July 25, 2025
Parent: Since we’re back for our Friday series, can you talk about another one of your favorite language strategies?
Yes! This one is a favorite speech strategy called “Backwards chaining.” This is a strategy that helps break down the parts of a word, or the sounds in a word, to help a child accurately produce words by starting with the last syllable or sound. Backwards chaining can help address the phonological process of final consonant deletion.
Parent: Can you give me some examples of this situation?
As an example, a child says “ca-” instead of “cat”. Final consonant deletion is a way that young children simplify language and is considered developmentally appropriate until age 3. If they continue this past the age of 3, a child will typically require speech therapy to learn the rule of final consonants. You can imagine how leaving off final consonants can impact our ability to understand a child.
Parent: What were your personal experiences with using backwards chaining?
I worked with a child who was 4 and did not say any of his final consonants. “My ca i ba a whi”(My cat is black and white) To help him learn that many words have final consonants, I taught him to use his hands to break down the sounds in the word starting with the sound he was missing first. In the example of “cat” I would start with “t” and then “ca” and then bring his hands together to form the word “cat”. It took a few sessions to move from making the sounds in isolation to putting them together accurately.
Parent: That sounds like a great interactive strategy!
I agree. Using his hands as prompts helped him see that the word has more than one part. After many sessions I am happy to report that he is now using final consonants, and went from being understood less than 50% of the time to 90% when the context is known. We moved onto different sound errors but he continued to use his hands to correct other speech sound errors in consonant clusters and to address consonants in the middle of words. I highly recommend using backwards chaining with the child’s hands as a visual to address final sounds in young children.
Parent: Backwards chaining sounds like such a fun way to teach children. Thank you so much, Vanessa!