Progress in Speech Sound Therapy

Progress in Speech Sound Therapy

Starting articulation/phonological therapy can be a big decision to begin and to keep up with. There are factors that impact the progress in therapy.

Three signs of strong progress in articulation/phonological therapy:  

1. Client and family readiness 

Awareness of the errors and motivation to change them by the client and the family makes a difference. During sessions, the clinician will identify what sounds were practiced correctly and what sounds need cueing to say correctly. It is important for the family and the client to differentiate between the correct sound and incorrect sound to help the client build awareness. As awareness becomes stronger, motivation will increase. If the client and family is ready to identify their errors and work on it to correct them, progress will occur quicker. This process takes time and when the client and family are ready to learn about the errors and how to correct them, progress will be seen faster.

2. Practice between sessions

Regular practice between sessions is crucial in the success of remediating speech sound errors. Homework provided by the clinician should be practiced every day for 5-10 minutes. When this practice is not in everyday routine, it is easy to forget about. Finding scheduled times that work for the client and the family to practice will increase success and progress. Everyday schedules are busy, finding a time that is consistent will keep the client and the family accountable. For example, “every day after supper we will practice speech before playing or going to an evening activity.” Practicing between sessions will increase progress, but this looks different for every client and family. Try incorporating it into a daily routine at the same time each day. If this is not working, then schedule a different time in the day to practice. Practicing is not limited to when you are at home. Practicing speech sound homework in different environments will actually help the client use the correct sound, therefore, increasing generalization of the sound into every day.

3. Commitment to a structured plan and the therapy process

The therapy process takes time and commitment from the client and the family. Frequency of sessions will be determined by your clinician. Booking 8 sessions following the initial appointment shows commitment and understanding that the therapy process often takes time and might need to be modified along the way. Every client is different, and therapy plans might change. Trusting the therapy process and following direction from the clinician shows understanding of the process which increases commitment and motivation during sessions and out of sessions. The clinician will update on progress after each session and let you know if more or less sessions are needed. Beginning the process and sticking to it until speech sounds are remediated will increase progress inside and outside of the therapy room.

Blog Post by: Kristen Sylvester, Speech-Language Pathologist with Wildflowers