Prerequisites: Basic understanding of speech sound disorders suggested 
Target Audience: SLPs and SLP-As

Organic Speech Sound Disorders: Structure-Muscle-Motor Part 1 (Assessment)

Speech-language pathologists are sometimes challenged by the differential diagnosis of structural, muscle-based, and motor-based speech sound disorders (SSDs). To compound the complexity of diagnostics, SLPs must know how to conduct a proper oral-peripheral examination to include structure, which would need to note any anomalies present.

The American Speech-Language and Hearing Association published a Practice Portal on Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders in 2018. The portal states that the clinician will visually examine the client for structural differences/abnormalities (e.g., proportion and symmetry) of the orofacial complex (including face, nose, eyes, ears, mouth,-skull, and profile); abnormalities of the tongue; size of tonsillar tissue with regard to airway (obstruction of airway will force tongue to move forward, creating an obligatory forward placement of the tongue); the configuration of the hard and soft palates; status of the dentition, including occlusion and tactile sensitivity outside and inside the mouth. This is critical in being able to rule out anomalies of the orofacial complex before diagnosing dysarthria, apraxia and /or functional sound errors.

Robyn has intensive training in orofacial myofunctional and motor-based assessments and treatment and a passion for differential diagnoses. This course will help clinicians differentiate the signs and symptoms of structural vs. muscle-based vs. motor-based SSDs and the patterns commonly seen in each diagnosis. Clinicians will be challenged to watch videos of patients and determine what could be the underlying etiology of the speech clarity issues, which will then drive the patient’s treatment plan. Evidence based reference lists will be provided for each topic.

Organic Speech Sound Disorders: Structure-Muscle-Motor Part 2 (Therapeutic Techniques)

Speech-language pathologists are challenged by the differential diagnosis of structural, muscle-based, and motor-based speech sound disorders (SSDs). The assessment results drive a treatment plan and therapists are faced with “which techniques have more research versus methods which are resulting in improved clinical data and patient feedback?” For example, the debate on oral motor therapy has resulted in SLPs abandoning all phonetic placement and tactile therapy techniques that are often required for structural, motor and muscle-based speech sound disorders.

The American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) published a Practice Portal on Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD) in 2018. The portal suggests that when an OMD coexists with speech production errors, the articulation errors can be expected to be corrected more easily once the atypical behavior pattern has been corrected in therapy. ASHA also guides us on evidenced based practices on motor planning and execution disorders that impact speech clarity, but the therapeutic interventions can become confusing based on debates in the literature (ex. Oral Placement Therapy vs. NSOME, PROMPT vs. DTTC etc.)

This course will look the current evidence for organic SSDs and ASHA guidelines for structural, muscle-based, and motor-based SSDs. Robyn will discuss treatment options for these complex cases from using tactile cues to choosing words with a systematic method based on place shifts and coarticulatory complexity.

Organic Speech Sound Disorders: Structure-Muscle-Motor Part 1 (Assessment)

1. Identify at least 3 signs and symptoms of structural anomalies that could be related to speech clarity issues.
2. List at least 2 symptoms of a muscle-based speech disorder.
3. Identify 2 symptoms of a motor speech disorder.

Organic Speech Sound Disorders: Structure-Muscle-Motor Part 2 (Therapeutic Techniques)

1. List 2 techniques appropriate for speech sound disorders related to structure.
2. List 2 techniques appropriate for speech sound disorders related to muscle tone.
3. List 2 techniques appropriate for speech sound disorders related to motor planning and execution.

• Robyn Merkel-Walsh, MA, CCC-SLP, COM®️

Registration Fees

• $289 Combo Both Webinar: 0.4 ASHA CEUs, digital workbook & certificate of completion.
• $150 Single Webinar: 0.2 ASHA CEUs, digital workbook & certificate of completion. 

Schedule

Timed Agenda Part 1

• 5 mins: Introduction and Disclosures
• 30 mins: Abnormalities of Structure and Associated SSDs
• 30 mins: Muscle-Based Speech Disorders and Associated SSDs
• 30 mins: Motor-Based Speech Disorders and Associated SSDs
• 10 mins: Quiz!
• 5 mins: Summary
• 10 mins: Q and A

Timed Agenda Part 2

• 10 mins: Introduction and Disclosures
• 30 mins: Abnormalities of Structure and Therapeutic Interventions
• 30 mins: Muscle-Based Speech Disorders and Therapeutic Interventions
• 30 mins: Motor-Based Speech Disorders and Therapeutic Interventions
• 10 mins: Choosing Words Wisely for Organic SSDs
• 5 mins: Summary
• 5 mins: Q and A

HOW TO VIEW AND ACCESS YOUR WEBINAR

Content Disclosure: This presentation will focus on treatment methods related to the use of TalkTools® resources. Other similar treatment approaches will receive limited or no coverage during this lecture. 

Techniques:

Content Disclosure: This presentation will focus on treatment methods related to the use of TalkTools® resources. Other similar treatment approaches will receive limited or no coverage during this lecture. 

Total 0.4 CEUs for both webinars.

(pending AOTA approval)

Getting You Tech-Ready for Your TalkTools® Course 

Images copyrighted and published by TalkTools®. No copyright infringement intended with any other images displayed; similar content appears elsewhere on the internet