or consonant is produced but also she must know what the child does that he should not do, or what he omits to do. This knowledge will come naturally if she gain facility in imitating faults. Briefly I suggest the following procedure will be helpful in diagnosis :? Whenever you hear
a
which group it belongs.
1. 2. 3.
Place the fault
Imitate it. a
4.
the
Compare mirror.
Note the
fault
stressing
mentally analyse
By following
(i.e.,
right
shape
Voice?
Vowel?
Consonant?
and the wrong sound
of the
sound,
if it is
a
as
or
Accent?).
you repeat each in front of
vowel, and the position, if
a
consonant.
What you can see of the production of sounds is even more helpful than what you can hear, and it is more definite. You can show the child in the mirror his own wrong shape or position. a short article such as this it is impossible to deal adequately with the defects of and of consonants and accent. correction I can voice, vowels, origin only recommend books that will be helpful to the teacher who wishes to know For voice and its right development, for the production of vowels and more. " consonants I would recommend Voice Training," by H. H. Hulbert (University For valuable suggestions as to the correction of particular Tutorial Press, 1/Gd.). " defects I would recommend Defects of Speech," by Ida C. Ward (Dent & Sons, a useful description of the formation of vowels, consonants and For l/6d. ?). their combinations, I would recommend " Speech and Speech Reading," by A. J. Story (Harrison & Ainsworth, 3/10d.). This book is intended for teachers of the deaf but there is much in it that can be very helpful to anyone interested in the production of the sounds of which our language is composed.
In
If we consider the type of child in whose speech defects such as stammering, strained speech, jerky speech, a hurried lisp occur, we find that almost always It is necessary, therefore, for us to remember he is nervous and highly strung. that successful correction for him will be brought about by building up his selfIt is essential to arouse in confidence and a belief that he can speak properly. him a desire for correction and an interest in his speech, and this can best be done, I believe, by noting and recommending- what is right in his speech from the first?and only gradually introducing the idea that all sounds are not perfect
but
can
be made
In the
of
so.
foregoing plans we have particular children ; we have not
considered the dealt with the
more
pronounced speech defects
question
from the
point
of view
39
MENTAL WELFARE.
strongly that there is valuable work to be clone movements of hands, feet and limbs of backward children are clumsy and often lacking in control, so are the movements of the organs of speech?the lips, tongue, soft palate, etc. ; and just as free bodily action is developed in drill, games and dancing by the regular exercise of all muscles involved, so should we develop the muscles concerned in the formation of words. This can be done by setting aside each day a short period to be devoted to speechtraining for the whole class. I would suggest that 15 minutes daily be allowed for this and that the time would be well spent if divided into three parts of class teaching. in this direction.
I feel very
Just
5 minutes 5 minutes 5 minutes
on on on
as
the'
Voice
training. Pronunciation, i.e.,
Pure vowel sounds.
Consonants.
I his scheme is only intended to be suggestive. The wise teacher will note her the weakness in the speech of her class and she will plan her time and exercises especially for the correction of the most common faults.
Suggested exercises for Voice training :? (a) Breathing exercises?upon which the strength and control of primarily depend. (See Hulbert?Voice I raining, p. 16.) Exercises AR." based on (b) AR?prolonged and sung in a pleasant well resonated voice.
the voice
"
OO?Ditto.
AR?begun softly
swelling
and
OO?Ditto. AR?soft
loud,
to
greater loudness.
soft loud in turns.
OO?Ditto. It is necessary for the teacher to see that before such exercises a^e taken, Resonance is interfered with if there is every child blows his nose effectively. any blockage in the nasal organ. It is important that a good chest voice should be produced and the suggestion that each child should place his hand on his chest to feel the voice (i.e., the vibration of voice) will help towards securing it. It is also important that such exercises should be sung easily and lightly and without any strain. Since speech itself is the best of all voice developers, always provided the voice used is not harsh, heavy or nasal, it is "good for children to One Man went to of verses such as in the join Mow
together "
(not
sung but
repetition spoken),
"
rhythmic
This is the House that
Jack
built."
Exercises to develop correct vowels :?We know that the purity of speech for the most part upon the vowels and that provincialisms most often can be traced to faults in them; therefore, it is well to give regular practice for or the position of the pure vowels, pointing out the correct shape of the mouth Let each child fot this with the the shape. right tongue; contrasting wrong to practice keep a small mirror and lead him to see and compare sounds, then them in words :? " " for day. die e.g., Child says Show in mirror :? i. Mouth is more open for die. ii. Tongue is more spread for clay. it in voids Then, when the right sound day is given, let the class practise the woids must day, may, ha}', cake, say, stay. (When children cannot lead, be repeated after the teacher.) In five minutes it will be found that probably only one sound can be dealt in turn and once the puie sound is obtained but each vowel should be
depends
_
_
_
.
with, it
must be
insisted upon
practised
at all
times.
MENTAL WELFARE.
40 Exercises
develop clear consonants :?When once we realise that the speech very greatly depends upon the clear and precise articulation of the consonants, we shall understand why the speech of backward children is so often unintelligible and slovenly. Each consonant is the result of one or
intelligibility
to
of
delicate movements, e.g. :? t is a little explosion of breath which follows the release of the tip of the tongue when it has been pressed against the upper gum. " f is a flowing out of breath when lower lip is raised to upper teeth and they rest lightly upon it.
more
"
"
"
In my e.g.
opinion,
the consonants
are
best
developed
in
babbling exercises,
:?
ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-ca
la-la-la-la-la-la ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga
hee-hee-hee-hee-hee pow-pow-pow-pow-pow, etc.
Each teacher will know best what sounds need The value of concerned in
most
attention for her class.
babbling exercises lies in the movement they provide All such the production of the sounds babbled.
perforce help to each faulty should also be
the
speech
as
a
whole,
consonant as it occurs
taken,
Child sounds
"
T
e.g. :? " for C
"
"
or
for the muscles exercises must but it is necessary also to give attention in words and therefore some word practice
"
K."
ta-ta-ta tor-tor-tor tow-tow-tow
ka-ka-ka cor-cor-cor cow-cow-cow. as given above, will help the child to produce both sounds more but for him to use the right sound in a word, it will be necessary to accurately, sound respectively and to point out to him the difference in the position for each " " T is made by the tip of let him see the difference in the mirror noting that " " " " that C or K and is the tongue made further back in the mouth and the tip is down. " " in a word, the child will need to make a conscious effort K To give the " " K before he begins to it first, to place his tongue in the right position for he must at first think about every faulty consonant utter the word. Similarly, and practise the right formation again and again until, without any conscious effort on his part, it occurs in his speech automatically.
Practice,
What I have written only touches upon this subject very superficially and I feel I have not shown what an absorbing interest the correction of speech defects can become, nor have I made plain the conviction I hold, that if a teacher will begin to interest herself in children's speech, give thought to it and experiment in her attempts to correct it; if she will be guided by common " How can I bring home to that child the right sense and ask herself simply,
inadequately.
" sound? she will find that with thought, reading, the application of what she reads, and experience, her grasp of this question will grow, confidence in her own ability to cope with difficulties will become stronger and the results she will obtain
will
more
than repay her labours.
\
MENTAL WELFARE. /
Corrective Teaching for Defects of Speech in Backward and Mentally Defective Children. By Ellis
LJwyd Jones,
Irene R.
Lecturer in ihe
Ewing,
Training of
the
Deaf, Manchester University.
the last five or six years many teachers whom I have met have disthe defects which are so common in the speech of backward and defective children, and the difficulties which lie before the teacher who tries to correct such defects.
During-
cussed with
me
Lately much more attention is being- paid to the question of speech correction. The Board of Education and Authorities of Training Colleges are recognising its importance and are providing speech-training as part of a teacher's course of study. Most of such training bears upon the teacher's own speech, and as yet little instruction is given in the correction of children's speech. In my opinion the greatest influence towards securing more perfect speech schools is the more perfect speech of teachers. It is well, therefore, for everyone who is interested in this subject to examine his or her own speech? We are all apt to detect and correct any imperfections that may be present. to form careless, slipshod habits when we talk, to catch local inflexion of voice Our speech is so largely a matter of imitation or the local stressing of a word. that it is not easy to avoid imitating the provincialisms of the district in which I would suggest, therefore, that if we are to improve the quality we live or work. of the speech in a school as a whole and also to correct individual peculiarities and defects we must first of all ensure that the speech the children hear in school shall be as perfect as possible. This presupposes that teachers realising the danger " " to catch of their own tendency in common with all mankind provincialisms will quite simply and definitely give ear to their own speech. The swiftest and " " for speech is, in my opinion, through the study an ear surest way to develop In such a course of study not only does one gain a systematic and of phonetics. scientific knowledge of the formation of the sounds (i.e., vowels, diphthongs, consonants and all their combinations) of which our language is composed, an understanding of the relative positions of the organs of speech for each sound, but one also acquires facility in diagnosing faults, in controlling lips, tongue, etc.?a facility greatly needed when we wish to imitate a fault for the purpose of diagnosis and correction. in
our
are many teachers of backward and defective children who, though neither enough time nor opportunity for the study of phonetics, are keenly interested in speech correction, and would gladly devote some time and thought to it, if they knew how to set about it. To them the following suggestions are offered in the hope that they may be of practical help as a basis upon which to work.
But there
having
If suggestions are to be of real practical help, when making them, one must bear in mind the conditions under which the average teacher works. For instance, usually she has a class of twenty or more children, whose speech is slovenly and inaccurate at best, and among whom there are one or two whose speech is definitely fault such as stammering, faulty and unintelligible. When there is a specific" speech " t for c or k (e.g., toat habits resulting from cleft palate, given lisping, bad " for coat), d " for g (e.g., do for go), corrective teaching must of necessity be individual?and we know it is not easy for a teacher responsible for a class to
37
MENTAL WELFARE.
devote time to individual needs. I think that satisfactory and lasting' results, when dealing with specific speech defects, can only be obtained through much teaching and practice?direct personal teaching regularly and systematically given by a the child during the speech person whose whole attention can be devoted to lesson. It is not possible for a teacher to supervise a class doing other work and for the lisp of one child. at the same time to give adequate corrective teaching is lO be obtained, time in I am persuaded that if a speech permanent improvement an arrangement so that one teachei for individual either be must made, by teaching each class or superintendent shall be responsible for this work, or by allowing teacher a short time daily in which to deal with the worst types of defects among is the children in her class. Even in schools where one teacher or superintendent unless each responsible for all speech training, the best results cannot be obtained member of the staff works in co-operation with her. Twenty minutes' teaching " " " " th instead of s and practice daily in sounding {e.g., child who lisps and " " the new speech habit in a establish alone not will for soap, etc.), says thoap backward child. He is slow to form new habits and unless he is reminded every time he uses a word in which the faulty sound occurs, he will not of himself apply what he has learnt; the old" habit will re-assert itself and he will continue to lisp except when talking to the speech teacher." She acts as a reminder and " Sometimes we forget that it is not enough to lie sounds the " s as a result. it and secure from the child the right sound ; we need to give enough practice in in such a way that he produces it its to fix it in the child's
speech
application
eventually automatically and not with a conscious effort; and, again, let us remember that we are dealing with backward children and therefore we must be prepared to give extra practice, and yet even so to obtain a result more slowly. I believe that it is well worth while to persevere with speech correction, no matter how slow the progress made, and that very encouraging results are possible with defective children in this branch of teaching, but only in so far as the speech is a
One or two keen individuals can about much improvement in the speech of a school, but the most lasting results can only be obtained when makes every teacher in a school co-operates and the utterance of every child her concern.
matter of interest to every member of the staff.
bring
I hope that I may be pardoned for repeating what I have already written? that it is well worth the trouble and time to study phonetics and to attend a course of lectures in Speech-training, especially where several members of a staff can attend together. I believe that it is very helpful?it is certainly more amusing if two or three or more work in co-operation when studying this subject,
analysing, criticising, comparing
and
in the school. To
such teachers, anxious to suggest that it is helpful to think of 1. 2. 3. 4.
imitating faulty develop
"
an
ear
sounds made by children "
for
I
speech,
speech from four different aspects
would
:
The
voice?pleasant and resonant? sounds?pure or local? Consonants?clearly uttered or thickly? Accent?is stress laid on the right syllable?
Vowel
Devote a short time daily for a month noting defects in the speech of diffeient children ; later analyse each fault, and ask yourself quite simply :? 1. 2. 3.
Is that defect due to the child's voice? Is it due to a wrong vowel sound? Is it due to a wrong consonant, or to consonant?
a
slovenly
sound,
or
to
lack of
a
38
MENTAL WELFARE.
4.
Is it due to the wrongobserve) ?
of
a
syllable (e.g.,
observe instead of
it and examine it to discover to this plan every day for a month you will find that the vagueness as to the origin of defects will clear away and that you will learn to locate that part of the mechanism which is responsible for them. And the second step, I believe, This is the first step towards correction. Train yourself to repioduce as exactly as you lies in the imitation of the fault. can what the child says. Develop a sense of mimicry so that you can imitate faults a teacher knows what is wrong with the child's speech she Unless instantly. The mere repetition by the teacher of the cannot show him how to correct it. It is of no value for the teacher to word correctly spoken is practically useless. " No ! that is wrong?this is right," again and discourage a child by saying, again as he tries to copy her pronunciation. She needs to show him how to produce the right sound, so simply that he can follow her directions. Not only must she understand how the correct vowel or consonant is produced but also she must know what the child does that he should not do, or what he omits to do. This knowledge will come naturally if she gain facility in imitating faults. Briefly I suggest the following procedure will be helpful in diagnosis :? Whenever you hear
a
which group it belongs.
1. 2. 3.
Place the fault
Imitate it. a
4.
the
Compare mirror.
Note the
fault
stressing
mentally analyse
By following
(i.e.,
right
shape
Voice?
Vowel?
Consonant?
and the wrong sound
of the
sound,
if it is
a
as
or
Accent?).
you repeat each in front of
vowel, and the position, if
a
consonant.
What you can see of the production of sounds is even more helpful than what you can hear, and it is more definite. You can show the child in the mirror his own wrong shape or position. a short article such as this it is impossible to deal adequately with the defects of and of consonants and accent. correction I can voice, vowels, origin only recommend books that will be helpful to the teacher who wishes to know For voice and its right development, for the production of vowels and more. " consonants I would recommend Voice Training," by H. H. Hulbert (University For valuable suggestions as to the correction of particular Tutorial Press, 1/Gd.). " defects I would recommend Defects of Speech," by Ida C. Ward (Dent & Sons, a useful description of the formation of vowels, consonants and For l/6d. ?). their combinations, I would recommend " Speech and Speech Reading," by A. J. Story (Harrison & Ainsworth, 3/10d.). This book is intended for teachers of the deaf but there is much in it that can be very helpful to anyone interested in the production of the sounds of which our language is composed.
In
If we consider the type of child in whose speech defects such as stammering, strained speech, jerky speech, a hurried lisp occur, we find that almost always It is necessary, therefore, for us to remember he is nervous and highly strung. that successful correction for him will be brought about by building up his selfIt is essential to arouse in confidence and a belief that he can speak properly. him a desire for correction and an interest in his speech, and this can best be done, I believe, by noting and recommending- what is right in his speech from the first?and only gradually introducing the idea that all sounds are not perfect
but
can
be made
In the
of
so.
foregoing plans we have particular children ; we have not
considered the dealt with the
more
pronounced speech defects
question
from the
point
of view
39
MENTAL WELFARE.
strongly that there is valuable work to be clone movements of hands, feet and limbs of backward children are clumsy and often lacking in control, so are the movements of the organs of speech?the lips, tongue, soft palate, etc. ; and just as free bodily action is developed in drill, games and dancing by the regular exercise of all muscles involved, so should we develop the muscles concerned in the formation of words. This can be done by setting aside each day a short period to be devoted to speechtraining for the whole class. I would suggest that 15 minutes daily be allowed for this and that the time would be well spent if divided into three parts of class teaching. in this direction.
I feel very
Just
5 minutes 5 minutes 5 minutes
on on on
as
the'
Voice
training. Pronunciation, i.e.,
Pure vowel sounds.
Consonants.
I his scheme is only intended to be suggestive. The wise teacher will note her the weakness in the speech of her class and she will plan her time and exercises especially for the correction of the most common faults.
Suggested exercises for Voice training :? (a) Breathing exercises?upon which the strength and control of primarily depend. (See Hulbert?Voice I raining, p. 16.) Exercises AR." based on (b) AR?prolonged and sung in a pleasant well resonated voice.
the voice
"
OO?Ditto.
AR?begun softly
swelling
and
OO?Ditto. AR?soft
loud,
to
greater loudness.
soft loud in turns.
OO?Ditto. It is necessary for the teacher to see that before such exercises a^e taken, Resonance is interfered with if there is every child blows his nose effectively. any blockage in the nasal organ. It is important that a good chest voice should be produced and the suggestion that each child should place his hand on his chest to feel the voice (i.e., the vibration of voice) will help towards securing it. It is also important that such exercises should be sung easily and lightly and without any strain. Since speech itself is the best of all voice developers, always provided the voice used is not harsh, heavy or nasal, it is "good for children to One Man went to of verses such as in the join Mow
together "
(not
sung but
repetition spoken),
"
rhythmic
This is the House that
Jack
built."
Exercises to develop correct vowels :?We know that the purity of speech for the most part upon the vowels and that provincialisms most often can be traced to faults in them; therefore, it is well to give regular practice for or the position of the pure vowels, pointing out the correct shape of the mouth Let each child fot this with the the shape. right tongue; contrasting wrong to practice keep a small mirror and lead him to see and compare sounds, then them in words :? " " for day. die e.g., Child says Show in mirror :? i. Mouth is more open for die. ii. Tongue is more spread for clay. it in voids Then, when the right sound day is given, let the class practise the woids must day, may, ha}', cake, say, stay. (When children cannot lead, be repeated after the teacher.) In five minutes it will be found that probably only one sound can be dealt in turn and once the puie sound is obtained but each vowel should be
depends
_
_
_
.
with, it
must be
insisted upon
practised
at all
times.
MENTAL WELFARE.
40 Exercises
develop clear consonants :?When once we realise that the speech very greatly depends upon the clear and precise articulation of the consonants, we shall understand why the speech of backward children is so often unintelligible and slovenly. Each consonant is the result of one or
intelligibility
to
of
delicate movements, e.g. :? t is a little explosion of breath which follows the release of the tip of the tongue when it has been pressed against the upper gum. " f is a flowing out of breath when lower lip is raised to upper teeth and they rest lightly upon it.
more
"
"
"
In my e.g.
opinion,
the consonants
are
best
developed
in
babbling exercises,
:?
ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-ca
la-la-la-la-la-la ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga
hee-hee-hee-hee-hee pow-pow-pow-pow-pow, etc.
Each teacher will know best what sounds need The value of concerned in
most
attention for her class.
babbling exercises lies in the movement they provide All such the production of the sounds babbled.
perforce help to each faulty should also be
the
speech
as
a
whole,
consonant as it occurs
taken,
Child sounds
"
T
e.g. :? " for C
"
"
or
for the muscles exercises must but it is necessary also to give attention in words and therefore some word practice
"
K."
ta-ta-ta tor-tor-tor tow-tow-tow
ka-ka-ka cor-cor-cor cow-cow-cow. as given above, will help the child to produce both sounds more but for him to use the right sound in a word, it will be necessary to accurately, sound respectively and to point out to him the difference in the position for each " " T is made by the tip of let him see the difference in the mirror noting that " " " " that C or K and is the tongue made further back in the mouth and the tip is down. " " in a word, the child will need to make a conscious effort K To give the " " K before he begins to it first, to place his tongue in the right position for he must at first think about every faulty consonant utter the word. Similarly, and practise the right formation again and again until, without any conscious effort on his part, it occurs in his speech automatically.
Practice,
What I have written only touches upon this subject very superficially and I feel I have not shown what an absorbing interest the correction of speech defects can become, nor have I made plain the conviction I hold, that if a teacher will begin to interest herself in children's speech, give thought to it and experiment in her attempts to correct it; if she will be guided by common " How can I bring home to that child the right sense and ask herself simply,
inadequately.
" sound? she will find that with thought, reading, the application of what she reads, and experience, her grasp of this question will grow, confidence in her own ability to cope with difficulties will become stronger and the results she will obtain
will
more
than repay her labours.
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