New Speech Therapy Solution Now Available
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2015
Editorial Contacts:
Stephen Betzen, Office Manager, (214) 646-1570, sbetzen@dallasreading.com
Cliff Pearson, Communications Coordinator, (214) 646-1570, cpearson@dallasreading.com
New Speech Therapy Solution Now Available in North Texas
Innovative system can cut months or years off therapy time
(DALLAS, August 13, 2015) – The American Speech and Hearing Association reports that roughly 6-8 million Americans have a language impairment – many of them children. Thanks to a technology now available in North Texas, that number may be shrinking. Dallas Reading and Language Services, a pediatric speech-language pathology clinic in Dallas, has started using a new device called SmartPalate™ with their clients. They are the only speech therapy clinic in North Texas using the device.
The SmartPalate™ is a custom mouthpiece and computer software system that displays where a student’s tongue is touching the roof of his or her mouth during speech. Speech-language pathologists, including the staff at Dallas Reading and Language Services, then create custom “tongue targets” for the sound(s) the student is working to develop such as /r/, /l/ or /s/. The visual target allows the student to repeatedly practice the sound simply by matching his or her their tongue with the respective target.
“SmartPalate™ empowers clients to self-correct speech errors with tongue movements they can feel and see,” says Rachel Betzen, M.A., CCC/SLP, founder of Dallas Reading and Language Services. “Those new to speech therapy can correct speech errors more quickly. Clients who have struggled with persistent speech errors are now finally able to experience success and achieve their speech goals.”
SmartPalate™ technology, known as electropalatography, was developed by Dr. Samuel Fletcher, an industry-recognized audiologist and speech-language pathologist in the mid-1950s. For decades, the use of the technology was limited to research facilities, primarily with speech students who were deaf or hearing impaired. In 2010, CompleteSpeech developed a system for commercial use and speech-language pathologists have continually expanded the use of the technology to students with multiple speech disorders and backgrounds.
In multiple cases, children and teens who have struggled in speech therapy for years without significant progress have made immediate sizable improvements in their speech and consequently their self-esteem and confidence – usually within a matter of months.
For More Information:
- Cade’s Speech Miracle – the Letter ‘R’
- SmartPalate™ System Demonstration
- SmartPalate™ Product Information from the manufacturer
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Dallas Reading and Language Services is a provider of speech-language therapy and reading services to the Dallas community, employing licensed Speech-Language Pathologists and SLP Assistants.
