Many children say a correct "r" by the time they are five and a half years old, but some struggle to pronounce it correctly until they are seven years old.
The coordinated motor movement (i.e. correct use and co-operation of the teeth, tongue, jaw, lips and airway) tends to be the most difficult aspect of a clear "r" sound.
It is a tricky sound to say because it is difficult to see the tongue placement and hard to explain to a child how to make it. Other sounds in the word also influence how you say it, which further contributes to its difficulty.
If your child's "r" is incorrect it is not a good idea to try and make them repeat the word correctly as you will likely reinforce an incorrect production. Instead, model the correct form . For example, if your child says: "The ball is wed," you can say, "Yes, it's a red ball," and emphasize the correct "r" sound.
You can also see if your child can discriminate( hear and identify the differences in sounds) by playing a game where you ask them to identify which word you have said incorrectly e.g. say "wabbit," for "rabbit" and see if they can tell you it is wrong.
Incorrect articulation of this sound can lead to frustration at not being understood. This can also negatively impact self-esteem, interaction with peers, and speaking in front of the class. It can also result in spelling errors as the child writes what they say. i.e. letter -sound correspondence is poor.
Speech therapy will assist your child and it is a good idea to receive help because it is a high frequency sound. In other words , a sound that occurs often in the English language.
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