By Pam Marshalla
Q: My student can do R in all words and in all positions, but he prolongs it. Do I need to teach him NOT to do this? I would teach it to him if it did not go away by itself within a reasonable period of time. I am not sure what that reasonable period of time is, but I would be willing to give him 6 months to a year to straighten this out. I probably would give him…
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
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
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: 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…
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…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: I work at a clinic where my supervisor does not believe in apraxia. She says that all of these children have phonological deficit. What are your thoughts on this? I sympathize with your supervisor in that I too struggled for many years with questions of apraxia–– What is it? How is it diagnosed? How is apraxia different from a severe phonological disorder? The problem we are having is that we have taken the term “apraxia” from the adult neurological…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: My son is 2-years and 5-months. His therapist seems frustrated by his stubborn personality and his continual effort to get out of doing his speech cards. I know we can help him more if he would only try. Can you suggest anything? It sounds like the therapist is trying to work with him as though he were four or five years of age. He’s only two and a half! Children this young should balk at doing speech cards. …
By Pam Marshalla
Q: I was appalled by your comments that speech-language pathologists should not teach reading! Reading is a part of language! Why not teach reading? In my opinion, reading teachers teach reading, and speech-language pathologists teach speech and language. This is my opinion and I am sticking to it. You may have a different opinion if you would like. Your opinion will not appall me, and I would suggest that mine not appall you. Sounds like a big waste of energy…
By Pam Marshalla
Q: I have a preschooler with an open mouth posture and forward tongue carriage. What homework for parents would you suggest? Should the Mom remind her to keep her mouth closed during play? Treatment and homework activities depend completely upon the cause of the problem. She keeps her mouth open too much of the time. Why? The answer to that question guides your assignment of any activities, whether they are performed in the therapy room or at home. There can…
