Teaching · Speech and Language

Snail, not nail.
Pairs for two sounds together.

When a child reduces clusters, two consonants together shrink to one: “spoon” becomes “poon” and “black” becomes “back”. Each pair here is a cluster word and the real word left when one sound drops, so the missing sound changes the meaning.

Make a set of pairsWhat you get
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Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Speech & Language toolkit, $79 for 88 items.

Make a set of cluster pairs

The worked example is made up: a four-year-old on s-clusters and a five-year-old on r-clusters. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Teaching · Speech & Language$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A set of 6, 10 or 16 word pairs for cluster reduction, chosen by cluster family (s, l, r, w) and which sound drops, each with a sentence for the cluster word and what both words mean, plus notes on how practice went.
Who it is for
School and clinic speech-language pathologists and speech-language pathology assistants, and the teachers and families they hand home practice to.
Format
Browser card maker with saved sets. Prints the cards as a cut-out sheet or a list for home practice; presents one card at a time for a screen or a tablet at the table; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Speech & Language toolkit ($79) and the Teaching Suite pass ($199), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Speech & Language space in Caveat Teaching.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Choose one cluster family; s-clusters are a common place to start.
  2. Listen first: say one word of a pair and the student points to its card.
  3. Then the student says a word and you respond to what you hear: “Nail? Here is a hammer.”
  4. Cue two sounds: two fingers, or stretch the first sound (sss-nail).
  5. Note what worked and print the cards for home.

Make a set of pairs

What cluster reduction is

Which sound usually dropsClusterTargetOften said asWhys + stopspoon, starpoon, tarthe /s/ is droppeds + nasalsnail, smilenail, milethe /s/ is droppedstop + lblack, planeback, panethe /l/ is droppedstop + rtree, breadtee, bedthe /r/ is droppedstop + wqueen, twinkeen, tinthe /w/ is droppedWhich sound usually dropss + stopTarget: spoon, starOften said as: poon, tarWhy: the /s/ is droppeds + nasalTarget: snail, smileOften said as: nail, mileWhy: the /s/ is droppedstop + lTarget: black, planeOften said as: back, paneWhy: the /l/ is droppedstop + rTarget: tree, breadOften said as: tee, bedWhy: the /r/ is droppedstop + wTarget: queen, twinOften said as: keen, tinWhy: the /w/ is dropped
Drawn for this page. Cluster reduction usually fades by about four; clusters with /r/ and /l/ can take longer.

A predictable drop

Children usually keep the sound that is easier or louder: they drop the /s/ in “spoon” and the /l/ or /r/ in “black” and “tree”. Knowing which one drops tells you what to cue.

Pairs that carry meaning

Every pair here leaves a real word when one sound drops (snail and nail), so the listener really does hear a different word.

When it is expected

Cluster reduction usually fades by about four. Clusters with /r/ and /l/ can take longer, because the single sounds settle later.

Sources

  1. Weiner, F. (1981). Treatment of phonological disability using the method of meaningful minimal contrast: Two case studies. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 46(1), 97 to 103. PMID 7206686.
  2. Dodd, B., Holm, A., Hua, Z., & Crosbie, S. (2003). Phonological development: A normative study of British English-speaking children. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 17(8), 617 to 643. PMID 14977026.
  3. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Practice Portal: Speech Sound Disorders: Articulation and Phonology (asha.org/practice-portal).
  4. Bowen, C. (2015). Children’s Speech Sound Disorders (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. Phonological processes and typical ages of elimination.

Word pairs, sentences and meanings were written for this page; the example sets and students are made up. Ages are rough guides from published norms and vary with the child and the dialect. The cards support practice a speech-language pathologist plans; they do not assess or diagnose. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.