07/09/2026
Did you know that some children may say “tat” instead of “cat”?
This is known as fronting, a speech sound pattern where a sound that should be made at the back of the mouth, like
/k/, is replaced with a sound made further forward, like /t/.
Here we focus on /k/ and /t/ in isolation and using a mouth model to help show exactly where each sound is made.
For /t/, the tongue tip comes up towards the front of the mouth, just behind the top teeth.
For /k/, the back of the tongue lifts towards the back of the mouth.
Using a mouth model gives a clear visual of what is happening inside the mouth. This is helpful when instructions like “move your tongue back” are difficult to understand.
Once the child begins to understand and produce the sounds separately, we can gradually build them into syllables and words, such as “cat”.
Join us every Monday for our Speech Sound Series, where we will show you how different sounds are made and share practical activities you can try at home or in therapy.
👇 Which speech sound would you like us to cover next Monday? Comment below!
