PROMPT Commands

The PROMPT commands I am sharing here are the ones we use and have learned from Osiyyah's ST. There may be a slight variance in how each PROMPT is done from therapist to therapist. There's no saying whether this is the exact way every therapist trained in PROMPT does each command.

I just wanted to make sure that was clear for all, in case anybody might get confused if they here another way to do a command. And, if you do hear another way, I'd be glad to know!

I hope you all enjoy the PROMPT commands - I know I would've really enjoyed being able to go to a site to learn some of these. I will continue to post any new commands as soon as I learn them :).

A Way to Encourage the "S" sound

Osiyyah's speech therapist is very hands-on and uses a lot of "cues" to help a kid say certain sounds. This has been VERY helpful for Osiyyah, because he is so visually oriented when it comes to learning new things.

This is one cue she has used to help Osiyyah get the "S" sound at the end of or in certain words. It has worked quite well for Osiyyah.

Take the child's arm, put your finger at the child's elbow and "draw" an "S"/snake shape along the child's arm and "land" in the palm of the child's hand. When you start say "sssss" and say that the whole way until you "land" at the end. Then have the child say the sound while you are "drawing" the "S" or snake on the child's arm.

PROMPT: The "P" Command

This PROMPT command is for the "P" sound. This is a PROMPT we have used quite a few times with Osiyyah to help facilitate that light "Puh" sound.

To do this command: Place your two fingers around the child's lips, as seen in the first picture. This command starts out very similar to the "B" command. Then gently "pop" the child's lips with your fingers and bring your hand away from the child's mouth, as seen in the second picture. Say the "P" sound  while you are doing this command. Have the child say the sound at the same time as well. Support may be necessary for the child's head to keep the child in a proper position.

PROMPT: The "L" Command

This PROMPT command is for the "L" sound.We've only used this a little bit with Osiyyah, as Osiyyah can say that sound quite well. But, he does have a hard time getting that sound into words and sentences (that's motor planning problems for ya!)

To do this command: Place your middle at the back of the jaw under the mouth/throat area, as seen in the first picture. Then move your finger up towards the front of the jaw. Say the "L" sound while you are doing this command. Have the child say the sound at the same time as well. Support may be necessary for the child's head to keep the child in a proper position.

PROMPT: The "T" Command

This PROMPT command is for the "T" sound. This is a PROMPT we use quite often with Osiyyah. He can say the "T" sound quite well, but has a hard time (and forgets at times) to put the sound at the end of certain words or in particular words. Like "table." When you slow him down and PROMPT the whole word out with him, he can say it perfectly!

To do this command: Place your middle finger right under the front of the jaw. Right at the little indentation at the very front of the mouth/jaw. Lightly push your finger up while you say the sound. Have the child say the sound at the same time as well. Support may be necessary for the child's head to keep the child in a proper position.

PROMPT: The "B" Command

Again, here are the said PROMPT posts!

This PROMPT command is for the "B" sound. We've used this a little bit with Osiyyah. Most of the time he has no trouble saying the "B" sound, but there are certain words that it is helpful with.

To do this command: Place your two fingers around the child's lips, as seen in the first picture. Then move your hand away from the mouth in a forward motion. Say the "B" sound  while you are doing this command. Have the child say the sound at the same time as well. Support may be necessary for the child's head to keep the child in a proper position.

PROMPT: The "G" and "K" Command

This PROMPT command is for the "G" or "K" sounds. We've used this to encourage Osiyyah to say that sound more, since he has a bit of trouble retracting his tongue in certain sounds.

To do this command: Place the tip of your middle finger at the very back of the child's throat, under their jaw. Gently, but firmly, press your finger upward so the child feels the pressure. Say the "G" sound, like "Guh" or "Grr" or whatever you want to try, while this command is being done. Or say the hard "K" sound like in "Cat" when you are doing this command. Have the child say the sound at the same time as well. Support may be necessary for the child's head to keep the child in a proper position.

PROMPT: The "E" Command

Here is another PROMPT command which we use every so often. We used this a lot when we were trying to teach Osiyyah how to say "Me" without a "D" sound in between the "M" and "E."

To do this command:  Take your thumb and index finger, place them at the edges of the child's mouth and push their lips out into the "E" position. Kind of like they are smiling. Say the "Eeeee" sound as you do this with your child and also have them say the sound at the same time if they can. Support may be necessary for the child's head to keep the child in a proper position.

PROMPT: The "Ah" or "Uh" Command

Here is another PROMPT Command which we use a lot. This command is for the "Ahhh" or "Uhhh" sounds.

To do this command: Place your thumb on the child's chin below the bottom lip with your other fingers behind the child's jaw (as seen in the picture) and gently pull down as you say the sound. Preferably have the child say the sound with you as well (unless the child cannot say the sound). Support may be necessary for the child's head to keep the child in a proper position.

PROMPT: The "M" Command

As I said, I'd work on getting pictures of the PROMPT commands we use. I'll try to get one posted every day or every other day. The first one is the "M" ("mmmmmm") command.

To do this PROMPT command: Facing the child, place the back of index and middle finger on the child's lips. Say the sound "mmmmm" as you have your fingers on the child's lips and then pull the fingers away. Do this to help encourage the child to say the "m" sound. Say the sound when you are giving the PROMPT command and also as you move your fingers away. Some support may be necessary with your other hand for the child's head/mouth.

PROMPT Commands

This is a post I've been waiting to get up for weeks!

Over the years I had heard about PROMPT quite a bit and the benefits of it. I would have totally learned it myself already, but of course they don't offer training to individuals . . . you have to be a speech therapist or pathologist. While I am that for my little brother, I am no professional :).

When the ST we see now said she was trained in PROMPT, I was thrilled. And even more thrilled when I saw how positively PROMPT helped Osiyyah. Our ST is wonderful, she will do the PROMPT commands when we see her once a month and then show us how to do them on Osiyyah, so we can continue doing them with him. Slowly, but surely, I'm learning PROMPT now and it's such a blessing for Osiyyah.

Years ago one of my sisters and I learned Cued Speech. It is basically English on the hands. And it has helped Osiyyah a lot. That deserves a post of it's own! PROMPT is somewhat similar to Cued Speech, but with PROMPT, you touch certain areas of the face, mouth, throat, etc to facilitate where the sound is actually coming from or how it should feel when said.

PROMPT was what helped Osiyyah say "Me" instead of "Dee." Constant repetition of just trying to get him to drop the "D" sound didn't work. But, when the "M" prompt was given and also the "eeee" prompt with it, he was able to (and had to because of the way the prompt commands are) say it correctly.

PROMPT is extremely beneficial for children with Apraxia, children with Oral Motor Planning problems (that's Osiyyah!), children who are very visually oriented and then also just to help a child really "get" a certain sound.

I was going to include a bunch of pictures of the PROMPT commands we do so you can see how to do them and implement them yourself, but of course, I have no clue where all the pictures went! So, I will have one of my sister's take some pictures sometime in the next few days of the PROMPT commands I do with Osiyyah. And then I can do a post for each one, which may make it easier anyways :).

Until then, have a Happy 4th of July weekend!