How Can the Principles of Motor Learning Improve Speech Therapy?
Have you ever wondered how a child can be accurate while they’re drilling a sound but then immediately mispronounce the same sound when they aren’t 100% focused? Or why a child may nail /r/ finally, but they never seem to generalize to spontaneous speech? The difference often comes down to how a child practices—and that’s where motor learning comes in.
Motor learning is the process of learning and retaining a new movement pattern (in this case: a new way of moving articulators for a speech sound) so it becomes more automatic. The principle applies to all movement, whether you’re learning a new sport, skills, or sound.
The type of practice you choose to focus on depends on if a child is acquiring a sound or if you’re trying to generalize a sound to spontaneous speech.
Let’s get into the principles of motor learning and why they matter.
1. high Repetitions (Trials)
Research indicates that achieving motor programming changes in speech often requires a substantial number of repetitions within a session. Specifically, a minimum of 50–100 trials per session is suggested to initiate motor changes, with 100–300 trials being optimal for establishing and reinforcing accurate movements (Williams et al., 2010). It helps to get a clicker or use a free app on your phone to keep track of the amount of correct repetitions during a session. It might surprise you how few you get. If you’re consistently getting under 50-100 trials in a session, that is the first change you’ll want to make.
2. massed vs distributed Practice
Massed practice is doing many trials in a short period of time, like in a 30 min speech therapy session. This is the best kind of practice when a child is first acquiring a new sound. This can look like having a child say ‘s’ in initial position of words for the entire session. Distributed practice is when trials are spaced out over time. This can look like having a child practice their target words for 1-2 min each morning and night. This could also be shorter but more frequent sessions, like two to three 10 min sessions each week. This type of practice improves retention of the new sound. Both types of practice are important for acquiring and then retaining skills.
3. blocked vs randomized practice
Blocked practice (repeating the same word multiple times in a row) is important when a child is learning a new sound. Once a child becomes accurate during this type of practice, you’ll want to move to randomized practice. Random practice is when different target words or sounds are practiced in a random order. It’s harder in the moment, but it strengthens retention and generalization of the new sound to spontaneous speech (Maas et al., 2008).
4. Constant vs variabile practice
Constant practice is when a child repeats the same words without changing any of the context. When a child is first learning a sound, this type of practice is important because they’re focused on just learning what they need to do in order to be accurate. Once they are accurate, its important to use variable practice. This can look like varying the prosody or the context. You can change the word position or switch practicing between the word/phrase/sentence levels. This added element makes the drilling a little more difficult and helps with generalization.
5. Feedback
Knowledge of Performance (KP): This type of feedback is specific and helps a child learn what they did wrong (ex: ‘Your tongue was too far back’, ‘don’t let your tongue come out of your mouth’).
Knowledge of Results (KR): This type of feedback lets a child simply know if their production was correct or not. This is more general, less frequent feedback. It can be a thumbs up or thumbs no or a simple yes/no.
Early on, KP is helpful. This type of feedback is crucial in the learning phase, when a child doesn’t yet understand what they need to correct in order to be successful. This feedback is specific and immediate. These details help them make needed changes. Later, KR type of feedback helps kids learn to self-correct and monitor their own speech. It’s also important to remember to fade feedback over time (don’t correct every single trial). Kids needs to learn to self-correct so they don’t remain depend on you telling them if it was right or wrong every time. At this stage, after a production, pause a few seconds before giving your feedback. This pause encourages self-monitoring. Ask the child if they thought they were accurate and give them time to think.
Summary
When these principles are applied correctly, it can make a world of difference in therapy. It helps children make gains that stick beyond the therapy room, helps kids learn to self-monitor, and encourages generalization into everyday speech. So the next time you feel stuck in therapy and wonder why it isn’t working, review the principles and start practicing in ways that encourage retention.
want a free principles of motor learning cheat sheet? Click here
Sources:
Maas, E., Robin, D. A., Hula, S. N., Freedman, S. E., Wulf, G., Ballard, K. J., & Schmidt, R. A. (2008). Principles of motor learning in treatment of motor speech disorders. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 17(3), 277-298.
Williams, P., McLeod, S., & McCauley, R. (2010). Intervention for Speech Sound Disorders in Children. Brookes Publishing.
