Posts by briskpanther33

Everything's going fine : )

In the end, we'll probably just go to a private speech therapist... I mean, it doesn't have to take nearly as long as those doctors say it will...

We actually started practicing every day yesterday... like, we just talk using really simple sentences. She's feeling super encouraged because she can see the progress. As soon as she realized why, for instance, she needed to emphasize certain sounds in a word, she got it right on the second try—it was one of those "a-ha!" moments where she finally understood her own mistake.

Sentences like this (or whatever you want to call them) are pretty effective 🙂
...the leaves rustle in the colorful, shady forest.

Thanks for the reply.

She saw the dentist, so there aren't any dental issues.
For a long time, she had this inflammation on the lower part of her lip (on the outside), which kept acting up. It actually changed how she shaped her lips when saying certain letters.

That’s cleared up now, but you can still tell she pronounces some sounds differently... for instance, she can say every letter clearly on its own... but when it comes to actual words, then (if she isn't thinking about it or if she's speaking quickly) she really overemphasizes the "ch" and "sh" sounds. If she speaks slowly, you barely notice it.

It's not that I don't trust private speech therapists; I know these things don't get fixed overnight. She had an evaluation at FEMA, which took about an hour, and their take is that therapy might be shorter since she's got a strong will... when she went to the private therapist, they basically told her right at the door that she'd need to come in for six months, and they gave her a schedule and a price list immediately... they just assumed that without even doing an exam.

She's thinking about majoring in English or maybe Scandinavian studies at UCLA, so that's a bigger reason why she wants to work on her pronunciation.

Thanks again for all the advice and help. 🙂 Best!🙂🙂

Thanks for getting back to me.🙂

We've checked everywhere and yeah, younger kids definitely get priority.
Now we're looking at a private speech therapist. I mean, I trust their expertise, but I'm a bit skeptical since they're insisting on at least six months of therapy (three times a week)... so I guess it feels like they might just be prioritizing profit over everything else.😢

Hi everyone 🙂

I'm looking for some exercises to help with certain speech sounds, specifically those tricky sibilants like "sh," "ch," and "zh."

My 17-year-old sister is struggling a bit. She dealt with some skin inflammation on her lower lip (neurodermatitis) for a while, and now there’s this slight whistling sound when she says those specific letters. She went to see specialists at FEMA, and they told her it wasn't super severe, so she's just on a waiting list. They said she might get an appointment around June 2011.
We did reach out to a private speech therapist, though, and they suggested she needs urgent therapy—apparently about six months of sessions, three times a week. (FEMA mentioned that since she's older and really motivated, it probably won't take nearly that long).

A half-hour session with a private specialist runs $29, and I know health is priceless... but still, I'd love to find some other options. Any advice would be so appreciated: maybe certain words or sentences we should practice repeating?

Thanks! : )