One component is management of airflow. A child should have relaxed inhalations and exhalations, thus reducing tension in the body (specifically, the vocal tract). Cue your child to take slow, deep breaths. If she has labored inhalations, cue her to inhale through her nose as if she was sniffing a flower. Provide her with a flower or other pleasant scent to sniff for practice in the initial stage. If your child has labored exhalations, cue her to exhale through her mouth, as if she was blowing out a candle.
Additionally, a child should use an "easy onset" when speaking. An easy onset is when one exhales a little bit before saying a sentence or before saying each individual word. It is a way to encourage relaxation and a decreased rate of speaking, which have been shown to promote better speech. A good way to begin teaching easy onset is to say words that begin with "H." Words such as "hat" and "help" naturally occur with easy onsets since the "H" sound lets air flow freely.
Another component is to speak with "light articulartory contact." This means that the child should produce gentle speech movements that are slow and deliberate. For example, when making the /m/ sound, she should let her lips meet together lightly rather than pressing them together in a hard fashion; when making the /t/ sound, she should lightly tap her tongue on the roof of her mouth. This is a way to reduce tension.
Reduced rate of speech is a key component in fluency shaping. A child should speak slowly. This can be accomplished by prolonging syllables. For example, ask your child to say "father" by making sure that each syllable is said clearly, as in "fa-ther." Another way to speak more slowly is to encourage prolongation of vowel sounds. For example, cue your child to say "faaaaather;" in this case, the "ah" sound is prolonged so that rate of speech is slower. It is also important for pauses to be used within and between sentences.
It is recommended that these strategies be trained individually. Once a child has mastered the strategies, then it is time to practice using all of them together in speech. Direct instruction, modeling of behaviors and positive reinforcement are all helpful in learning. Also, encourage your child to monitor her own speech so that she will be independent.
One criticism of this treatment is that speech may sound unnatural or monotonous. If this is the case, additional training may be incorporated to slightly increase rate, volume and intonation.
In order to habituate these strategies, practice will be essential - especially in a variety of environments. One place to practice speech modification outside the home is at the Consol Energy Center while watching the Penguins play.
Practice saying words first. Cue your child as needed to "breathe easy," "speak slow," "speak gently," and use "easy onset."
One syllable words include: Goal, net, ref, skate, puck, ice, rink, win, lose, snack, pass, stick
Two syllable words include: Hockey, player, Penguins, Pittsburgh, defense, offense, helmet, trophy, award
Three syllable words include: Referee, goaltender, energy, national, injury, concussions, uniform, sportsmanship.
Next, move onto phrases.
Phrases include: Stanley Cup, Consol Energy Center, National Hockey League, Metropolitan Division, Eastern Conference, ice hockey, Pittsburgh Penguin, entry draft, Hall of Fame.
To stimulate sentences, as your child open-ended questions. Examples include, "Who is your favorite player and why?" "What is your favorite part of the rink?" "What do you think is the hardest part about playing hockey?" "What concession foods do you like best?" "What's better: hockey or football?" Cue your child to speak in full sentences.
To stimulate conversation, you may use the same questions as above but I recommend offering up your own opinion in order to generate a back-and-forth exchange.
