Trust. Flexibility. Fun.
Trust between the child, parent, and clinician is important, especially with a speech sound disorder that often leaves kiddos feeling frustrated and discouraged. I want a child to know I hold up to what I say. For example, if I say, 1 more, I really mean 1 more. I won’t sneak extra trials in because children pick up on it quickly. With trust comes willingness, with willingness, comes progress.
Flexibility is crucial in the treatment of CAS, as there is not a one size fits all approach to the treatment of CAS. Treatment of CAS is focused on the individual child’s needs. While I vary treatment techniques to accommodate each child, the principles of motor learning are always present, as is a multisensory approach to learning. Target selection is extremely important to me. Not only is target selection important to appropriate treatment of CAS, but to a greater extent, overall functional communication. I work to create targets, based on sound and syllable shape repertoire, that are both functional and motivating to the child.
I use the child’s interests to plan sessions that are both fun and functional. Typically, sessions incorporate movement-based activities, sensory play, or crafts to keep a child motivated. Having fun creates a better experience for children. I enjoy thinking outside of the box to create fun treatment activities. Sometimes, the most unlikely activities help facilitate quality speech productions.