Private practise speech therapy at Strive Online Speech Language Therapy

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Frequently asked questions: 

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1. If I am an adult, is it too late to learn how to work on my lisp (or other sounds)?

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It's not too late. Together we can work on the position of the tongue at the sound level (sound only). I tell people that learning how to place the tip or sides of the tongue is similar to learning a new sport. When someone learns how to downhill ski, he might not be sure where to place his feet to stop or turn the skis. Many people have no idea where the parts of their tongue are in their mouth for specific sounds. At first you may need some direction to place the sides or tip of the tongue in a certain area of the mouth. You might need to listen to the SLPs example of a correct or distorted sound and learn how to tune in to how the correct sound is different from the distorted or substituted sound. Sending you voice recordings of the SLP making the sound at the sound level may help you tune in to certain characteristics of the sound. Often the stage that requires the most patience is staying at the sound level alone until the sound is a crisp, accurate production. Then the idea is to work step by step, working on progressing from the sound, syllable, word, phrase, and sentence level, to eventually working at the conversation level. At each step we may need to work in a variety of places within the word. We may also need to work on coordinating the sound with consonant blends, more challenging contexts or within multisyllabic words. Working on speech sounds doesn't have to be frustrating. It can be an enjoyable, positive experience. 

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2. Can I sit in on the sessions so I know how to help my child practise his/her speech?

 

Absolutely. One or both parents, or a grandparent are welcome to watch or participate in the sessions. For example, you may benefit from learning how to give specific feedback to your child (examples-sound level for a specific sound- "Your tongue popped too far forward out through your teeth for sound ___. Let's use a mirror and and see if we can place the tongue on the magic spot that we practised touching with the tip of the tongue. Good work. That's it". or "Your teeth are stacked on top of each other. Smile. See how your teeth look. That's a more relaxed placement for your teeth. That's where we want them to be for this sound", "Let's place the jaw like this so there is more stability for the tongue"). Specific, yet calm and pleasant feedback help to guide the child during his practise. It's also important to work at a level that is not too frustrating for the child. If you participate in the sessions you will have a better idea of how to help your child practise between sessions. 

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See the Rates Tab above for price/cost per session. 

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