Cycles Intervention

What It Is

Cycles Intervention is a structured phonological approach designed for children who are highly unintelligible. It targets sound patterns rather than individual sounds.

How It Works

Speech targets are introduced in “cycles”, short periods of focused practice that repeat over time. In each cycle, an error pattern is targeted for 60 minutes before moving onto the next error pattern. For example, if a child’s speech is characterized by stopping, backing and final consonant deletion errors, the clinician would work on one pattern for 60 minutes, then target another pattern for 60 minutes and so on, “cycling” through the child’s error patterns until the child’s intelligibility improves. This cyclical process allows children to gradually internalize patterns.

How We Can Help

We offer multiple Cycles intervention bundles (e.g., S-Clusters, Liquids & Glides, Initial & Final Consonant Deletion) and targeted decks that support cycle-based learning through carefully selected words and engaging visuals. These tools align with the Hodson and Paden (1991) model.

The Research

The Cycles approach, developed by Hodson & Paden (1991), is well-supported for children with moderate to severe phonological deficits. Research has shown its effectiveness in improving intelligibility over time (Hodson, 2007).

Hodson, B., & Paden, E. (1991).Targeting intelligible speech: A phonological approach to remediation (2nd ed.). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed/College Hill.

Cycles Intervention

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