Final Consonant Deletion
If you are working with a child that is missing all of their sounds from the end of their words, then this post is perfect for you!
I’m going to tell you what this common Speech Sound Process is known as, when you would typically expect it to resolve by, and also give you a couple of different approaches that you can easily go away and try! There is a link at the end of this post to resources to support you. If you want to learn even more about Speech Sounds then consider signing up for my Speech Sound Support Workshop.
How you can help children with Final Consonant Deletion in Early Years Settings
Why isn’t my child using sounds at the end of their words?
As children learn to talk their Speech Sounds go through a developmental process. This process can result in some children using predictable patterns in their speech, also known as Speech Sound Processes.
Many patterns that you hear in young children's speech are just part of typical development and often resolve spontaneously.
In this post we are focusing on the pattern known as Final Consonant Deletion, which is when children miss off sounds from the ends of their words. So “cat” would be “ca”, “mum” would be “mu”, “milk” would be “mil”.
Typically we would expect this pattern to begin to resolve around the age of 3 years. However, it’s important to consider the child’s development holistically e.g if they were late to start talking, then this pattern is likely to persist past 3 years.
If you continue to hear Final Consonant Deletion past 3 years of age and there are no other concerns with their Speech and Language or general development, then it may be that your child needs some Speech Therapy. You can contact your local NHS team to request a referral or feel free to pop me an email jane@littleorchardchildren.co.uk.
How can I help children to use sounds at the ends of their words?
One of the first thing to think about is your child’s hearing levels! Sounds at the ends of words tend to be quieter, so if there are any hearing issues, this could impact of their ability to hear those sounds and then use them correctly.
So…have a think about day to day situations. Does your child hear someone knock at the door? Do they hear your phone ring or vibrate? Do they hear you open a packet of sweets in the kitchen? Do they hear you if you are in a noisy environment?
I’m going to talk about two different approaches to support children with Final Consonant Deletion in this post, both of which are easy to follow so you can go away and get started straight away!
THE FIRST APPROACH….
links in nicely with my Gentle Speech Therapy Approach (TM) which you can read about HERE.
This approach is about weaving target words into everyday routines and play. Following your child’s lead and making activities fun and engaging whilst also bombarding your child with a certain target, linked to an activity. In this case you would pick an activity where you could over expose your child to words that all end in a certain sound. For example; you might cook a cake, and then have it as a snack with some milk. Maybe the snake and the duck will join you.
This is not only perfect for focusing on speech sounds, but also great for language development too!
I would use this approach with little ones under 3, as well as older children where Final Consonant Deletion persists. It’s also a great approach to use with children that are more sensitive in nature.
Ideally choose words to focus on that;
1. end in quiet sounds like p, t, k, s, sh, f
2. start and end with the same sound like pop, poop, pup, cook, kick, cake etc
3. end in sounds the child is already able to use
THE SECOND APPROACH…
is a more direct approach, but still fun!
I’d use this approach from 3 years 6 months ish. You could give it a try and see how you get on! I’ve made some downloadable resources to go along with this approach which can be found over in the shop – I’ll pop the link at the bottom of this post.
This approach, and the activity I suggest, is based on the Metaphon Approach (Dean & Howell 1995). This is one approach of many that can be used to support children's Speech Sound Development.
Set the scene;
Tell your child that some animals have tails and that they might look a bit strange if they didn't have their tails! Explain that some words have tail sounds too.
These are the sounds at the ends of words, give your child some examples.
The resources;
Cut the animal puzzle pieces out (you can download them here) and then cut them in half. Mix them up and then help your child to match the right tails to the animals.
Name each animal for your child. Use your finger to draw a line from one side of the puzzle to the other as you name the animal. When I do this, I tend to elongate the vowel sound, for example "shaaaaaaark". This helps with blending another sound to the end of the words.
If your child has a go at naming the animals and doesn't use the tail sound (final consonant deletion), take away the tail as a visual cue that they didn't use the final / tail sound.
As you take away the tail, you could say something like; "Whoops you forgot your tail sound...you said mou_" and then as you add the tail back "This is a mouse".
It's helpful if you can choose words that end in sounds that your child is already using.
This visual way of showing children that words have sounds at the end, and that they need to use them, can be really helpful! As well as supporting Speech Sound Development you are also working on developing awareness of sounds in words which is an important pre-literacy skill!
If you would like resources to support you with this second approach you can find some digital resources to download here.
There you have it!
A couple of easy, fun, activity ideas to try at home or in your setting while you are waiting for a referral to Speech Therapy!
Hope you have found this helpful!
Let me know how you get on.
Jane x
Ps If you are an Early Years Professional please make sure that you have joined our free Early Years SALT Community over on Facebook.
If you would like to learn more about supporting children with unclear speech, please feel free to pop me an e-mail jane@littleorchardchildren.co.uk and ask me about our fab Speech Sound Support packs and our Speech Sound Support workshops.
