Speech Therapy for Speech Disorders
Speech disorders include a range of difficulties including Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Dysarthria, articulation disorders, phonological disorders and stuttering. In therapy I work with Portland area families to select appropriate targets and a service delivery model for their child. In speech therapy, reaching the maximum number of productions each session leads to better outcomes. My goal is to make therapy fun while shooting for 150+ productions of the targeted speech sound. This can be tricky as 150 is a lot of productions!
Treatment approaches to speech sound disorders can vary, but in general include the following hierarchy: achieving accurate sound production in isolation, working to generalize that sound to words, sentences and conversation, and the maintenance stage where the child is able to self-monitor and correct their own speech errors. ASHA has a great description of speech therapy treatment for children with speech delays.
When working with families, I work to select the speech therapy approach that will likely provide the most meaningful outcomes for kids and their families. For some children, the best approach may be to select a client-specific approach. For example, a child with significantly reduced intelligibility due to apraxia or cognitive delays may benefit from selecting target words not by sound classes, but by how frequently a child uses target words in daily speech. What are 10 target words that can be worked on in speech therapy that would lead to the most gains in intelligibility?
Treatment approaches to speech sound disorders can vary, but in general include the following hierarchy: achieving accurate sound production in isolation, working to generalize that sound to words, sentences and conversation, and the maintenance stage where the child is able to self-monitor and correct their own speech errors. ASHA has a great description of speech therapy treatment for children with speech delays.
When working with families, I work to select the speech therapy approach that will likely provide the most meaningful outcomes for kids and their families. For some children, the best approach may be to select a client-specific approach. For example, a child with significantly reduced intelligibility due to apraxia or cognitive delays may benefit from selecting target words not by sound classes, but by how frequently a child uses target words in daily speech. What are 10 target words that can be worked on in speech therapy that would lead to the most gains in intelligibility?
