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<\/a>Source: Betterworldbooks.com<\/p><\/div>\n
Does your child have trouble saying “fish?” \u00a0Ask your child to describe the picture above and listen to the “F” sound in the word, “fish.” Do they substitute another sound? Or perhaps they skip it altogether and just say “ish?” For many children, “fish” can be a tricky word to say. F, and its partner in crime, \u00a0V, are tricky sounds for some children. In\u00a0speech therapy<\/a>, we usually check the\u00a0developmental norms\u00a0to decide if this sound should be targeted according to the child\u2019s age. We can expect a child to master the F and V sounds around ages four and eight years (respectively). If the child is not saying these sounds, they might benefit from intervention and articulation therapy.<\/a> They are similar in the placement of your articulators (teeth and lips) but different in the way they are produced. Someone saying an \u201cF\u201d sound is allowing a lot of air to escape around their teeth, while a \u201cV\u201d sound is made by creating vibrations of the vocal cords.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n F Sound<\/strong><\/p>\n Model the correct placement of your top teeth \u201cbiting\u201d the lower lip for the \u201cF\u201d sound. Make the sound and hold it out to emphasize and model the airflow from around your teeth and out of your mouth. Encourage the child to do the same and cue them to hold their hand in front of their mouth to feel the airflow. When working on producing this sound, like any other, use the hierarchy of syllables in isolation first, followed by various positions in single words, then short phrases, sentences and finally in conversation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n