By Pam Marshalla
Q: I cannot get K or G out of my client although I think I have tried every trick in the book! For example, I have used modeling, auditory bombardment, tactile cueing, using a tongue depressor to hold the tongue-tip down, using a tongue depressor to push the back of the tongue down to create the reflex to get it to pop up, putting sweet taste on the velum to get back of tongue to reach for it, using gravity,…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: My client produces final consonants inconsistently. Do you suggest using minimal difference pairs? Multiple oppositions? I have tried targeting individual sounds as well as teaching several sounds at the same time. I’m wondering what methods you recommend. I use every technique I have ever heard of. I believe that all methods have value. Our job is to pair the right technique to the right client at the right moment. A certain technique might work perfectly well with one client and…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: Does your explanation of techniques to address jaw and tongue stability pertain to clients with the Jay Leno phenomenon? Does the E technique help those kids with lisps related to this facial structure? Techniques to address oral movement are for oral movement problems. As you have noted, Jay Leno has an oral structural problem, too. Structure and function are addressed differently together. I have never worked with Leno, so my analysis of his situation is cursory and speculative, of…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: My client only produces [+Back] consonants K and G, and he sucks his thumb. His tongue is beginning to move for L. Do you think that the thumb sucking is keeping his tongue retracted? Tongue retraction can have many causes including an oral habit like thumb sucking. It also can be the result of oral-tactile hypersensitivity that is causing the tongue to pull back and high in a perpetual “high guard” position. It also is a problem when oral muscle…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: Is four years old too early to address a tongue thrust? The term “tongue thrust” has had many meanings through the years. It can mean: A strong forward thrusting of the tongue following the swallow. A reverse swallow pattern. An infantile suckle-swallow pattern. An interdental tongue protrusion on all lingua phonemes.. An interdental tongue protrusion on all the lingua-alveolar phonemes. An interdental tongue protrusion on the all the sibilants. An interdental tongue protrusion on only S and Z. To…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: I have a student, who has been working on R, and who can make it at the word and sentence levels, but who cannot seem to co-articulate automatically. He still articulates each sound individually within words. For example he does not automatically round his lips for the word “core.” When I say the word “core” my mouth stays rounded for the entire word however they don’t do this. Why don’t their minds just naturally catch on to coarticulation after…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: My client inhales on S. I have tried using a straw and a cotton ball to teach him about airflow. He does fine with these, but he doesn’t transfer the skill to S. Help! Your client probably continues to inhale on S because he “thinks” he is trying to say S. He has an auditory/motor memory for his own S that he is continuing to access. You have to help him learn to block access to this memory. Here…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: I have been arguing with a colleague about “oral motor” and “articulation.” She does not seem to know what an articulation deficit is. She disputes the notion of an “articulation deficit,” and claims that there are only “phonological deficits.” Can you help me? I know what I mean, but I can’t seem to put it in the right words for her to grasp. I need help explaining what an “articulation deficit” is, and help in relating this to “oral…
By Pam Marshalla
This opinion paper was originally posted as a downloadable PDF on my website, authored in March, 2011, and revised in April, 2011. Download the original PDF here. *** The Roots of Oral-Motor Therapy: A Personal View By Pam Marshalla, MA, CCC-SLP Speech-Language Pathologist Time The 1970’s was a time when SLP’s begin to work in multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams with OT’s, PT’s and other professionals. For the first time, SLP’s and motor specialists were sharing their thoughts and ideas regarding therapy with…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: What can I do to help my client learn to elevate his tongue-tip to produce /t/ and /d/? Any part of the tongue can be taught to elevate by providing something against which it can press. This is called “resistance.” (Resistance is not used to build strength. That is a misconception of the “anti-OM” crowd). Instead, resistance is used to develop specific new movement patterns. Press down lightly on the tongue-tip with a tool and ask the client to…
