Thumb Sucking Side Effects + Strategies to Help
Posted by Debra C. Lowsky, MS, CCC-SLP on 28th Feb 2014
Question: I have a client (5-years) who sucks her thumb. She has a lisp and produces most of her consonants while protruding her tongue. I perfectly understand that unless we resolve the thumb sucking, the protrusion will not going to go away, but her parents are not on the same page as me. What techniques would you recommend to decrease the thumb sucking?
.
You
…
Speech Therapy with Bandaids
Posted by Debra C. Lowsky, MS, CCC-SLP on 4th Feb 2014
One day I happened to have a Band-Aid in my pocket, so I decided to put it on one of my classic bean bag toys. This added a whole new dimension to the toy. Children immediately related to "Mr. Turtle and his boo-boo.” Some of them said, “Awww!” Some gave him a kiss or held and rocked him. From here, the opportunities for speech and language seemed endless. As some examples, we worke
…
You Know You're a Traveling SLP When...
Posted by Debra C. Lowsky, MS, CCC-SLP on 23rd Dec 2013
A little speech therapy humor courtesy of my two kids, who grew up with our car always mooing and beeping in the back :)
DebbieDebra C. Lowsky, MS, CCC-SLP
Improving Jaw Strength & Stability
Posted by Debra C. Lowsky, MS, CCC-SLP on 22nd Aug 2013
The tongue is connected to the jaw, so wherever the jaw goes, the tongue follows. Speech sounds are properly articulated when the jaw and tongue are at midline and symmetrical. So if the jaw and tongue slide left or right as you talk, it can cause a lateral lisp and unclear/slushy speech.
Having control over your jaw is also important for
biting and chewing skills, for holding your jaw in
…