PMI Exam 2: Speech Therapy Techniques

What is a speech therapy method?

Bio feedback

• Air paddle, straw/listening tube, Oral & nasal listener (dual stethoscope)

What are the speech therapy techniques for?

• Glottal stops

• Nasalized plosives, vowels or ŋ/l

• Nasalized (or misarticulated) /r/

• Pharyngeal plosives (or abnormal k/g)

• Palatal-dorsal production (or lateral lisp)

How are glottal stops corrected?

• Contrast wrong sound with target sound

• Start with isolated /p/, produce /p/ and the vowel preceded by an /h/ (p…ha), whisper /b/ and vowel preceded by an /h/ transitioning to vowel slowly

How are nasalized plosives, vowels or ŋ/l corrected?

• Co-articulate yawn with the /l/ or vowels to get the back of tongue down and velum up

• Have child close and open nose for feedback

How is nasalized (or misarticulated) /r/ corrected?

• Start with ɚ and show forward movement of tongue with your hand

• Tell child to push boat off the dock

• Have child hold his hands on his face. Go from ɚ to /r/ without moving face

How is nasalized ɚ corrected?

• Show child how shape of tongue forms a boat

• Show where back of tongue touches gums behind or under upper molars

• Stimulate back of tongue on each side and upper gum ridge behind molars

• Tell child to back up the boat/bring lips back in a smile

• Push up the back of tongue using finger under child’s chin, squeeze cheeks with your thumb and forefinger to get lip rounding

How are pharyngeal plosives (or abnormal k/g) corrected?

• Start with /ŋ/ placement

• If child can’t produce then put tongue depressor on middle of tongue and push down and back firmly OR firmly press your thumb under the base of the child’s chin to push the back of the tongue up while he is phonating

• Have child hold /ŋ/ to feel placement

• Have child achieve the position then drop tongue repeatedly to get up/down movement

• Add vowel

• Have child take deep breath, place his tongue in /ŋ/ position and drop tongue for the vowel while pinching his nose -> converts /ŋ/ to /g/

• Have child whisper sound to achieve /k/

How are palatal-dorsal productions (or lateral lisp) corrected?

• Put straw in front of teeth and then to sides during production of /s/

  • Normal -> air heard through straw in front of teeth

  • Lateral -> air heard through straw at side of dental arch

• Go from /t/ with closed teeth to /tsss/ and transition to vowel by inserting /h/ 

• Use straw for biofeedback. Child should push air through straw