By Pam Marshalla
Q: My client can say “Er” in words like “flower” when we split the syllables apart: “Flow—er.” But he cannot say it in words like “Bird” or “Shirt.” What can we do? You will notice that you have split “flower” in to syllables like this: “Flow—-Er.” This means that although your client can say “Er,” he cannot sequence from the C to “Er.” We don’t say, “Flow—er.” We say, “Flah—wer.” The /r/ occurs in a CVC, and this requires better…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: I have a three-year-old male client who is beginning to talk. He is a very picky eater and rarely eats at school, although he has started eating a few bites of pear, apple, or fish crackers for me. He bites, lateralizes, and chews, but then he leaves the food smashed all over between his teeth and lips. Can you tell me why he may be doing this? How I can help him with creating a bolus and swallowing? He…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: Do you have any suggestions for slowing the rate of speech in an elementary school child? Rate is all about the number of syllables produced per unit of time. Therefore focus on syllables. This is what I do. I call it “Pencil Talking”–– The child and I each hold a pencil with a good eraser. We engage in general conversation, or we talk about speech. We tap our erasers on the table to mark each syllable as we talk….
By Pam Marshalla
Q: My client can produce R in all kinds of words, but he still sounds funny on words like “Player” and “Hour.” Can you help with this? I have not heard your client, of course, but the word examples you gave make me think that he may be having trouble with R after diphthongs. Phoneticians tell us that the presence of a diphthong actually causes a glide to be inserted, and your client may not be doing that. This is…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: We are wondering about hygiene and the use of tools in articulation therapy. What are the practices you use to keep your multiple-use tools sanitary from client to client? Guidelines Adhere to the following sanitary guidelines when handling objects that are used in, on, or around the mouth: Wood, paper, cardboard, sponge, cotton, leather, or hemp objects should be used once and then discarded. Dental floss also should be used once and then discarded. Plastic, rubber, vinyl, metal, and…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: My daughter is 31 months old. She speaks in single words and uses single syllables. She leaves off the endings off words. I have been teaching final sounds to her, and now she says them, but she separates them from the rest of the word. For example, she says “uh—puh” for “up.” What should I do now? Ooo- No worries. You are on the right track! If she is saying final consonants as a second syllable, THIS IS GOOD. She…
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…
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…
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…
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…
