Answers & Advice Blog - Page 17 of 52 - Marshalla Speech & Language

Tongue Thrust References

By Pam Marshalla

Q: What do you recommend to begin doing reading on tongue thrust? In terms of textbooks, I would recommend either of the following. The chapters about what to do in therapy for tongue thrust are basically the same in both of these books: Hanson, M. L., & Barrett, R. H. (1988) Fundamentals of orofacial myology. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas. Hanson, M. L., & Mason, R. M. (2003) Orofacial Myology: International Perspectives. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas.

Transcribing a Frontal Lisp

By Pam Marshalla

Q: How do you transcribe a frontal lisp? There are many ways to designate a frontal lisp– Some therapists do like to write it as Th/S (using IPA symbols, of course.) Some place a right-facing arrow under the phoneme, to indicate that the tongue is protruding forward. Some draw a circle between a downward-facing caret and an upward-facing caret, indicating the tongue is between the upper and lower teeth. Some simply write D for distorted, but I think that is…

Teaching Sh and Ch

By Pam Marshalla

Q: How do you teach Sh and Ch when a client has a lateral lisp? Start with Sh–– Have the client smile and produce an exaggerated Long E–– Eeeee. Then tell him to hold his tongue in the E position and pant. He will be making a gross Sh at that point. Now have him keep panting in that way and round the lips. He will be saying Sh. Then go to Ch–– Have the client prolong Sh–– Shhhhhhhhhhh. While prolonging…

Misdiagnosing Mild Dysarthria as Apraxia

By Pam Marshalla

SLPs often overlook the diagnosis of mild dysarthria. This therapist’s letter perfectly describes such a client. My answer below summarizes the problems and offers links to treatment. Q: I was hoping you could provide some guidance for me with a student I am evaluating. She is 11 years old and has been in speech for R, L, S, Th for several years. I met her for the first time this week when I began her re-evaluation. The SLP who has…

Adding Frication to a Client’s Phonological Repertoire

By Pam Marshalla

Q: My client has no fricatives/affricates. I have been working of F for about three months, and he is just not getting it. This is how I work: If I cannot get one particular phoneme when a client has none in the class, I revert back to stimulating the class or distinctive feature. Instead of teaching one particular phoneme in the class or with the feature, stimulate for them all. That way the client learns to recognize the similarities between…

When R is Only Good in Certain Words

By Pam Marshalla

Q: I went to your class on R therapy, but I still do not understand how to help a client who can say R in some words but not others. For example, my client can say “board” but not “bird.” Help! This is what I do with kids who have Rs in some words and not others–– I see if I can manipulate a word they can say in such a way that the “er” is teased away from the…

Isolating “Er”

By Pam Marshalla

Q: I have read your R book and have taken 2 classes from you, but I am still struggling with student with persistent R distortions. She has the most success producing vocalic R (car, ear, air, tire) but not “Er” all by itself. This is a very common problem that many SLPs have. How does one obtain an isolated “Er” when the child has it in a vocalic position attached to other vowels? I usually help the client like this–…

Stabilizing the Jaw: Best Method for Articulation Therapy

By Pam Marshalla

Q: My client has a cross bite and his jaw lateralizes to the right causing overall speech imprecision. I am holding his jaw in place with standard jaw stabilization I learned for feeding therapy, but it’s not working. His jaw slips back out of position as soon as I remove my hand. That kind of “hands on” jaw stabilization procedure is good for feeding therapy, but is not effective for speech for the very reason you mentioned–– because as soon…

Essence Elements of Drooling Elimination

By Pam Marshalla

Q: What do you do for drooling? Do I need to be a swallowing expert to do it? I see drooling as a three-fold problem–– The child doesn’t swallow often enough. The child doesn’t swallow well enough. (He doesn’t evacuate completely). The child isn’t aware when saliva is building up in his mouth, on his lips, etc. (He doesn’t notice it or doesn’t care about it). So my therapy addresses all three of these issues–– I teach them to swallow…

“Marshalla Eye Dropper Technique” For Drooling Elimination

By Pam Marshalla

This opinion paper was originally posted as a downloadable PDF on my website, authored in November, 2012. Download the original PDF here. *** “Marshalla Eye Dropper Technique” For Drooling Elimination November 2012, Pam Marshalla, MA, CCC-SLP Speech-Language Pathologist Application This simple process is to be done in conjunction with a good program to facilitate improved oral-motor and feeding skills. It can be employed even if child is on medication or has had surgery to reduce or eliminate drooling. This method is…