September 2011 - Marshalla Speech & Language

Month: September 2011

The King’s Speech was Dysarthric, Too

By Pam Marshalla

This opinion paper was originally posted as a downloadable PDF on my website, authored on April 29th, 2011. Download the original PDF here. *** The King’s Speech was Dysarthric, Too An analysis of treatment procedures reveals that fluency was not the only issue Discussions of the Oscar winning movie, The King’s Speech, have focused on the problem of stuttering and its impact on communication. This certainly has been a boon to our profession and a help to public understanding of this…

Articulation Therapy In the Public Schools

By Pam Marshalla

This opinion paper was originally posted as a downloadable PDF on my website, authored in September, 2010. Download the original PDF here. *** Articulation Therapy In the Public Schools Some of today’s public schools are trying to eliminate articulation therapy for mild cases from their school programs because it is believed that these errors do not impact education. However, throughout the history of western civilization, there have been three ways to measure ones level of intelligence and success in education. These…

Exit Criteria: Getting Kids Off the School Caseload

By Pam Marshalla

Q: I serve a female client with Down syndrome in school. She is bright and has done quite well in articulation therapy, but she cannot produce CH due to a severe underbite. This is her last articulation error. Her inability to say the sound is not due to poor oral control or cognitive issues. She simply cannot make this phoneme correctly because of the occlusal problem, but she is not going to receive orthodontia or oral surgery. The parents have…

Finding Old Speech-Language Textbooks

By Pam Marshalla

Q: In your writing and seminars you always reference the ways in which traditional therapists like Van Riper and others worked. I know how to find old articles on-line through ASHA’s archives. But how do you find all the old textbooks you mention? Excellent question! As the saying goes: It is only by understanding our past that we can understand our present and future. Understanding the work of past therapists puts today’s practices into perspective, and it helps us analyze…

Tongue Bowl Reflex (History and Definitions)

By Pam Marshalla

Q: I have been reading some of your material, and I am wondering if you can tell me where the term “Tongue Bowl Reflex” comes from? I made up the term Tongue Bowl Reflex and Tongue Bowl Response. In the 1970’s, the term “tongue bowl” was floating around among therapists who were involved in feeding, dysphagia, and oral-motor. I knew that the tongue bowl was a reflex from various readings I was doing, and I realized that no one had…

Background on the “L-to-R Slide” Method

By Pam Marshalla

Q: I am a college student and am doing a group report. We would like to discuss your “L-to-R Slide” technique. In order to do that we need an article that discusses it. Can you guide me to one? Before I answer your question, let me pose a philosophical question to you and to my broader reading audience: Why are individual articles that summarize one single study always considered superior to the writings of master clinicians who write practical manuals…

Stimulating Postvocalic R

By Pam Marshalla

Q: I struggle with kids who are able to get initial but who cannot do final R. Is there some magic I can do here? There is no magic; but I know three solid ways to go about this. We can: (1) Use the syllable, (2) Pair words together, and (3) Abstract R out of a correct word. I find the first method to be the easiest, and I shall explain it here. Get the Syllable If your child can…

Frontal Lisp and Underbite

By Pam Marshalla

Q: I have a third-grader who has a frontal lisp on /s/ and /z/. He has an underbite and produces these sounds with his tongue contacting the inside of his upper teeth. Should I discontinue therapy until he is seen by an orthodontist or is there something I should be doing in the meantime to help him compensate for his jaw and tongue positioning? I am really not sure if he’s capable of a more retracted tongue position or if…

Pencil Talking (for Connected Speech)

By Pam Marshalla

Q: I have a 9-year-old boy on my caseload who may have a mild dysarthria. He passes an articulation test but his connected speech is unintelligible. I’ve read all your posts that relate to this, and I understand the goals of elocution to target. Do you have a format that works best for teaching elocution? Should I start with lists of sentences, children’s poetry, or do you have another route or format to suggest? Great question! The absolute best way…