What is Forward and Backward Chaining?

Chaining is a very effective cueing technique in Apraxia therapy. 

Children with childhood apraxia of speech often simplify syllable structures which results in omission of sounds.

Forward and backward chaining can be used to correct a distorted sound in the word and help a child work on the omission of initial and final sounds in the word. 

How does chaining work?

Here's how SLPs can use chaining with a client:

• Pull the sound or syllable out of the word. (Isolate it.)

• Have child repeat it correctly a few times.
• Put the sound or syllable back into the word. Use simultaneous productions to chain the word back together. (Simultaneous productions is the first step in the DTTC hierarchy.) The clinician and the child should start the word at the same time and move through the sounds in the word together.

Omission of initial and final sounds

Let's look at how you can use chaining with a child who is omitting an initial sound in the word, like saying "uppy" for "puppy". 

First, practice the full initial syllable "puh" several times. Then practice the full word "puppy". 

You can do the same for final sounds, but be careful not to add a schwa sound when practicing stop sounds like the final /p/ in up or pop.

It is better to work on final sounds that have movement: /s/, /f/, /sh/, /m/ and /n/.

Two types of chaining 

There are two types of chaining: forward chaining and backward chaining. 

Forward chaining is used when the initial sound in the word is produced incorrectly.

For example: The word "hæppy" produced as "æppy".  The child is omitting the initial sound /h/.

So we practice saying "hæ" on its own a few times and then use simultaneous productions to put the word together.

Backward chaining is used when the final sound in the word is produced incorrectly.

For example: The word "opIn" (open) is produced as "opʌn"(oh-pun). 

The child is distorting the vowel.  So we practice "pIn" several times and then use simultaneous productions to put the word together.

Chaining is also very effective for cluster reduction. 

If the child produces "slip" as "sip".  You can teach "lip" and then add the /s/ as teach "slip", "duck" and then "stuck."

Want to practice using forward and backward chaining? 

I share videos Instagram to show you how I use specific strategies and skills in real apraxia therapy sessions. 

You can also check out this video of a real client practicing the /sk/ cluster in the word school.