Talking tools in SALT. Does anyone have any experience?

[RayofSun]

Just the above really. Ds5 has been recommended these by an independent SALT. I am not convinced that motor problems are the basis for his poor speech but would be keen to hear others experiences, both positive and negative.

Risca Solomon is the person to talk to about this.
She and her s/lt colleague travel the world lecturing on their use.

Are they the chewy tubes? The SALT has given these to DS3, tbh I don't think they have done much for his SPEECH, but they have helped to distract him from his sensory-seeking tooth grinding - so they have had some positive effects.

The company that sell TalkTools stuff, do sell chewy tubes, but I think TalkTools itself, is more of a programme of graded things that help with oro motor development - so whistles, blowers, straws, bite blocks etc. I spoke to ds's SALT about it, because the honey bear drinks bottle that they sell, helped ds with drinking, and the catalogue looked very interesting (if very expensive), but she was a bit, 'meh' about it.

However, ds has very poor oro motor skills, and is completely non verbal, I think I will investigate further. If anyone else has any more info, I would be very interested too!

Got lots of info, what would you like to know? I'm trained in TalkTools and have used it extensively among other things, with our foster DS who has severe autism and verbal dyspraxia. There is actually a free event all about TalkTools on Monday in Birmingham. I'm happy to answer any questions you have, without TalkTools and PROMPT out DS would never have learned to talk.

Wow, thanks pleasant. I wondered what sort of children these were used for as many people I have spoken to suggest they are great for children with very limited speech. To be honest I feel as though I am in a sledgehammer crack a but situation. Are they used routinely in children with relatively simple speech problems, ie simple mid pronunciation of letters?

Hi Ray, TalkTools can be used for a variety of reasons. It can be used, with other techniques, to develop speech in non-verbal individuals, it can literally be used to teach each individual speech sounds, which we had to do with our DS. It can also be used with individuals who are just missing one or two sounds, so it can be used to teach them the correct placements for these sounds. It can also be used with people who are not very articulate due to incorrect placements or muscle weakness. TalkTools is huge and very complex, with many levels of training. What are your child's particular area of need? What program has your speech therapist recommended? Do you know what level of training they have in TalkTools?

Watching with interest.My son has missed out all his bilabial sounds (m, b ,p) and has a mild ish expressive delay.Woluld any of them benefit/ encourage lip closure?

I notice that a lot of the products that are used in the programme use blowing (horns, bubbles etc). I have tried ds (2.7) with bubbles, kazoos, whistles etc and he just doesn't seem to 'get' blowing, I'm not sure how useful the kits would be without ds being able to do this.

Also, do NHS SALTs use the programme? Is it something that a private therapist would use? Or is it something where a parent could buy the products and instructions and do it themselves?

Pleasant, she has been a bit vague about it and has now gone on holiday found unable to clarify immediate. I think part of the problem I am having with this situation is actually due to a breakdown in communication with her and therefore trust. Hence, not that she has suggested these I am skeptical. Although have no basis for this other than my instinct.

She is also an independent Salt and all the Nhs ones we speak to are skeptical about this system. That us not to say it does not work but I would like to hear a little more about it before embarking on this programme.

Just confused, I guess and not sure what to do for the best

If we take as an example, elizbake's child who has not got his bilabials, what TalkTools would do would be to test sensory and motor activities to find which activities we could get lip closure on, some of the activities such as using a Z-vibe with a mouse head to get lip closure, therapeutic spoon feeding, therapeutic cup drinking, flat mouthed horns, lip press exercise. The way the activities are usually structured should be Sensory Activity then Motor Activity then Speech activity. So for lip closure we may do the Mouse Z-vibe, followed by flat mouthed horn blowing, followed by lip press and then we would look to do a speech exercise so as we can transfer the lip closure placement we have achieved with the sensory and motor exercises to the speech sounds he needs. Sometimes to help with this there are tools, such as the TalkTools Apraxia kit which has different coloured shapes to assist with the bilabial production. These provide propioceptive input to assist the child in finding the lip closure position needed. Then these tools have to be faded, sometimes tactile cues can assist in this fading. The motor exercises within TalkTools all have very specific instructions and criteria for success within each hierarchy of exercise. There are multiple courses to go on to truely understand TalkTools and to be able to use it properly. Level 3 trained therapists or up, are ones who have completed many of the courses, passed tests in TalkTools and are therefore recommended by Talk Tools. If you would like to know any more information, please don't hesitate to ask.

Would it be beneficicial for me to buy the specific tools myself ,and follow the programme? Or should I speak to his sppech therapist about implementing them? - going privately at the moment. They sound really good, especially the sensory side, he can get lip closure, repeats the m sound but then regresses back to his learnt sound! ie mm... Nore for more!

I started out by ordering the tools and books but to be honest they were useless to me without having someone explain them to me, or having been on the course. It really is not straight forward at all to be honest as every child is so different, every child needs different combinations of the exercises. Where are you based? Maybe there is someone near you that is trained.

Are any NHS salts trained in it, or only private ones? Is there a register?

Hi HazeyJane, there are some NHS therapists trained in some of the basic levels. There is only an official register for therapists that are certified at level 3 or above and in the UK at the moment those therapists are all private I'm at the free TalkTools day on Monday so could ask if there is an 'unofficial' list of people who have done levels 1 and 2.

HazeyJane, as far as for blowing, TalkTools has programs to actually teach a child to blow. They're some of my favourite programs.

One thing I found brilliant for DS3 is a toy that is a dog, with a whistle, where the dog stops and starts when you blow the whistle. Will try to link but am on twatphone and am technologically incapable.

Dog whistle toy

I hope that's worked. If it has, then I've learnt how to do links from my twatphone!

It gives them a visible 'reward' for blowing the whistle, and it has really helped DS3's oramotor skills.

He can now drink from a straw too.

He has got more speech since I started using the same sort of things that I used with my older DC's with SALT issues.

It's difficult when the most actual 'speech therapy' you receive on the NHSs is a few printed sheets of Makaton signs, told that PECS may help, and then left to get on with it!

I can't afford private speech therapy either.

Stone me, my linky worked!!

However, I have managed to get the older 2 DC's with speech issues to talk with practically no input from SALT, so I'm sure I can do it again. It just takes a shitload more time than with an NT DC!

(DS1 was having full adult-style conversations about 'tangibility' at 18no, so it's NOT all down to me that 3/4 of my DC's have speech and language delay!)

(DD and DS2 have oral dyspraxia and Hypermobility syndrome, both of Which affect their oramotor skills. DS3 is the same.)

DS3 couldn't do the whistle at first, but after LOTS of modelling, he got the idea.

The toy we used before that was a birthday cake where you have to blow out the candles.

Link to birthday cake toy

You don't have to spend a fortune on specialist equipment to achieve the sane results, you just have to think laterally!

I find Hawkin's Bazaar online to be a great source if toys that help with oramotor issues, and also for sensory toys.

I have out together a sensory area in my room with stuff like a Tesco rope light, cheap £5-£10 fibre optic lamps, toys that double up as sensory aids or oramotor developers.

After 15 years of it, I seem to have a 'nack' for finding helpful toys!

Hope these toys can be if some use to people.

Scuse the typo's, Autocorrect seems to hate me today!

talks tools seems like it may benefit for my son aged 3 who is non verbal....and does not make certain letter sounds such as b...m....cannot drink nwith straw, cannot blow bubbles/candles etc....

have any other parents found it useful??

MOney is tight and I want to make sure it will be something my son will benefit from

My son who is 4.5 autistic...non.verbal...cannot drink from a straw...cannot pronounce F...and csnnot blow a candel...

Did u find talk tool useful for your son?