Why /r/ Is So Hard: A Conversation About Speech Sound Disorders

In this special Bright Conversations episode, host Shontaye Glover Jones sits down with Dr. Kelly Farquharson, professor at Florida State University and director of the Children’s Literacy and Speech Sound (CLaSS) Lab, to talk all things speech sound disorders—and why the /r/ sound is such a notorious challenge.

Explore Conversation

In this episode, Kelly shares research-backed insights and practical tips to help SLPs understand the complexity behind speech sound errors, approach intervention more strategically, and work more confidently at the top of their license.

Listeners will gain clarity on the difference between developmental errors and disordered patterns, why early intervention matters, and how implementation science can help bridge research and real-world clinical work.

Key topics discussed in this episode.

* Why /r/ is such a challenging sound to teach and master

* The science behind articulatory placement and motor planning

* How to distinguish between typical and atypical speech sound development

* Understanding the presence of a dialect vs a disorder

* Practical strategies for targeting speech sounds in meaningful contexts

* Early intervention and the pitfalls of “waiting until 8”

* Using implementation science to support classroom success

* Empowering SLPs to practice at the top of their license

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Want to explore further? Check out the SSD Series including a 1-hr course from Kelly on the /r/.

Guests

Kelly Farquharson
PhD, CCC-SLP
Dr. Kelly Farquharson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is an associate professor in the School of Communication Science and Disorders at Florida State University and director of the Children’s Literacy and Speech Sound (CLaSS) Lab. Her research focuses on improving outcomes for children with speech sound disorders and language impairments through school-based implementation science. She is a frequent conference presenter, educator, and creator of the popular Phonetics Friday series on social media, where she brings humor, heart, and expertise to the field of speech-language pathology.

Learning Objectives

Describe key factors that make /r/ and other speech sounds particularly difficult to remediate.
Identify evidence-based strategies for contextualized, functional speech sound intervention.
Explain how implementation science principles can improve collaboration and carryover in school settings.

Why /r/ Is So Hard: A Conversation About Speech Sound Disorders: FREE!
In this special Bright Conversations episode, host Shontaye Glover Jones sits down with Dr. Kelly Farquharson, professor at Florida State University and director of the Children’s Literacy and Speech Sound (CLaSS) Lab, to talk all things speech sound disorders—and why the /r/ sound is such a notorious challenge. No ASHA CEUs are offered for this course.

Add-ons

Speech Sound Disorders Series Bundle 2025

$150.00

The bundle includes the 90-min live replay co-presented by Drs. Sharynne McLeod and Kelly Farquharson, "Clinical Use of Speech Sound Acquisition Data", an 60-min by Dr. Farquharson, "/ɹ/ you frustrated by working on /ɹ/? Try facilitative contexts!", and a 120-min course by Dr. McLeod, "Multilingual Children’s Speech Assessment: A Contemporary Global Update". Includes access to the live replay, 2 recorded courses, and optional ASHA reporting for all 3 courses.