R-Mas my very favorite (very made up) “holiday” each December where I share daily R info in a festive way. For the 3rd annual R-Mas the theme was “Elicitation” to gear us up for the launch of my 1 hour PD “Cracking the R Elicitation Code.” This recap will be a glimpse inside!
On the first day of R-Mas my true love gave to me…
the gift of knowing I haven’t tried everything
I figured we’d do a myth-busting of sorts.
Myth #1: ✨”I’ve tried everything to elicit the R!” ✨
FALSE!
And I say that with so much love.
Get outta that headspace, friend. Trust and believe you have not tried everything. You know how I know? Because I have learned at least 2 new cues this year and I’ve made up a few more! And I came into this year knowing *a lot* of cues.
Speech therapy is a science, but it’s also an art. You are creative and knowledgeable and more than capable of thinking outside the box and making magic happen.
On the second day of R-Mas my true love gave to me…
faith they’re not too old for R therapy
Our second elicitation myth to bust is “they’re too old” to make progress with the R sound.
To that I say…
NUH-UH
I have a client that came to me as a 15yo having never had speech before. Did we have a lot to work through? Yes. Did it take a while to actually get placement for R? Yes. Are we now working on carryover? YES!
It is possible. Younger is preferred perhaps but older is doable! And it’s not just me! Pretty sure my friend Jill Shook has had success with an adult client before too.
On the third day of R-Mas my true love gave to me…
reassurance not every tie needs clipping
While I am learning more about OMT and tongue ties and all the things, please don’t read any further until you understand I am *not* a topic area expert. This is EXACTLY the kind of thing you should do your own research on, listen to all sorts of experts, consider your own experience, talk to your colleagues, and draw your own conclusions.
Ok. Now that that’s out of the way….
I heard the amazing Dr. Preston and Megan Leece from Speech Production Lab Syracuse say in their ASHA Learning Pass webinar (“Treating /r/ Errors: Evidence-Based Cueing and Practice Strategies”) that if a student can say /ɑ, t, ʃ/ appropriately then they have the range of motion required to produce /ɺ/. I found that SO helpful and it has stuck with me ever since! So thankful for their work and expertise.
So, keep that in mind when assessing students, doing a thorough oral mech, and considering the whole child. There’s soooooo much more to it, I know, but I do hope this provides you hope with some of your students who seem to be stuck. It may not be structural, even with a tie.
On the fourth day of R-Mas my true love gave to me…
the reminder that R isn’t binary.
Today’s myth is that R is black and white. It’s a SPECTRUM, baby!
It’s so powerful to think of eliciting the R as working our way to a closer and closer approximation rather than either “correct” or “incorrect.”
It’s also both comforting and terrifying to realize there’s possibly as many as SIX different tongue shapes for the English R (Flipsen, 2022).
It’s a lot to navigate but there’s freedom in this. We have a lot of wiggle room for helping our students.
On the FIFTH day of R-Mas my true love gave to me…
permission to take a break from therapy.
I’m definitely going to talk about this more in stories / R-Mas highlight because I *need* you to hear the compassion in my voice here- for everyone involved. R can be so hard!! I’ve been there. I promise you, I have been there.
But.
Kids should absolutely not be in therapy for years on end with no progress. It wastes financial resources. It takes time away from class / family / other enriching activities. And the EMOTIONAL toll that takes on everyone is significant.
So what do we do? A few ideas…
-seek out R-specific continuing education to expand your toolbox
-refer
-take breaks
-provide education & have open conversations
This is something you’re going to be hearing me talk about more. I’m NOT saying give up. I’m saying it’s okay to rest and regroup when everyone is ready. 💛
I hope you enjoyed! You can find the IG links here for more information. And go check out that elicitation course!
Take Care,
