For all of you who sent me a thank you for the “Recapping R” post—you’re welcome!  For those of you who might have hinted that “Summarizing S” wouldn’t be a bad idea—here it is!

Issue:  “I’m new to this.” Or “How do I elicit this sound?”

Activity Tailor solution:  These are the techniques/advice or programs I’ve found the most helpful (and I use all of these, sometimes in combination), in no particular order.  But…add to all of these a huge dose of patience.  It might well take you a month’s worth of sessions to find an approach that has potential for your client.

1. Pam Marshalla, Frontal Lisp, Lateral Lisp:  Loads of practical info and excellent self-study exercises.  If you are willing to methodically work through this book, you will be a much better clinician for it!  Self-discipline not a strong suit?  You can take her on-demand seminar at Advanced Healthcare Education.
2.  2 Gals:  These experienced therapists compiled a bunch of elicitation techniques for lots of sounds.  All of these “tricks” should be in your repertoire.  Beginning therapy with the “ts” or “exploding t” is something I use frequently and is described here.
3. Utilization of the” Straw Technique” for Correction of the Lateral Lisp, VL Usdan – Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 1978 – ASHA  This article has very specific instructions to get airflow going in the right direction.  While I don’t use oral motor exercises in therapy, I have used straw techniques briefly for some kids to give them feedback as to where the airflow is currently coming from and where it should be.

Issue:  “I’m stuck.” Or “I’m having trouble maintaining momentum.”

Activity Tailor solution:  Like /r/, this is a real issue because the progress for /s/ also tends to be slow.  Many therapists find the task of keeping sessions “fresh” exhausting.  But there are so many different activities you can do!  And there are so many resources out there!  I’ve put together two “lesson plans” that you can print out to see how I might organize a session.  All of the activities are ones I’ve already posted (I provided the post date, so you can refer to the specific article if you need a full set of instructions).  The first plan is geared toward the younger elementary aged student.  The second is more appropriate for grade 3 and older.

Lesson Plan for S, (elementary)

Lesson Plan for S, (Gr. 3 and up)

Still have specific questions?  Don’t hesitate to post a comment or get in touch with me directly!