Targeting Stopping with the Cycles Approach
Do You Target Stopping in the Cycles Approach?
The answer to the question, “Do we target stopping in the Cycles Approach?” is not a simple yes or no. But it is a question I am asked OFTEN! And, I see a lot of misinformation out there about the basic construct and tenets of the Cycles Approach. So, I have wanted to write this blog post for a long time in prder to clear up this often-asked question.
So, What’s the Answer?
free visual of the primary patterns for the Cycles Approach for phonological disorders
To understand the answer to the question of targeting stopping in Cycles, we need to start with the basics of the Cycles Approach. When using the Cycles Approach to remediate a moderate-severe phonological disorder, we are at first concerned with “primary patterns". There are 6 primary patterns that are outlined by Barbara Hodson as the first targets to use when implementing the Cycles Approach.
What are the Primary Patterns in the Cycles Approach?
The primary patterns are as follows: syllableness, final consonant deletion, initial consonant deletion, anterior-posterior contrasts (e.g. fronting or backing), /s/ clusters, and gliding.
These patterns were chosen because it was thought that by targeting these specific patterns, you would expedite gains in intelligibility for highly unintelligible children. Check out my freebie handout on the primary patterns by clicking here.
Notice that stopping specifically is not listed in the primary patterns. Singleton stridents (e.g. /s/ and /f/) are listed as a potential secondary pattern to target - once you have reached specific criteria when working with the primary patterns.
What’s the Criteria for Targeting Secondary Patterns in Cycles?
Hodson outlines 4 criteria that should be met in spontaneous utterances (with the exception of gliding) before moving on to secondary patterns. These criteria are:
the child demonstrates appropriate syllableness
production of singleton consonants in initial and/or final positions of words
some emergence of /s/ clusters and velars
production of practice words for /l/ and “R” without inserting the glide
But I Have a Child Who Does a Lot of Stopping! What Do I Do?
There are two ways you can look at this:
(1) Maybe the Cycles Approach is not the most appropriate intervention for this child. Maybe this child is more suitable for something like Minimal Pairs, Multiple Oppositions, or a Complexity Target Selection Approach.
(2) Use the /s/ clusters in your Cycle to work on stopping. I am going to assume if the child is stopping a lot of fricatives and affricates, that /s/ clusters are a pattern that would need to be targeted when using the Cycles Approach. In this case, you are getting the benefit of working on the /s/ sound specifically, and you also have COMPLEXITY on your side! Using a cluster - which is more complex than a singleton - could lead to a trickle down effect to other singleton sounds. You may start to see singleton fricatives and affricates emerge without having to target them specifically.
Cycles Approach for Phonological Disorders Toolkit
SL is a pretty complex cluster. I ALWAYS try to get the child stimulable for this one and target it during my cycle if I can! For more on complexity, read this blog post here.
Want to Learn More About the Cycles Approach?
Here are some resources to help you learn more about the Cycles Approach.
Cycles Toolkit: a how-to manual about the Cycles Approach that includes ALL the stimuli you need to target the primary patterns effectively
Pep Talk Podcast I did about the Cycles Approach
and this podcast I did about the Cycles Approach
