Prompt® Therapy

Traditional speech therapy relies on clients being able to imitate sounds by copying what they see and hear. This works well when the patient has normal muscle movements and tone and is easily able to copy sounds.

However, there are some clients who have difficulties doing this including:

• Those who have significant motor speech disorders resulting from aberrant movement patterns, dyspraxia and dysarthria
• Those who have speech difficulties associated with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down’s Syndrome and various genetic disorders as well as other developmental disabilities or neurological impairment resulting from strokes or head injuries
• Those with significant hearing impairment.

What is prompt speech therapy?

PROMPT® therapy builds a client’s speech without relying on their ability to copy what they see and hear. Even when these areas are intact, PROMPT benefits patients by adding touch. Touch is our most efficient means of learning movements. By the therapist physically moving a patient’s face and speech structures (jaws, tongue and lips), the patient does not need to “figure out” how to produce particular sounds and words – they are physically shown how to do it.

The great benefit of PROMPT is that it addresses underlying movement problems, not just speech sounds, which are often the focus in traditional therapy. Many adults and children with complex speech problems have underlying speech movement issues that need to be addressed if their speech is to improve.

Traditional therapy also relies on clients being able to copy speech movements using sight or hearing. PROMPT introduces a tactile kinesthetic element that enables people to “feel” what they are supposed to do. It is a very powerful way to teach words, phrases, and language skills effectively.

This unique approach makes PROMPT treatment especially effective for those who struggle with traditional methods.

Certified Prompt Therapy Instructor

Ainsley Poulos, the principal speech pathologist at Eastside Speech Solutions is one of only 4 PROMPT instructors in Australia, and is the only certified instructor in Sydney.

“My daughter Sophia (age 5) has been seeing Eastside Speech Solutions for PROMPT® speech therapy for a year now and we are thrilled with her progress. Sophia had seen a number of conventional speech therapists over 3 years with little progress of making any actual sounds but when she started receiving PROMPT speech therapy the improvement was amazing.

PROMPT® therapy really did help Sophia to say sounds she could never find herself including her name. The therapy is fun and the team have a great variety of games and activities to keep little ones interested during the sessions. I would definitely recommend PROMPT therapy especially for kids with significant speech delays.”

Margaret-Anne

“Our daughter Rianna has been coming to Eastside Speech Solutions since she was two. At the age of one, Rianna was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, which not only affects her gross and fine motor skills but also her speech. Rianna met all the necessary milestones when it came to speech, babbling from a young age, followed by using words and then slowly building sentences. She has a huge vocabulary and is a real chatterbox. Rianna’s biggest challenge has been the clarity and articulation of her speech and ensuring she has enough breath to deliver a long sentence.

The results we have seen in Rianna’s speech since coming to Eastside Speech Solutions and being introduced to PROMPT® have been amazing. She has gained an extraordinary amount of confidence and a real eagerness to participate in conversations. The true testament to the wonderful work the clinic does is when we have family and friends comment on how much Rianna’s speech has improved. Even better still is seeing Rianna’s frustration disappear as a result of others now better understanding what she is conveying”

Joanna

For more information about Eastside Speech Solutions and how speech therapy can assist with speech and language difficulties: