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What are the First Sounds My Child Should Make? Your Question Answered

 
The sounds /h/ and /a/ are the first two sounds your child should be able to make! When we release or exhale air, our bodies allow carbon dioxide to escape our open mouths, producing the amazing VOICELESS sound “h!”

Now, let’s think about “ahh” when we let the air out of our open mouth to make “h” and turn on our voice, we make the VOICED sound “a.” “Ahh” and “h” are the same sound, one your voice is on….one your voice is off.

Voice on…..voice off…..what does that mean?

We have vocal folds (two of them) ALSO known as vocal cords, and when we make a sound that requires your voice to turn on, the two vocal folds hit rapidly and vibrate to create voicing. Make the sound “ah” and touch your “adam’s apple” or arytenoid cartilage at the same time, you are turning your voice on.

Time to Practice

1. Grab a mirror, take a big breath, and use your “h” sound to fog up the mirror. If you touch your “adam’s apple” the same time you make “h” you’ll notice there’s no buzzy feeling or vibration; VOICELESS.
2. Using your best superhero voice or princess voice let out a big “ahhhhhhh.” If you touch your “adam’s apple” the same time you say “ahhhhhh” you’ll notice there’s a buzzy feeling or vibration; VOICED.
3. Now that we know about voice, let’s thing about another thing: we have a lot of sound pairs that are actually the SAME SOUND, one requires use of your voice (VOICED) the other does not (VOICELESS).
P : VOICELESS B: VOICED
T: VOICELESS D: VOICED
K: VOICELESS  G: VOICED
S: VOICELESS    Z: VOICED
F: VOICELESS V: VOICED
And if you’re kiddos are experiencing difficulty producing any of these paired sounds, keeping their voices on, you can use the touch of the “adam’s apple” as well as a hand in front of the mouth to let them know they should feel air on their hands if it is voiceless.
 
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Crystal Scheibe

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Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

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My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

Ron Monroe

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My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

Heather Dougherty-Pantoja

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My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

Terri Apgar

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I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

Kelli Geisler Davisson

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

Victoria Hansford-Price

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We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

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They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

Amy Furukawa

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We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

Jessica Havalotti

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!
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