The Cycles Phonological Remediation Approach is an intervention strategy in speech therapy for children who are highly difficult to understand. This method, developed by Dr. Barbara Hodson and her colleagues, targets a child’s sound system by focusing on patterns of speech errors rather than drilling individual sounds in isolation. The Cycles Approach systematically rotates through multiple error patterns for fixed periods of time, aiming for the gradual emergence of correct speech habits.
The Foundational Principles of Cycles
The Cycles Approach is built upon the idea that phonological acquisition in children is a gradual process. It is rooted in principles of developmental phonology, which observe that children learn the adult sound system primarily by listening. The intervention, therefore, heavily emphasizes auditory stimulation to help reorganize the child’s internal phonological system.
The core of the approach is the focus on phonological patterns, or “processes,” which are consistent error types like “fronting” (replacing back sounds like /k/ with front sounds like /t/). By targeting these error patterns, the therapy is designed to promote system-wide learning and generalization across multiple sounds. This time-limited exposure to a target pattern stimulates the child’s awareness without expecting immediate mastery. The therapy intentionally moves on to the next pattern before the first one is perfected, allowing the child’s brain a “rest period” for the new pattern to generalize.
Planning the Treatment Cycle
A “cycle” is the macro-structure of the intervention, representing a fixed period of time during which a set of error patterns are addressed. A single cycle typically lasts between 5 and 16 weeks, depending on the number of patterns a child presents with. The therapist selects target patterns based on those errors that occur in a child’s speech at least 40% of the time, as these have the greatest impact on intelligibility.
Targets are prioritized into a hierarchy, starting with “primary patterns” that are most important for making the child understandable. These primary patterns often include early developing sounds, syllable structures like final consonant deletion, and basic consonant contrasts such as fronting. Each phoneme within a chosen pattern is targeted for a specific duration, typically 60 minutes, before the therapy rotates to the next sound or pattern.
To ensure the child experiences success and stays motivated, the sounds selected for practice must generally be “stimulable,” meaning the child can produce the sound with some level of support. The one exception to this stimulability rule is the facilitation of liquids, like /l/ and /r/, which are often introduced at the end of each cycle even if the child can only produce a close approximation.
Steps of a Cycles Therapy Session
The individual therapy session adheres to a sequence of activities. A typical 60-minute session begins with a quick review of the target words from the previous session to check for carryover. This is immediately followed by Auditory Bombardment.
During Auditory Bombardment, the child passively listens for one to two minutes while the clinician reads a list of 12 to 15 target words containing the session’s specific sound pattern. This focused listening activity is often repeated at the end of the session to reinforce the correct acoustic model.
The child then moves into production practice, where they are introduced to three to five target words through a fun, play-based activity. The goal of the production practice is a high rate of accurate production, achieved through consistent modeling and cueing from the clinician.
Following the main practice activity, the clinician conducts a Stimulability Probe by testing a list of words for the next session’s potential target pattern. The sound that the child produces most easily during this probe will be selected as the focus for the next session.
The session concludes with a Home Practice assignment, which is considered a necessary component for success. This homework primarily involves the parent or caregiver administering a two-minute daily Auditory Bombardment activity, and may also include a simple list of words for the child to practice throughout the week.
Target Population and Expected Outcomes
The Cycles Approach is designed for children with severe to profound speech sound disorders. These children typically exhibit multiple phonological processes, where their errors involve widespread patterns of sound substitutions and omissions. The ideal candidate for this intervention is a child whose speech is difficult for unfamiliar listeners to understand, with multiple error patterns occurring frequently.
Because the therapy targets multiple patterns in a structured rotation, it is considered a time-efficient way to address complex speech disorders. Children with severe disorders commonly require multiple cycles—approximately three to four cycles—to achieve functional speech clarity. This level of progress often translates to about 30 to 40 hours of treatment before the child’s speech becomes intelligible to unfamiliar listeners. The goal is to rapidly increase the child’s overall speech intelligibility and communication effectiveness, rather than achieving 100% accuracy on every sound.