COARTICULATION

Hello!

This is the second in a series of semi-regular monthly newsletters suggesting helpful tips for remediation of articulation/phonology disorders.  If you missed the first one, it is on my website: https://satpac.com/newsletter.

This issue of the newsletter will focus on another element of my approach which involves the use of coarticulation.  The SATPAC Approach is based on the idea that when we as SLPs work to remediate sounds/phonological processes, the therapy should be as close to conversational speech as possible and to include the elements that we use in conversational speech (i.e., coarticulation, normal rate, natural prosody, etc.)  I find that there is a disconnect between the way most SLPs do therapy and conversational speech.  That is, we tend to work on sounds with either the sound in the initial or final position. Yet when we speak in conversation, the target sound is usually neither first nor last but somewhere in between. For that reason, the SATPAC Program always has the target sound embedded in the middle of the words.  Here are some examples:

1)    For /s/, I frequently use the nonword BEETSEET.  Notice how the target /s/ sound is imbedded in the word and is in the prevocalic position meaning that it is followed by a vowel.

2)    For /r/, I frequently use the nonword EERGA.  The /r/ is in the postvocalic position in this case.  In practice, it is much easier to stop with the /r/ at the end of the word than to have to transition into other sounds.  Coarticulation from the beginning makes it easier for the student to make that transition. (Note:  In this case, it is actually easier with the GA following EER because it is a facilitating context.  As the SATPAC lists progress, the GA goes away and /r/ is said in various contexts).

3)    If I’m working on s-clusters, I have the student say the word “A” before the cluster so they have to transition from an open mouth position for the “A” to a closed mouth position for the /s/ (e.g., a spoon, a stop, a sketch, etc.).  Again, it is much easier to start with the /s/ in every case but much better practice to be making the transition from the ‘A” to /s/.

To see details about /r/ and /s/ remediation and more information about my approach, I offer free ASHA CEUs on my website at https://satpac.com, or you are welcome to just watch the presentation.