Tools for Therapy Archives - Page 6 of 6 - Marshalla Speech & Language

Tag: Tools for Therapy

Attaining and Maintaining Intelligibility with Dysarthria

By Pam Marshalla

Q: I have a ten-year-old client who is very hard to understand, although he has no specific phoneme errors. We’ve started doing a pacing board which is helpful. I know that oral-motor exercises are taboo these days, but I feel in some way I have to address motor weakness. The greatest and most effective technique for dysarthria is EXAGGERATION of speech. This is spoken of in virtually all books on traditional articulation therapy and more modern texts on motor speech…

Where to Buy Therapy Toys and Tools

By Pam Marshalla

Q: Where do you purchase the toys and tools shown in your presentations? I purchase my toys and tools all over the place. I always have my eye open for something new that I can use. The following summarizes my main sources: Toothbrushes, Floss, Floss Handles, Dental Picks, Tongue Cleaners Any retail store that sells teeth cleaning products. Baby Chew Toys, “Sippy Cups,” Baby Spoons, Baby Toothbrushes Any retail store that sells baby products. Soda Straws, Milkshake Straws, Coffee Stirrers,…

Nasalized /l/ and /r/

By Pam Marshalla

Q: I have a client who makes a nasal sound for L and R. He has no other nasal problems. What can I do? This is all a matter of ear training. This is a client who can move his velum, but he has a habit of lowering it when he makes certain sounds, in this case, L and R. In other words, the client does not have a velo-pharyngeal insufficiency or incompetency. He simply has a habit of lowering…

Oral Motor Tool Kit

By Pam Marshalla

Q: Do you have any recommendations or suggestions for building a basic oral motor therapy kit? There are literally thousands of objects one could use as an aid to oral movement in articulation therapy. I call them “the toys and tools of articulation training.” Charles Van Riper called them “phonetic placement devices” and wrote: “Every available device should be used to make the student understand clearly what positions of tongue, jaw, and lips are to be assumed” (Van Riper, 1954)….

Jaw Stabilization for the Lateral Lisp

By Pam Marshalla

Q: I am working with a first grader who completely shifts his jaw to the left when he produces lateralized “Sh” and “Ch”. I am trying to work on his jaw, but it requires me to firmly give manual jaw stabilization even in isolation. Is it possible to change this strong habit of lateralizing the jaw? You are on the right track, but you are going about it in a less-than-optimum way. When we use manual jaw stabilization like you…

Encouraging a “Real” Voice Instead of a Whisper

By Pam Marshalla

Q: My preschool client uses a whisper instead of a “real voice” when he talks. We are using PECS with him, and he can build sentences up to 5 words. Do you have suggestions for developing his voice? First, he needs to be seen by a physician – an ENT – to determine if there is a medical reason for his lack of voice: nodules, polyps, paralysis, malformation, etc.. You need this so you know what you are working with….

Horn Programs and Articulation Therapy

By Pam Marshalla

Q: I have a student I’ve worked with for a few years and she has several problems. I have tried everything I know, and nothing seems to help. She cannot say R, J, Sh, or Ch. She has difficulty with exhalation (i.e. she cannot blow out a candle) and therefore her speech is very quiet. She cannot even yell very loud. I’ve done some oral motor therapy (horn blowing hierarchy) and other things to address this, but it has not…

Very Limited Speech

By Pam Marshalla

Q: I have a 3-year-old student with Joubert’s syndrome. Currently we are using sign and an AAC device for communication. She can move her mouth, grunt, say “buh”, and blow a whistle. She grunts more when we model the grunts back to her. Should this continue? And do you have any ideas on improving vowel phonation? This child is not making vowels because she is not using her voice. Her grunts and productions of periodic “buh” mean that she is just…

Frequency of OMT

By Pam Marshalla

Q: I have a five-year-old child with cerebral palsy, developmental delay, severe apraxic and dysarthria. Jaw control is limited, she drools, and the tongue retracts when feeding. I am told by her speech reports she needs oral motor work 3 times to 5 times a day. Might you have any suggestions on what I could do? She is in school speech three times per week for 30-minutes and she does see a PROMPT therapist. My experience has taught me that…