Don't freak out, it's just the SH sound

There was a moment Monday, before I started my first day of my full-time school internship, where I panicked. Heart fluttering, mind-numbing, terrifying panic. I couldn’t verbalize how to teach the “SH” sound. I couldn’t think of its place or manner of articulation. It was like the knowledge was lost in an ambiguous depth of space and time. *POOF* 4 years of undergrad and a 1.5 years of a Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology, gone. Just. Like. That.

Now that my melodrama is over, it was truly only a momentary freak-out. Followed by a frenzy of technology, clicking, typing, and a slight hand-cramp from the manic episode. It happens to the best of us (that’s what I’m telling myself). So, what did I find you might ask? Allow me to share:

According to Secord in Eliciting Sounds: Techniques and Strategies for Clinicians (2010), the SH sound is a palato-alveolar, voiceless fricative. One must raise the tongue to touch the sides of the upper back teeth while the blade of the tongue is retracted. The creation of a shallow groove at the midline helps create the sound. The most common phonetic features are

• Blade of the tongue nearly touches the front of the palate and back of the alveolar ridge
• The lips are protruded, but not puckered
• Air comes out like a bat out of hell, not really, but it comes out of the groove created by tongue placement
• Close the velum
• No voice…turn your ‘voice box’ off and throw away the key

My next stopping points were SLP blogs which I religiously follow (some might say ‘stalk’). There is a gold mine of information; the nuggets of knowledge remind me to be professionally thankful for the internet. Shall we…

• 2 Gals Talk …about speech therapy Eliciting SH and CH :
  • This post is similar to finding a $100 bill in your pocket when you just spent your last dime on rent and Starbucks. Read it. 
  • FYI, there is an equally helpful post called “Quick Reference to our Eliciting Sounds Posts”
• Erik X. Raj (the X is for eXcellent, btw) - The Best Strategies for Articulation Speech Therapy:
  • His post includes 7 videos on the nitty-gritty of speech therapy for the following sounds: S, Z, R, L, SH, CH, and TH.
  • NOTE: You must subscribe to his blog in order to view. Trust me, it is worth the follow.
• The Speech Mama – How to teach the SH sound
  • She gets straight to the point on the how-to stuff. Plus, there is a link to SH worksheets.

There were other stops along the way back to my SH sanity, however these were the ones I have bookmarked for those kiddos who need my skills. Do you have any to share? I still don’t know every trick for every sound, nor will I until I have more experience. Until then, I have the #slpeeps, #SLPbloggers, and #slp2b who will continue to be around. Thanks ladies and gents.

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