Tips for Correcting Speech

Unclear pronunciation is very common, particularly among pre-school children. Often, with a few clues and context, although a few sounds may not be clear, you can still understand your child's general message. If you have understood, but you noticed a sound that was missing or different, e.g. he says 'bish' when he means 'fish', there are a few options for what to do. One option is to emphasise the correct sound in your response, 'that's right, it is a fish' - that way he will hear the word in the right way, but you haven't told him off. Another option is what we call 'forced alternative', where you present the word in 2 ways - the way your child said it and the correct way - 'ok, is a bish or a fish?' So your child has the chance to listen to both words and make a judgement. If he is physically able to produce the 'f' sound, he can repeat the word correctly. You might want to vary which technique you use, and try to not to pull him up all the time. These things don't change over night and require a little patience on both your parts.