Syllable deletion is the Lex Luthor to my Superman. The stubbed toe on a walk through a dark room. The extra minute in the microwave that totally toasts my lunch and makes it gross. The really bad cliches to show how much something is unliked- yeah, you get it.
I find that improving syllabification in unintelligible children is a fantastic first step in improving overall intelligibility. Of course, some therapists will disagree with me. Oral-motor concerns, stimulability, and the child’s response to treatment are all valid concerns. However, I find that we talk in long strings of syllables. While the idea of talking in words makes sense, when we are in connected speech, we are in syllable mode. People don’t speak one word at a time, they speak in long groups of words (at least until they run out of breath, but hey, that’s just how we do things in New York!)
Traditional methods of reducing syllable deletion will use pacing and marking of syllables. One of my students has articulation/phonology issues and I am still in love with the Coversation Paceboard from (Aptus). They also make a Turtle Talk which has been helpful with some of my students, but I have found the most success with this one. Turtle Talk is a little more oriented for children, and the ice breaker questions are geared towards kids.
(Tap each button to mark syllables or single words- might be as good as using an egg carton!)
It it is fantastic for helping with slowing rate of speech to help children with overall intellgibility issues. I have found it helpful for “straight” articulation as well because it allows children to slow down and focus on production of their target sounds.
A great part is the open-ended questions that are embedded with the app, it really makes it easy to develop some expressive language while also targeting rate of speech.
(Pull the slider to increase the time per button)
The best part is the ability to slow the time delay. Some of my children like to “play” with it because they like doing using REALLY slow speech for fun.
The adjustable time is also excellent because it allows you to teach the way different rates of speech can affect your intelligibility. By modeling different rates, you can develop the auditory awareness for some children. Even more, you can have children “try” out different ways of speaking to feel some “control” over their speech!
If technology gets too distracting for your kids, try this paper based pacing chart. I found Red Box Talking on Speaking of Speech years ago- the link is dead on the website, but you can get it from my site.
While there are multiple ways to help unintelligible children, I have found focusing on syllables and pacing is the best place to start. Through the use of technology or paper based materials, you can help these students reach their speech goals!
