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Original poster

still says W instead of R at 4 and a half - is he another Jonathan Woss?

27 replies

abusybee · 24/04/2007 22:36

Just wondering if I should be doing something about it as I saw a poster which said that speech therapy is more effective before 5.
I was being a little slack and assuming he'll grow out of it but unfortunately he has a R sound in his name and so does his brother so it's quite obvious, and people have started mimicing him.

OP posts:
PeachesMcLean · 24/04/2007 22:53

My DS has been having speech therapy for the last year. He's coming up to 6 but the speech therapist was very clear in saying he's too young to be worried about his problems with R. He's got other more pressing sounds he does have to concentrate on, such as S and Sh. Prior to that he's had difficulties with differentiating T and C. She said if he was 8 and still couldn't say R she might think of giving him some specific exercises. However, since I mentioned it, she showed us how to mess around saying "R" as though you're a dog barking. DS thinks it's hilarious and it's clicked a bit - he's managed to say Red and Robot and things like that. Certainly not consistent but enought to make me think it won't be a problem long term.
If you're at all concerned, I'd mention it to the school nurse (via the teacher?) as waiting lists for speech therapy can be quite long. However, from what litle I've been told, your boy is still young for concern if its just R he's struggling with. Hope that helps. With any luck though, someone who really knows what they're talking about will be along here shortly.

Original poster
abusybee · 24/04/2007 22:59

peaches thanks so much for coming back. I did a quick search and it said that lots still can't say it at 5 so I was not stressing about it too much, but then I thought I'd be kicking myself if it turned out that I should have been doing something all along. I'm just not sure he can even hear the difference in the sounds - maybe this doesn't matter?

I'd be grateful if anyone has a link to the exercises as I'm sure he'd love them.

OP posts:
sunnysideup · 24/04/2007 23:04

my ds is four and a half too and he can't say his R's yet.

He has just literally this WEEK started to talk to me about the difference IYKWIM: if he's talking to me about say a White cat, he'll explain "I mean WHITE with a W" so I think it's probably very normal not to say them or even be concerned about the difference yet.

PeachesMcLean · 24/04/2007 23:10

What the SALT showed us, was basically - pretend to be a terrier. RrrrrUFF! That was it! We've done it a lot this week. (I'm sure there'd be more too it if she really thought DS needed it... Surely?)

Original poster
abusybee · 24/04/2007 23:26

thanks again peachesMcL and sunnysideup. I'm looking forward to terriers already! And one more thing off the 'sometime when I have a spare moment I need to find out about on mumsnet..' list. Now If I could only remember what else is on there!

OP posts:
Chandra · 24/04/2007 23:32

Not much advice here but DS (also a 4yr old) still has problems with the R, although he uses a a very nasal G that makes him sound very French!

Califrau · 24/04/2007 23:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PeachesMcLean · 24/04/2007 23:44

LOL Califrau. TBH I still can't roll my RRRRRssss. And bizarrely DS did it a couple of days ago. I said "that's in the back of your mouth isn't it" and he said "NO! this bit" sticking out his tongue and pointing to the end. So I don't know how a child goes from Wabbit to RRRRRR in one easy lesson. I wish I could do it

However, what's a hithy eth?

Rodeo · 24/04/2007 23:45

My ds (5) has difficulty pronouncing 'th' never really noticed until he started doing jolly phonics but I'm sure it'll be something he'll grow out of.
Horrid that people are mimicking him though, poor little thing

Califrau · 24/04/2007 23:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bilblio · 24/04/2007 23:53

I went for speech therapy when I was about 4 or 5, I had real problems with R, W & L. I used to put W in front of other words too, so egg became weg. My Mum and brother understood me but they had to translate for most other people including Dad. Apparently I only went to speech therapist about twice, they said not to worry I'd grow out of it and I did within a few months of being at school.

The exercises peachesMcL say sound very similar to what I remember doing. "Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry" (I hated saying that.) My parents also used to tape me saying nursery rhymes. I think the theory was that if I was being recorded I'd try a bit harder to pronounce them, and listening back to myself helped me hear the difference in the sounds I was making, and the sounds I thought I was making.

Chandra · 24/04/2007 23:58

"My ds (5) has difficulty pronouncing 'th' "

[Chandre hides in embarrasement because although she has been trying to speak English properly for more than 30 years, she still can't pronounce TH as a native]

Pruni · 25/04/2007 07:09

Message withdrawn

Chandra · 25/04/2007 07:34

Pruni, erm... I can't it comes as an "F".

BTW, any clues on how to pronounce whole (it either comes as a hole or wool ) I have had a battle with that word for the last 10 years, so bad I don't even try to use it anymore!

Apologies for the hijack.

LazyLineJobsworth · 25/04/2007 07:46

Rodeo, my sister pronounced "TH" as "F" until she was 10. She then just stopped doing it. Before then she didn't even realise she was doing it, when she said the "F" sound, she was convinced she was saying "TH".

lucy5 · 25/04/2007 07:52

Whole is hole, the w is silent. Don't you just love English spelling and pronunciation. Give me Spanish any day, you know where you are.

My dd has problems with q,k [at the end of a word]Her teacher wants to do speech thearapy exercises, i'm not to worried as I am sure she will grow out of it.

saltire · 25/04/2007 07:58

My friends 4.5 year old still can't pronounce her Rs, she pronounces them as "yuh". So for example she was singin a song the other day

"I can sing a yainbow, sing a yainbow too,
Yed and yellow and pink and gyeen"

My friend isn't worried though and seem to think she will grow out of it, and the nursery haven't said anything so they aren't worrying either.

belgo · 25/04/2007 08:02

get him to a speech therapist. I can't say my 'r's very well, and it is very embarrasing, especially now I live in another country (it's not really an issue in the UK). I speak a second language very well, except people find it hard to understand me becaue I can't pronounce the 'r's.

And this is why I would never choose a name with an 'r' in it for my dc.

Chandra · 25/04/2007 08:38

Thanks Lucy! A years long quest has finaly ended! (I hope...)

Pruni · 25/04/2007 09:18

Message withdrawn

October · 25/04/2007 09:20

Message withdrawn

Original poster
abusybee · 25/04/2007 19:04

goodness I look away and there are lots of posts. thanks all!
Yes I wish I'd thought about the name thing before giving 2 of my sons a potential problem - too late now though. Just hope it's only a potential problem for this one!

OP posts:
Chandra · 26/04/2007 19:57

PHWAR!! Pruni.

DH and all his friends are Spaniards and they all insist they are pronouncing it correctly, but they do a strong Z instead. Perhaps none of us have been in this country long enough!

Your instructions worked quite well I managed a Th as long as my tongue is sticking out but I guess, for my own self image I will keep it in an inbetween S and Th because I look just plain weird. [Wink] Thank you

beckybrastraps · 26/04/2007 20:06

I'm sure it's only people with an 'r' in their name that have this problem. IME anyway (personal experience !)

And I used to know a girl who couldn't say 'r' or 's' - her name? Sarah

Having said that, I did tempt fate with my own ds...

But he seems to be OK.

jellysmummy · 26/04/2007 20:19

you should see the performance my dd1 (age 5) goes through to pronounce r and th you'd think she was in such pain or trying not to poo! It does drive me mad tho' have to really bite my tongue, but I'm sure she'll grow out of it [hmmm]