Saab Magalona Finds Hope As Pancho Takes PROMPT Speech Therapy
Saab Magalona brings to light a different kind of speech therapy that works with Pancho known as PROMPT Speech.
Speech Therapy helps kids with language delay to develop their language skills through a variety of activities that involve reading, writing, and mouth muscle exercises. Since Pancho has Cerebral Palsy, he goes through a variety of therapies like PROMPT speech therapy to help him control the muscles in his mouth such as his jaw, tongue, and lips so he can form more words and communicate with Saab, Jim, and Vito.
Speech Therapy can be quite fun!
PROMPT stands for “PROMPTs for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets.” PROMPT Speech Therapy started in the late 1970’s with Deborah Hayden when she realized that some children didn’t respond well to the typical flash cards and soundboards when coping with language delays. She theorized that something “tactile” and “kinesthetic” might teach kids how to be more mindful and aware of how their muscles move thus, she implemented the use of “touch-cues.” By touching different spots on the mouth, the child would learn how to produce different consonant sounds depending on the cues.
And based on Saab’s video, it looks like Pancho’s enjoying himself! He demonstrates a sense of humor when he copies his Speech Pathologist, Teacher Jeri, by squeezing his own mouth and snickering. But the highlight of his official first day in PROMPT therapy include him saying, “More,” because he enjoyed the swing.
A therapy’s success depends on the parent and therapist
Since pediatricians are the ones who usually discover the delays in children, speech pathologists know how to handle kids with delays. They often play games, read books, and sing songs but apply more research-based techniques that target specific issues in speech. But what makes speech therapy successful is when both the parent and the speech pathologist work together to reinforce the teachings. Saab Magalona was elated when she discovered that she had been practicing bits of the PROMPT speech therapy prior.
“I’m also happy that I was already unconsciously doing some of the cues with Pancho even before learning about it,” Saab beamed. “I’m excited for Pancho because I know that the PROMPT method values not only speech production but also social skills, confidence-building, and making sure that the child is having fun as they’re learning!”
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