Tagged "Elizabeth J. Smithson"


Ask A Therapist: Tongue Retraction

Posted by Deborah Grauzam on

Hi,

 

I'm beginning to work with a 7 year old boy with Down Syndrome and Apraxia. For the straws, he protrudes his tongue under the straw. He also does this with the Honey Bear. His Mom says she has a verbal cue of "fishy kiss" which will help him to round lips, and tongue will retract.

 

He also does the horns. He mastered #1 today :) ! We're also working with chewy tubes. Red is great, compressions become weaker with yellow. Bubbles are still needing cueing with the blue apraxia tube to get the lips rounded. He has a lot of force, but his lower lip protrudes and elevates and all of his air is directed up instead of out. It's getting better.

 

Is there something else I should be doing to get that tongue to the right position for straw drinking?

 

Thank you,

 

Meredith


Hi Meredith,

Great question regarding tongue retraction. The straw kit will work on tongue retraction at different levels of the tongue. It is important to have your patient work through the whole straw kit to achieve the retraction. It is also important to note that he does not have to demonstrate tongue retraction with straw drinking until he reaches straw #5. I do think using the "fishy kiss" verbal prompt before offering the straw is a great idea to set him up for the right movement pattern on the straw.   As far as the bubbles, try using the toothette with vibration as a sensory warm up right before the bubble activity. This should help him to achieve lip rounding more at mid-line without the upward movement he is demonstrating. Then I would transition immediately to using the green bubble tube that comes in the kit for blowing bubbles. Attempt blowing bubbles with this tube and see if that helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope this all helps. Thanks,

Elizabeth Smithson, MSP, CCC-SLP


 

Elizabeth Smithson, MSP, CCC-SLP is a Speech-Language Pathologist who has over 10 years of professional experience working with infants, children, adolescents and adults. She earned her Master of Speech Pathology at the University of South Carolina. Liz is also a Level 5 TalkTools® Trained Therapist. She has received specialized training in Oral Placement Therapy, Speech, Feeding, Apraxia, Sensory Processing Disorders, and PROMPT©. Liz works with clients with a wide range of disabilities including Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, and Spinal Muscular Atrophy.  She works through her own private practice Elizabeth Smithson Therapy, LLC in the home setting and in the TalkTools office in Charleston, SC.

Read more →

Ask A Therapist: Jaw Stability

Posted by Deborah Grauzam on

Hello. I am working with a 6 year old boy who shifts his bottom jaw when producing most fricative and sibilant phonemes. According to his dentist he does not have any structural abnormalities. When working with him he is able to keep jaw stable but it is not without effort and he has yet to generalize. I was wondering what tool(s) you would recommend for me to use with him.

 

Thank you.

 

Pamela

 

Hi Pamela,

It sounds to me like you may be dealing with some underlying jaw weakness and instability. If you have not seen the 3 Part Treatment Plan video or read the "Assessment and Treatment of the Jaw" book these would be great references. I would work on using the z-vibe with blue tip, and the Bite Tube Set (red bite tube, yellow bite tube, purple grabber, and green grabber).  Jaw stability is the foundation for speech and feeding.  If there is any weakness on one side or both sides these tools will help to correct that. Please let us know if you have any other questions or if anything else comes up.

Thanks,

Elizabeth Smithson, MSP, CCC-SLP

 

Elizabeth Smithson, MSP, CCC-SLP is a Speech-Language Pathologist who has over 10 years of professional experience working with infants, children, adolescents and adults. She earned her Master of Speech Pathology at the University of South Carolina. Liz is also a Level 5 TalkTools® Trained Therapist. She has received specialized training in Oral Placement Therapy, Speech, Feeding, Apraxia, Sensory Processing Disorders, and PROMPT©. Liz works with clients with a wide range of disabilities including Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, and Spinal Muscular Atrophy.  She works through her own private practice Elizabeth Smithson Therapy, LLC in the home setting and in the TalkTools® office in Charleston, SC.

Read more →