Targeting /s/ Clusters for Children who are Exhibiting /s/ Cluster Reduction
As speech language pathologists, we see many children in speech therapy with specific predictable patterns of errors or phonological processing disorders, with /s/cluster reduction being a frequent challenge, and one that I love to work on because of the quick increase in intelligibility!
“Cluster reduction” involves the systematic omission or simplification of consonant sounds in clusters, significantly impacting speech intelligibility. Specifically, our focus lies on the complexity of producing /s/ blends – combinations of consonants like ST, SN, SM, SP, SW, SK, SL, where the initial consonant is an /s/. You might hear a phrase like “Let’s go play in the no” instead of “Let’s play in the snow”, “Top the car” instead of “stop the car” and “I pilled my juice” instead of “I spilled my juice”.
Cluster reduction featuring /s/ should ideally be eliminated by the age of five, but there are considerable individual differences among children. The American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) reports that the average developmental age of elimination for cluster reduction with /s/ is 5 years old and Shriberg and Kwiatkowski (1980) reported that 4-year-olds correctly produced 90% of consonant clusters in spontaneous speech. Understanding these age-appropriate expectations is important so we can get an idea when children should be producing the correct /s/ cluster, however, if a child can correctly produce both the sounds that are in the cluster separately, it is a good indication that they can produce the cluster with help.
I have found that addressing /s/ cluster reduction with children is often dependent on their receptive language skills; how well they can understand the hand cues, picture cues and movement from one sound to the next.
The Traditional Method involves working on one sound at a time, progressing gradually from isolation to conversation.
The Cycles Approach targets each different phonological process that the child is using for a specific amount of time and “cycles” through other phonological processes. This works well for children exhibiting many phonological processes. Hodson and Paden (1983, 1991).
Minimal pairs Approach, where words differ in only one phonological element, prove effective in honing in on the target sound with the meaning of the words being different. Think of the words “snow and no”, they only differ by the /s/ sound but they mean completely different things. I found that children really love the silliness of using the minimal pairs approach (i.e. “you want a nap?” oh you need to snap!”). When they can assign meaning to the words, they work to say the correct words.
How to help with /s/ cluster production:
Within the minimal pairs approach for /s/ cluster reduction I use speech sound picture cues to name the sounds, children have a visual cue for production paired with a hand cue. We call the /s/ sound the “snake sound” and use our hand and arm moving outward like a snake as a hand cue.
When the child is elongating the /s/or the “snake sound” and using their hand during the vocalization, they land on the next sound in the cluster (it will sound like “sssssssssst or ssssssssnnnnn”).
Movement is the key for the child to understand the elongation of the /s/ moving into the next sound. I often use a wipe board and draw a line from a snake while the child is vocalizing the /s/ then move the marker to the rest of the word- and I draw a picture of the minimal pair word (ie. ssssss–Knees for “sneeze”). Breaking down the /s/ blend into smaller parts, such as 'sss” 'm is the key. If you are looking for minimal pair words for /s/ clusters I have a Don’t Break the Ice for /s/ Cluster Reduction printable activity that the kids have been asking for over and over!
10 Games and Activities for /s/ Clusters
Any game with a spinner is great where kids have to say “my turn to “ssssspin” for each turn working on the /sp/ cluster.
“Spot it” Games where you have to find 2 of the same pictures on 2 cards. Encourage kids to day “I spot___” to work on /sp/ cluster.
“I spy” games and “Where’s Waldo” books work for working on /sp/ in the word “spy:
“Stop/Start” Motor Activity where children “stop and start” when the caller says the words,then the child becomes the caller.
Try Don’t Break the Ice /s/ cluster Minimal Pair Game with pictures of all those /s/ clusters and their errored pair.
Board games can target the /sp/ cluster (like Candy Land)- “Move one space”
Stepping Stones are fun to incorporate movement into the session while also working on the word “step”.
Digital activities like Phonological Processes Play Scenes and Brush Your Teeth for Articulation are no prep quick activities
Play open ended activities and incorporate a target /s/ cluster into play (ie. pirate play: skull, stick, scrape, swim) (ie. Vet play with stuffies: sleep, scale, skin, snout, swab, stray) (play house: school, sleep, snuggle, spoon, stairs).
10) Read books with /s/ clusters embedded in the story (ie. The Snowy Day, Sneezy the Snowman, Space,
The Very Busy Spider, That’s Not a Stick).
