Problem: The child talks too quickly and is hard to understand in conversations.
Some children do not clearly articulate consonant sounds in conversation. This can make their speech sound excessively fast. In such a case, I would encourage clarity by telling her to, “Say all your sounds.” When a child focuses on saying sounds clearly, she will generally slow her speech down to do so. On the other hand, she may be talking too fast and, as a result, drops consonant or compromises consonant sounds. In this case, I would make some “speeding tickets.” I would tell her that when she talks too fast she is speeding. Explain that when cars go too fast, people get speeding tickets. When she speeds, she will get a speeding ticket. I like to have treats or stickers ready. If they stay under a certain number of speeding tickets, they get ___________ as a reward at the end of the session. If they go over, no reward.
Tags: articulation, speaking rate, speech problems, speech therapy