PROMPT Therapy

Frequently asked questions and answers – It is vital to use a PROMPT Certified Speech Pathologist. Rigorous hands on training is required to become certified in PROMPT.  Lori has over 20 years experience with the early intervention population, apraxia, feeding and language delays.

Who can Benefit From Prompt Therapy?

Apraxia, developmental delays, articulation disorders, and oral motor disorders and lack of progress.

What is PROMPT Certified Therapy?

PROMPT IS AN ACRONYM FOR “PROMPTS FOR RESTRUCTURING ORAL- MUSCULAR PHONETIC TARGETS”. It is a tactile-kinesthetic approach that involves touch cues to the individual’s articulators (jaw, tongue, lips) to manually guide them through the targeted word, phrase or sentence. It stresses motor control and precision of oral muscle movements. It eliminates unnecessary muscle movements, such as jaw sliding and inadequate lip rounding.

How is Prompt Certified therapy different than traditional articulation and oral motor therapy?

PROMPT is a process that involves working upwards on a motor speech hierarchy (Hayden, 1986). It involves tactile-kinesthetic hands- on cues to the face to heighten awareness and precision of muscle movements. It does not involve working on individual sounds or using horns or whistles. For example, how many children can produce a word like “dad” with seemingly perfect sound productions, but will move their jaw while saying it? This will affect higher level speech productions. It will be difficult to transfer this into connected speech and will sound “sloppy”. Another example is the word, “boot”. What if this sounds correct to the listener, but is produced with inadequate lip rounding?

How will this individual ever move onto more complex sounds and words?

What types of disorders is PROMPT used for?

PROMPT can be used with children and adults. The most common disorders it is used for are motor speech disorders, articulation, and non-verbal children. It can be used for others as well.

Will this “touch” approach be adverse?

NO, sometimes it takes a few sessions to desensitize the client to touching. However, in my experience children are extremely receptive to this approach. They often times start trying to PROMPT themselves or their parents. It heightens their awareness and gives them a sense of control.

Is my child a candidate for PROMPT?

Every child should be evaluated on an individual basis. It is advantageous to contact a PROMPT Certified therapist for an evaluation. If you are having concerns regarding articulation, oral motor dysfunction or intelligibility issues, PROMPT therapy is certainly a viable option to consider.  PROMPT is also used with the children on the autism spectrum.

What is the difference between being PROMPT Certified vs. trained?

This is one of the most commonly asked questions. The PROMPT Institute offers three courses. A SLP is considered trained after taking the first introductory course. They are also continued to be considered trained after taking the second course (Bridging) which deals primarily with writing goals using the PROMPT approach. The third course is a 4 month videotaped project. This is the only time where hands- on tactile cues are used for an extended period of time. The project is then graded by the Institute to determine if certain criteria were met for Certification. Although there are many PROMPT trained clinicians, the Certification is the only way of determining that the SLP has met specific criteria at various skill levels to warrant the certification status.

Does PROMPT improve intelligibility?

YES!!  I have worked with a multitude of children and observed PROMPT to be highly effective and produce results.  I have heard intelligibility improve significantly.  I have observed children to be quite receptive to this tactile approach.

Do PROMPT therapists also work on other goals, such as language?

Yes, you get the advantage of an experienced speech/language pathologist who has taken the time to refine his/her expertise.

Can’t a SLP be level 1 or level 2 trained?

No, you can only be considered trained or PROMPT CERTIFIED.

Should I bring my child to a PROMPT CERTIFIED SLP?

YES!! You will be ensuring that the SLP has the proper training. It is most beneficial to you and your child that the SLP be certified in PROMPT.

Are you available for consulting and therapy?

Yes, I am available for individual therapy and school consultations.  I am also available to provide a general overview of PROMPT to staff.  I can be contacted via phone (516-776-0184) or e-mail (Lori@allislandspeech.com) for questions or to set up an appointment for an evaluation. You can also visit my website at www.allilslandspeech.com.