Cued articulation

What is cued articulation?

Cued articulation is a set of hand signs that can help children with their sounds. It is a system designed and developed by Jane Passy. There is one hand sign for each speech sound. The signs give clues about where the sounds are made. Cued articulation signs can help children with hearing, listening and producing different speech sounds.

The hand signs show three key pieces of information about the sounds.

1. Placement – where in the mouth a sound is made

The shape and position of the hand indicates the lip and tongue positions i.e. where in the mouth the sound is made.

2. Manner – how a sound is made

The movement of the hand gives information about whether the sound is long (continuous air stream) or short (a short burst of air) or a mixture of both

3. Voicing – whether the vocal cords are used or not

The number of fingers show whether the sound is voiced or voiceless:

1 finger for voiceless (quiet) sounds
2 fingers for voiced (noisy) sounds

The hand signs are easy to learn and are made at the same time as the sound is said. This way your child sees the sound at the same time as hearing it.

Your speech and language therapist will tell you which cued articulation signs to use with your child.

Additional resources and information

For further information, you can purchase ‘Cued Articulation: Consonants and Vowels’ (Revised Edition) by Jane Passy

A video on Cued Articulation by Barnsley Speech and Language Therapy Service. This video explains cued articulation and demonstrates the sign for each speech sound.

Contact us

For more information please contact the Speech and Language Therapy Service at Flockton House on 0114 226 2333.

Is something missing from this resource that you think should be included? Please let us know

Disclaimer

Please note: this is a generic information sheet relating to care at Sheffield Children’s NHS FT. These details may not reflect treatment at other hospitals. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professionals’ instructions. If this resource relates to medicines, please read it alongside the medicine manufacturer’s patient information leaflet. If this information has been translated into another language from English, efforts have been made to maintain accuracy, but there may still be some translation errors. If you are unsure about any of the guidance in this resource or have specific questions about how it relates to your child, always ask your healthcare professional for further advice.

Resource number: SL195

Resource Type: Article

Cued articulation

Looking for something?

Smart Filters

Services

Who it's for

What it’s about

Format