TY - JOUR
T1 - Tutorial
T2 - Motor-based treatment strategies for /r/ distortions
AU - Preston, Jonathan L.
AU - Benway, Nina R.
AU - Leece, Megan C.
AU - Hitchcock, Elaine R.
AU - McAllister, Tara
N1 - Funding Information:
Research reported in this publication was supported by National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Grant R01DC017476 (principal investigator: T. McAllister). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The authors thank Suzanne Boyce for sharing copies of magnetic resonance images.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
PY - 2020/10
Y1 - 2020/10
N2 - Purpose: This tutorial summarizes current best practices in treating American English /r/ distortions in children with residual speech errors. Method: To enhance the effectiveness of clinicians’ cueing and feedback, the phonetics of /r/ production is reviewed. Principles of acquisition, which can inform how to practice /r/ in the early stages of therapy, are explained. Elements of therapy that lack scientific support are also mentioned. Results: Although there is significant variability in /r/ production, the common articulatory requirements include an oral constriction, a pharyngeal constriction, tongue body lowering, lateral bracing, and slight lip rounding. Examples of phonetic cues and shaping strategies are provided to help clinicians elicit these movements to evoke correct /r/ productions. Principles of acquisition (e.g., blocked practice, frequent knowledge of performance feedback) are reviewed to help clinicians structure the earliest stages of treatment to establish /r/. Examples of approaches that currently lack scientific support include nonspeech oral motor exercises, tactile cues along the mylohyoid muscle, and heterogeneous groupings in group therapy. Conclusion: Treatment strategies informed by phonetic science and motor learning theory can be implemented by all clinicians to enhance acquisition of /r/ for children with residual errors.
AB - Purpose: This tutorial summarizes current best practices in treating American English /r/ distortions in children with residual speech errors. Method: To enhance the effectiveness of clinicians’ cueing and feedback, the phonetics of /r/ production is reviewed. Principles of acquisition, which can inform how to practice /r/ in the early stages of therapy, are explained. Elements of therapy that lack scientific support are also mentioned. Results: Although there is significant variability in /r/ production, the common articulatory requirements include an oral constriction, a pharyngeal constriction, tongue body lowering, lateral bracing, and slight lip rounding. Examples of phonetic cues and shaping strategies are provided to help clinicians elicit these movements to evoke correct /r/ productions. Principles of acquisition (e.g., blocked practice, frequent knowledge of performance feedback) are reviewed to help clinicians structure the earliest stages of treatment to establish /r/. Examples of approaches that currently lack scientific support include nonspeech oral motor exercises, tactile cues along the mylohyoid muscle, and heterogeneous groupings in group therapy. Conclusion: Treatment strategies informed by phonetic science and motor learning theory can be implemented by all clinicians to enhance acquisition of /r/ for children with residual errors.
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U2 - 10.1044/2020_LSHSS-20-00012
DO - 10.1044/2020_LSHSS-20-00012
M3 - Article
C2 - 32783706
AN - SCOPUS:85092065162
SN - 0161-1461
VL - 51
SP - 966
EP - 980
JO - Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools
JF - Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools
IS - 4
ER -