Post on 20-May-2018
Devised and illustrated by Helen Rippon, Highly Specialist SLT.
PIP4SECOND EDITION
www.blacksheeppress.co.uk
MINIMAL PAIRS CLUSTER REDUCTION, S BLENDS
Low resolution sample for viewing on the web
Low resolution sample for viewing on the web
IntroductionA minimal pair is a pair of words, such as ‘tea’ and ‘key’, or ‘four’ and ‘door’,
differing only by one sound in the same position in each word. Minimal
pair therapies are an essential and common method used by speech and
language therapists to correct error patterns in children with delayed or
disordered speech development.
Barlow and Geirut (Minimal Pair approaches to phonological remediation:
Seminars in Speech and Language 23(1) 57-67 2002) state that “all
phonological approaches focus on teaching children the function of sounds,
particularly that changing sounds, changes meaning, and that making
meaning is necessary to communication.”
Thus, this pack of minimal pairs can be used to develop games and activities
to directly confront the child with the consequences of his/her error pattern
in terms of meaning. For example, if a child says ‘That’s a funny nail’ (when
looking at a picture of a snail), the adult may respond ‘A funny nail?? I can’t
see a funny nail anywhere ... but I can see a funny snail!’
Caroline Bowen offers excellent information on her website (speech-
language-therapy.com) on minimal pair therapies which clearly describes the
varying approaches that can be used by therapists, and again, the picture
resources provided in our Pairs in Pictures series can be utilised to support
these approaches.
Each pack in our Pairs in Pictures (PIP) minimal pairs series focuses on a
particular phonological process and provides minimal pairs of that particular
process in initial, medial and final position:
PIP 1: Fronting/Backing, Gliding
PIP 2: Stopping
PIP 3: Consonant Deletion
PIP 4: Cluster Reduction /s/
PIP 5: Cluster Reduction /l/ and /r/
PIP 6: Voicing/devoicing
This pack focuses on Cluster Reduction /s/: sound clusters are where two or
three consonants combine at the front, middle or end of words. For example,
‘spoon’, ‘flower’, ‘string’, ‘basket’ and ‘last’. A child exhibiting cluster reduction
will omit one or two consonants from the cluster.
Examples: ‘spider’ = ‘bider’; ‘blue’ = ‘boo’; ‘school’ = ‘kool’; ‘first’ = ‘firt’:
Cluster reduction is very commonly noted as part of delayed speech
development.
4PIP4-2, Minimal Pairs, Cluster Reduction, s Blends, second edition © 2017 Helen Rippon, Black Sheep Press Ltd. Black Sheep Press, 67, Middleton, Cowling, Keighley, W. Yorks, BD22 0DQ, England. Tel. +44 (0)1535 631346; email: info@blacksheeppress.co.uk ; web: www.blacksheeppress.co.uk
It is only permitted for the licensee shown below to print/photocopy these worksheets for use in their clinic/school. See page 3 for full details of the licence conditions.
Low resolution sample for viewing on the web
Low resolution sample for viewing on the web
ActivitiesBefore beginning, please note:For most of the activities it will be necessary to have two identical copies of
the pictures being used to enable you to provide immediate feedback to the
child on whether they have selected the correct word, or have said a word
correctly, thus highlighting the importance of meaning.
You will need to check that the child understands the words to be used
within the minimal pairs activity. Inevitably, in an effort to provide as many
pairs as possible, it is sometimes necessary to use words that may not be in
a young child’s vocabulary. Only use pairs of words that you know the child
understands.
All these games should be fun and all corrections carried out with good
humour. If the child appears uncomfortable, or distressed, stop the game
immediately.
Hunting and hiding
Have two identical sets of pictures. Place one set of pictures around the
room. Keep the other set in your hand so the child is unable to see which
pictures you are looking at. Now ask the child to, for example, ‘Find the …
stick.’
The child runs around the room until he/she finds the picture of ‘stick’ and
brings it back to the table. Show the child the picture you were looking at.
‘Good listening! You found the stick. It’s the same picture I was looking at!
Now find the stairs.’ Continue until the child has found all the pictures.
Now, and this is the most important part of the game, repeat the activity, but
the child now becomes the teacher. If the child is looking at the picture of the
‘stick’, but says ‘tick’, you MUST go and retrieve the picture of the ‘tick’ so that
when the child reveals the picture he/she was looking at you can say ‘Oh!
You told me to fetch the tick ... but you were looking at the STICK! We need
to say them differently don’t we.’ etc.
Where’s the sticker?
Place a set of pictures face up on the table. Ask the child to hide his/her eyes
while you place stickers under some of the pictures. (Keep the paper backing
on them so they don’t stick to the table!)
5PIP4-2, Minimal Pairs, Cluster Reduction, s Blends, second edition © 2017 Helen Rippon, Black Sheep Press Ltd. Black Sheep Press, 67, Middleton, Cowling, Keighley, W. Yorks, BD22 0DQ, England. Tel. +44 (0)1535 631346; email: info@blacksheeppress.co.uk ; web: www.blacksheeppress.co.uk
It is only permitted for the licensee shown below to print/photocopy these worksheets for use in their clinic/school. See page 3 for full details of the licence conditions.
Low resolution sample for viewing on the web
Low resolution sample for viewing on the web
Extra pairs and sentences
Pairs: Cluster reduction /s/
Cluster reduction /s/ Cluster reduction /s/ Cluster reduction /s/
space pace scoop coop spy sigh
speak peak scared cared speak seek
spot pot smile mile spoon soon
spit pit sweat wet stir sir
stone tone swarm warm scales sails
start tart slime lime skunk sunk
scone cone slap lap sweep seep
skate Kate slide lied sweets seats
skid kid
Pairs in sentences: Cluster reduction /s/
• The baby has a spotty potty.
• Stop at the top of the stairs.
• The calf is wearing a scarf.
• There’s no snow left!
• The snail sat on a nail.
• I can only see one swan.
8PIP4-2, Minimal Pairs, Cluster Reduction, s Blends, second edition © 2017 Helen Rippon, Black Sheep Press Ltd. Black Sheep Press, 67, Middleton, Cowling, Keighley, W. Yorks, BD22 0DQ, England. Tel. +44 (0)1535 631346; email: info@blacksheeppress.co.uk ; web: www.blacksheeppress.co.uk
It is only permitted for the licensee shown below to print/photocopy these worksheets for use in their clinic/school. See page 3 for full details of the licence conditions.
Low resolution sample for viewing on the web
Low resolution sample for viewing on the web
999PIP4-2, Minimal Pairs, Cluster Reduction, s Blends, second edition © 2017 Helen Rippon, Black Sheep Press Ltd. Black Sheep Press, 67, Middleton, Cowling, Keighley, W. Yorks, BD22 0DQ, England. Tel. +44 (0)1535 631346; email: info@blacksheeppress.co.uk ; web: www.blacksheeppress.co.uk
It is only permitted for the licensee shown below to print/photocopy these worksheets for use in their clinic/school. See page 3 for full details of the licence conditions.
spill
spotty
spin
spoke
pill
potty
pin
poke
Low resolution sample for viewing on the web
Low resolution sample for viewing on the web
13PIP4-2, Minimal Pairs, Cluster Reduction, s Blends, second edition © 2017 Helen Rippon, Black Sheep Press Ltd. Black Sheep Press, 67, Middleton, Cowling, Keighley, W. Yorks, BD22 0DQ, England. Tel. +44 (0)1535 631346; email: info@blacksheeppress.co.uk ; web: www.blacksheeppress.co.uk
It is only permitted for the licensee shown below to print/photocopy these worksheets for use in their clinic/school. See page 3 for full details of the licence conditions.
school
smash
smelt
sneeze
cool
mash
melt
knees
Low resolution sample for viewing on the web
Low resolution sample for viewing on the web