How to Target Stopping in Speech Therapy
how to target stopping in speech therapy
What is Stopping?
Stopping is one of those classic phonological patterns we see all the time—when kids swap out fricatives like /s/, /z/, /f/, or /v/ for stop sounds like /t/, /d/, /p/, or /b/. So instead of “sun,” you might hear “tun,” or “zoo” becomes “doo.” Totally normal in younger children, but when stopping hangs around past the developmental window, it can really impact intelligibility. The phonological pattern of stopping should resolve between age 3 and 4.5 depending on the specific sound that the child is stopping. For example, stopping of /s/ and /f/ should occur around age 3, while more complex affricates like “J” and “CH” resolves around 4.5 years.
Some of My Best Tips to Target Stopping
There are a few go-to tricks I like to use when working on stopping that can make a big difference.
Final position of words is usually the easiest place to start—words like “push,” “piece,” and “poof” give kids a little more time to get that fricative out.
Using final position again, choose a vowel that has a facilitative effect on the fricative or affricate. For example, for “SH” I like the “u” vowel like in “push,” and for /s/, I like a high /i/ vowel. (Sorry, I don’t have IPA font on my site, so I have to use what I have, lol).
When targeting those final position sounds, I like to elongate the vowel and use slow, simultaneous productions.
I also love using words that end in -TS as a starting point. Since the child is likely stopping the final /s/ with a /t/ sound, you can use what they are already doing to help shape the /s/. We’ve all heard of the “long T” or the “flat tire sound” that can help bridge the gap from a stop to a fricative.
Visual cue cards to represent the long sound - like a picture of a snake to show the /s/ sound or a train to show the “CH” sound - sometimes help the child get that fricative. Bonus: You can contrast the /s/ visual cue card with a /t/ visual cue card if the child stops the sound to show them the error and make it more tangible.
Another way you can use visual AND tactile cues together is to “draw” out the long sound with your finger on the child’s arm. Or you can use dry erase markers on a white board to draw long lines vs. short dots - contrasting the long vs. short sounds. I have the child do this himself while making the long and short sounds!
Some Therapy Approaches to Target Stopping
how to target the phonological pattern of stopping in speech therapy
Minimal pairs are a go-to in my therapy room for targeting stopping. You can really highlight how just one sound changes the whole word—like “toe” vs. “sew” or “do” vs. “zoo.” Kids really respond to the realization that they are saying a different word than they intended, which makes it a great tool for building awareness. I like to make it silly: “Do we see the TUN in the sky?” with a big exaggerated facial expression. Silliness always seems to increase saliency.
If you’re working with a little one who has multiple phonological processes going on or is harder to understand, the Cycles Approach is a great option, too. To target that phonological pattern of stopping, we are going to be using the S clusters (like /sp/, /st/, /sk/) to sneak in fricatives. So instead of directly targeting /s/ in isolation, you’re getting that sound in with words like “spin,” “stop,” or “sky.” Not only do you get to directly target a fricative, but you get the added bonus of increased complexity in the consonant cluster that can lead to even greater system-wide change. You may get additional singleton fricatives or affricates - like /f/, /z/, or “CH” - without having to target them directly!
Need a Resource (or 2) to Help You Get Started?
If you’re looking for materials to make all of this easier, I’ve got a couple of solid resources. One is a set of minimal pairs cards that are perfect for targeting stopping—kid-friendly visuals and words that are actually useful. The other is a Cycles Toolkit that includes S cluster cards, auditory bombardment lists, and easy planning tools so you can jump right into Cycles without reinventing the wheel. They’re both super helpful for making sessions smooth and effective, whether you’re working in schools, clinics, or doing teletherapy.
