Using the R practice tools together
JoSS Kids Lab · Tool-use documentation · Updated October 29, 2026. Editorial and clinical review scope
Use this walkthrough when a speech-language pathologist has already helped you choose an R target. It explains how to use the website with that target. R word cards, a visual mouth guide and a listening contrast do different jobs; choose the task you want before starting a turn.
Choose a deck that matches your task
The general R page, position pages, vocalic R lists and blend lists organize different word sets. Check the visible word bank before choosing. A spelling label alone does not describe every accent: a final written R may sound different across varieties of English. Keep the target selected with your professional rather than asking the website to decide which pronunciation your child should use.
Explore the illustration without treating it as a scan
In Shape & say, choose an available sound and step through the mouth guide. R offers bunched and curled-tip illustrations. Neither picture is a measurement of the learner’s mouth, and a side view cannot show all side contact. In a BR deck, selecting B or R changes the illustrated sound; the word audio supplies the connected blend.
Try one worked example
Open the R practice page and find Rabbit in its word bank. Hear the word, then choose A little phrase to hear the phrase model. If another turn is wanted, choose A whole sentence or move to another familiar word. I gave it a try records participation only. You can return to a word model at any time, and a quiet listening turn is also a useful way to explore the interface.
Use R/W listening for a different question
Open R & W to explore Ring and Wing with their pictures. Hear each card first and check that both pictures make sense. Then try Listen & find. A picture choice tells you what was selected in that round; it is not a score for the learner’s spoken R, a hearing test or a reason to change their target.
A short checklist
- Choose an R target already selected with your SLP and check its word bank.
- Hear a familiar word; explore the schematic mouth cue if useful.
- Select a phrase or sentence only when that is the task you want.
- Try a related listening contrast or save the setup with Share activity.
When something does not fit
The mouth picture does not match the shape my SLP uses. What now?
Use the cue selected with your professional. The illustration shows possible placements and cannot establish an individual placement. You can listen to the word model without following the diagram.
The Beginning, Middle or End button is disabled.
That position has no words in the selected deck. Use All positions, or return to the sound collection to choose another word list.
The voice sounds different from our accent.
The default models are generated US English speech. Use them as disclosed models, discuss appropriate targets with your SLP, and use the optional local recorder for a short familiar model if useful.
Try these activities
Explore the full speech sound games & animated mouth guides collection →
Sources and scope
This walkthrough explains the website’s controls and example tasks. It does not prescribe treatment or establish clinical effectiveness. Primary guidance is linked for background; its publishers do not endorse these tools.