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Principles of Articulation and Language Therapy in VCFS

Ann W. Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP

January 29, 2019

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Question

What are the basic principles of articulation and language therapy in VCFS?

Answer

Articulation therapy must be directed at the elimination of the maladaptive errors affecting place of articulation. If a child is developing a glottal speech pattern, therapy and parent training for a home program should begin immediately, even before the 2nd birthday. The mechanics of production of the sound should be introduced with sounds in isolation or nonsense syllables. After that is mastered, sounds in words may be introduced. Therapy must be intensive and frequent, with daily home practice for short periods, such as 2 or 3 minutes, several times a day. Parent training is essential. Therapy must be organized and scaffolded so that the child is led from accurate production of sounds in isolation to syllables, words, phrases, sentences, and then conversation. Therapy levels should be changed only when the child has mastered the previous level. Goals to address deficits in expressive language for young children should be overlaid or selected to be built around the sound-production goals. For example, vocabulary should be expanded based on the target sounds being produced so that the words are produced correctly and with good intelligibility. It makes no sense to work on increasing MLU if each word is unintelligible, plus doing so results in reinforcing inaccurate production of sounds in some contexts while working to correct those sounds in others. If phonemes /d/ and /s, z/ are not in the child’s repertoire yet, it is illogical to work on production of regular past tense verbs, or on production of plurals. If the child is producing a nasal fricative for /s/, or an /s/ on inhalation, and there is a focus on doing that sound to mark plurals, aberrant sound production will be reinforced and that much more difficult to extinguish when /s/ is a target sound for articulation therapy. When more sounds are produced correctly at the sentence level, production of those sounds in sentences should then be overlaid on the language therapy. That is, during “language” tasks, articulation therapy should remain front and center so the child is expected to use correctly produced sounds during language tasks. Development of abstract language skills, such as making inferences and understanding non-literal language, must be monitored carefully because it is an area of high risk in VCFS. Goals to address these areas should be added to the treatment plan as needed and approached with direct instruction. 

Articulation therapy must be individual, intensive, and direct to be effective. Children with VCFS do much better with direct teaching than discovery methods. It is critical to follow a logical sequence from production of sounds in isolation or syllables to words, phrases, sentences, etc. It is also helpful to begin therapy with nasal, no-pressure and low-pressure sounds and then using those sounds as facilitating phonemes for production of high-pressure consonants. The SLP should be direct in telling and showing the child how to produce the sound (articulator placement) and also about how to direct the air flow. For example, SLPs often say “Bite your lip” when teaching /f/. However, it is more accurate and useful to say “Put your teeth on top of your lip and make windy teeth, “or “Put your teeth on your lip and push the air out the middle.” Rather than putting the entire lip inside the anterior maxillary dentition, this elicits accurate placement with some vermillion on the lower lip remaining exposed and making sure there is airflow between the anterior dentition and the lip. Labiodental placement is not sufficient. This one example applies to all speech sounds. Accurate placement and airflow (with nasal occlusion as needed during therapy and home practice) is the goal, not just intelligibility. 

Another principle relates to choice of target words for practice. Words should contain sounds that are correctly produced plus the target sound. The entire word is then correct when produced and the inadvertent reinforcement of error sounds is avoided ensuring that the child will establish a core vocabulary of words that are accurate when produced. Because of the nature of errors and need for an intensive drill-type approach (often with nasal occlusion), articulation therapy must be individual, not in groups. The need for direct instruction and frequent repetitions to facilitate learning new skills applies to language therapy, as well. These principles apply to children with VCFS who have maladaptive compensatory articulation disorders and also to those who have phonological or developmental errors, which may also occur or co-occur. 

Please refer to the SpeechPathology.com course, 20Q: Evaluation and Treatment of Speech/Resonance Disorders and Velopharyngeal Dysfunction, for more in-depth information on recognizing resonance disorders and the characteristics of velopharyngeal dysfunction, and providing appropriate management.


ann w kummer

Ann W. Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP

Ann Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP recently retired as Senior Director of the Division of Speech-Language Pathology at Cincinnati Children’s. She’s done hundreds of national and international lectures on cleft palate and velopharyngeal insufficiency. She is the author of numerous professional articles, 24 book chapters, and the book entitled Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Conditions: A Comprehensive Guide to Clinical Management, 4th Edition. She is currently Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Otolaryngology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and teaches the craniofacial course at 5 universities. Dr. Kummer has received numerous honors and awards. She’s an ASHA Fellow and received Honors of ASHA.


Related Courses

20Q: Evaluation and Treatment of Speech/Resonance Disorders and Velopharyngeal Dysfunction
Presented by Ann W. Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP
Text

Presenter

Ann W. Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP
Course: #8729Level: Intermediate1 Hour
  'Specific examples of the sounds of each of the various velopharyngeal dysfunctions'   Read Reviews
Children with speech and resonance disorders (hypernasality, hyponasality, and cul-de-sac resonance) and/or nasal emission present challenges for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in all settings. This article will help participants to recognize resonance disorders and the characteristics of velopharyngeal dysfunction, and provide appropriate management.

Causes and Characteristics of Resonance Disorders and Velopharyngeal Dysfunction, presented in partnership with Cincinnati Children's
Presented by Ann W. Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP
Video

Presenter

Ann W. Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP
Course: #7915Level: Intermediate1.5 Hours
  'Very well organized with analogies and examples'   Read Reviews
This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Children with resonance disorders (hypernasality, hyponasality and cul-de-sac resonance) or suspected velopharyngeal dysfunction present challenges for SLPs in all settings. This course is designed to provide information about the causes and characteristics of resonance disorders and velopharyngeal dysfunction so that these disorders can be recognized and appropriate treatment can be recommended.

Evaluation of Speech/Resonance Disorders Secondary to Velopharyngeal Dysfunction, presented in partnership with Cincinnati Children's
Presented by Ann W. Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP
Video

Presenter

Ann W. Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP
Course: #7916Level: Intermediate1.5 Hours
  'This course was excellent'   Read Reviews
This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Children with resonance disorders (hypernasality, hyponasality and cul-de-sac resonance) present challenges for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in all settings. This course is designed to provide simple, yet very reliable low-tech evaluation techniques for practicing SLPs who frequently or occasionally see clients with cleft palate, hypernasality, or suspected velopharyngeal dysfunction. (Part 1: Course 7915)

20Q: Ankyloglossia - Myths and Evidence Regarding Its Effects on Function
Presented by Ann W. Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow
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Ann W. Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow
Course: #10990Level: Intermediate1 Hour
  'I recently had a kid that I suspected a tongue tie'   Read Reviews
There is much controversy about the diagnosis of ankyloglossia and its potential effects on neonatal feeding and speech. Guidance regarding the diagnosis of ankyloglossia and a summary of current research regarding its potential effects on function are provided in this course.

Sound Judgment: Speech Prerequisites, Therapy Techniques, and Use of Motor Learning Principles
Presented by Ann W. Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow
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Ann W. Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow
Course: #10447Level: Intermediate1.5 Hours
  'The information was clearly presented and accompanied by good video and verbal applications'   Read Reviews
Differentiating obligatory distortions from compensatory productions, sensory feedback techniques, and effective placement strategies for correction of speech sound errors (e.g., lateral lisp and distortion of /ɚ/ and /r/) are described in this course. Motor learning and motor memory principles are discussed as a framework for achieving carryover after sound acquisition has occurred.

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