Brush Up on Your Knowlege of Cleft Palates with Great Web Resources

by Holly F. Speech Disorders

 

cleft palate types

Source: allianceforsmiles.org

You may already be familiar with what a cleft palate is; perhaps you’ve seen pictures, learned about it in class or know someone with a cleft palate. But treating speech disorders that come with a cleft palates can be hard because a cleft palate brings about a host of variables that make sound production challenging. A cleft palate is a birth defect that can affect the lip, soft or hard palate to varying degrees. It is important to know how the defect arises, treatment options for repair and what an SLP can do in therapy because these defects can be quite complicated to treat. Get to know this disorder with the following web resources:

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Best Practices in Teaching Bilabial Speech Sounds

by Holly F. Speech Therapy Techniques
B sound speech therapy visual

Source: expressivelyspeaking.wordpress.com

Baby babbling is usually the classic example of bilabial sounds, like “bababa” and “mamama.” Bilabial speech sounds are those that are made by using both lips, pressed together for sounds like /p/, /b/, and /m/. These sounds are usually mastered by age three but can be lingering challenges with children affected by speech sound disorders. They can be challenging to tackle so here are some suggested best practices for speech therapy.

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Great Materials for Getting Rid of Gliding in Speech Therapy

by Holly F. Speech Therapy Techniques

 

r and w minimal pair cards

Source: adventuresinspeechtherapy.wordpress.com

Gliding is the term used to describe a phonological process that occurs when someone replaces specific consonant with “w” or “y”. There are different types such as replacement with liquids or fricatives but let’s talk about liquids, /l/ and /r/ with replacements by /w/ or /y/. You might here “yego” instead of “lego” for “wun” instead of “run.” In this case, a child is having difficulty with an entire class of sounds and that’s why it is referred to as a phonological process. While it typically disappears by age five, speech therapists are often confronted with gliding at much later years and attempts to reduce it can be tricky. Fortunately there are a variety of great materials available to get rid of gliding in speech therapy.

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Treating Cluster Reduction for S in Speech Therapy

by Holly F. Speech Therapy Techniques

 

s cluster family graphic

Source: http://firstgradefuntastic.blogspot.com

Speech therapists must target a variety of phonology and articulation issues in therapy.  Today we’ll talk about treating cluster reductions for the /s/ sound. The /s/ sound is found in a variety of combinations with other letters, called “blends.”  Some /s/ words with a blend can include “spider” (the consonants blended together are s and p), “skate” (s and k) or “spoon” (s and p). When someone reduces the number of sounds in a blend, it is called cluster reduction. A child might have difficulty if you hear them saying “poon” for “spoon,” “sate” for “skate” or “pider” for “spider.” They might not be as tricky as teaching the /r/ sound, but clusters have their own treatment techniques in speech therapy.

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Tips for Keeping Kids Motivated in Speech Therapy

by Holly F. Speech Therapy Techniques
Motivation graphic

Source: vickihoefle.com

Despite the bubbles and the iPads,  speech therapy isn’t always all fun and games, it can be hard work! Speech therapy can be challenging for a host of reasons. It often occurs in small spaces, at a tabletop, and a variety of demands are placed on the child. While the goal of therapy is to work towards achieving goals, it’s also to keep kids motivated. Like most things in life, motivation is key and can have a significant impact on progress. A good speech pathologist considers not only the therapy goals but the variables that might impact a child’s motivation and attention during therapy to achieve those goals.

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