Phonological processes IEP goals: stopping, gliding, cluster reduction

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A phonological process goal targets a sound pattern, not one sound: the child replaces a whole class of sounds the same way. Name the process, the replacement you want, the level and a criterion. Example: given 20 untrained words starting with /f/ or /s/, Ty will say the fricative instead of a stop in 16 of 20 words.

When a child replaces a whole group of sounds in the same way, such as every /s/, /f/ and "sh" turning into /t/, one goal for the pattern does more than three goals for three sounds. This page covers how to pick which process to work on first, then gives 12 goals for stopping, gliding, cluster reduction and three less common patterns. The numbers are illustrations.

Fronting and final consonant deletion have their own pages with 20 or more goals each: see fronting IEP goals and final consonant deletion IEP goals. Sound-by-sound articulation goals are on the articulation goals examples pillar.

Phonological processes vs phonological awareness

The two terms get mixed up in IEP meetings. A phonological process is a pattern in how the child says words. Phonological awareness is the ability to hear and play with the sounds in words, such as rhyming or clapping syllables. It is a reading skill. A child can have one without the other, but children with many processes often need phonological awareness support too. The phonological awareness in speech therapy guide covers how to target both, and the reading side is on the phonological awareness goals page.

Common processes and what they sound like

ASHA describes phonological disorders as errors that follow rule-based patterns, as opposed to motor-based errors on single sounds.^[1] The table lists the patterns school SLPs see most.

Process	What happens	Example	Template
Stopping	Fricatives or affricates become stops	"tun" for sun, "pan" for fan	sl-phon-004
Gliding	/l/ or /r/ becomes /w/ or "y"	"wabbit" for rabbit, "yeg" for leg	sl-phon-007
Cluster reduction	One consonant of a cluster drops	"top" for stop, "pay" for play	sl-phon-003
Fronting	/k/ and /g/ become /t/ and /d/	"tup" for cup	sl-phon-002
Final consonant deletion	The last consonant drops	"ca" for cat	sl-phon-001
Weak syllable deletion	An unstressed syllable drops	"nana" for banana	sl-phon-008
Stridency deletion	Hissing sounds drop or change	"un" for sun	sl-phon-029
Deaffrication	"ch" and "j" lose the stop part	"ship" for chip	sl-phon-010
Assimilation	One sound copies another in the word	"gog" for dog	sl-phon-012
Backing	Front sounds move back	"kop" for top	sl-phon-019

Some processes fade early in typical development, while others, such as gliding, can last into the early school years. Before calling a process a disorder, compare the sounds involved with the ages when most children produce them.^[2] For example, /l/ and "sh" are usually in place by about age 5, and /r/ by about age 6, so gliding of /r/ in a 4-year-old is a weaker case for services than stopping of /f/.

How to pick which process to target first

Run a sample and tally each process. Use a single-word test plus a 50-word play or talk sample. Count how many times each pattern appears, out of how many chances.
Rank by the effect on intelligibility. Patterns that remove sounds (final consonant deletion, cluster reduction, weak syllable deletion) usually hurt understanding more than patterns that swap one sound for a close one.
Check stimulability. A pattern the child can fix after a model will move fastest. A pattern the child cannot fix at all may need perception work first.
Pick one to three patterns. Write one goal per pattern. Cycles approaches rotate through several patterns; minimal pair approaches stay on one contrast until it moves.
Write goals on untrained words. The goal should show that the pattern changed, not that the child memorized the practice cards.

Stopping goals

Stopping of /f/ and /s/ is common in preschool. Start with the fricative the child is closest to, often /f/, because the child can see the lip and teeth placement.

Given 20 untrained words starting with /f/ or /s/, Ty will say the fricative instead of a stop in 16 of 20 words across 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 3 of 20. Template.
Given 20 words with /s/ in any position, Ty will keep the hissing sound rather than dropping it in 16 of 20 words across 3 sessions. Baseline: 6 of 20. Template.
During a minimal-pair game with 10 pairs such as "tea" and "sea," Ty will say each word so the listener picks the right picture in 8 of 10 turns. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Ty will reduce stopping." Measurable: The first goal in this section. It names the sounds, the replacement and the number of untrained words.

Gliding goals

Gliding of /l/ is a clearer target than gliding of /r/ in a 4- or 5-year-old, because /l/ is expected earlier.

Given 20 untrained words with /l/ at the start, June will say /l/ instead of /w/ or "y" in 16 of 20 words across 2 probes. Baseline: 4 of 20. Template.
When the SLP says 10 pairs such as "light" and "white," June will point to the right picture in 9 of 10 trials. Baseline: 6 of 10. Template.
During a 5-minute play sample, June will say /l/ correctly in 60% of /l/ words on 2 of 3 monthly samples. Baseline: 15%. Template.

Weak: "June will stop gliding." Measurable: The first goal in this section, with a count and a time frame.

Cluster reduction goals

Cluster reduction gets its own page with 16 goals: consonant cluster IEP goals. Three pattern-level goals are below.

Given 20 untrained words starting with s-clusters (such as stop and snake), Max will say both consonants in 15 of 20 words across 2 probes. Baseline: 2 of 20. Template.
When the SLP says the two sounds of a cluster apart, such as "s" then "top," Max will blend them into the cluster word in 8 of 10 trials. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
Using the carrier phrase "I can ___," Max will say s-cluster verbs (such as swim and skip) with both sounds in 16 of 20 phrases. Baseline: 5 of 20. Template.

Weak: "Max will produce blends." Measurable: The first goal in this section. It names the cluster type and uses untrained words.

Weak syllable deletion, assimilation and deaffrication goals

Given 15 three-syllable words (such as banana and elephant), Kira will say every syllable in 12 of 15 words across 3 sessions. Baseline: 4 of 15. Template.
Given 20 words with two different consonants (such as dog and cup), Kira will say both consonants without copying one onto the other in 16 of 20 words. Baseline: 7 of 20. Template.
Given 20 words with "ch" or "j," Ben will say the full affricate rather than "sh" or "zh" in 16 of 20 words across 3 sessions. Baseline: 5 of 20. Template.

Weak: "Kira will say longer words." Measurable: The first goal in this section. It names the word length and counts whole words with every syllable.

How to measure process goals

Score a pattern goal on untrained words that contain the target pattern, not on the practice set. For each word, mark correct, the process still present, or a different error. A probe of 20 words every 2 weeks is enough. The opportunity trial data sheet fits a 20-word probe, and the opportunities measurement guide explains how to count prompted trials.

Track the process count in a play sample once a month as well. "Stopping in 22 of 30 opportunities in September, 12 of 30 in January" tells the team more than one percent on picture cards. For intelligibility as the outcome, see intelligibility IEP goals.

Adapting by age

Age	Typical priority	Goal level
3	Final consonant deletion, weak syllable deletion, stopping of early sounds	Play-based words, 10 to 15 per probe
4	Fronting, stopping of /f/ and /s/, cluster reduction	Untrained words and carrier phrases
5	Cluster reduction, gliding of /l/, deaffrication	Phrases, sentences, early reading
6 and up	Remaining gliding of /r/, often treated as an articulation goal	Words to conversation

All 40 templates are on the phonological processes goals page. Run any draft through the goal checker before the meeting.

Frequently asked questions

How many phonological processes should one IEP target?

Usually one to three. Pick the patterns that hurt intelligibility most and that the child can start to fix. A cycles approach can rotate through more patterns over the year, but write goals only for the ones you will probe.

Should a process goal list specific sounds?

Yes. Name the sounds the pattern affects for this child, such as /f/ and /s/ for stopping. That tells the team what the untrained probe words contain and keeps the goal measurable.

Is gliding of /r/ a phonological process goal?

In a young child, it can be part of a gliding pattern with /l/. In a school-age child whose only error is /r/, it is usually treated as an articulation goal for one sound, with its own steps from syllables to conversation.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Speech Sound Disorders: Articulation and Phonology, ASHA
Children's English Consonant Acquisition in the United States: A Review (Crowe and McLeod, 2020), American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, via PubMed

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.