The High Intensity Production Practice Opportunities for Speech (HIPPOS) program is designed for students in grades PK-5 who present with speech sound disorders. As speech sound production involves motor movement, effective teaching of speech sound production should follow the principles of motor learning (PML). These principles guide the intensity and, more importantly, the feedback given during practice.
According to the PML, once a student has reached a level of proficiency where they are able to produce a target sound with adequate accuracy, the focus should shift to generalization. For effective generalization, the student should receive feedback that is delayed and focused on whether or not the sound was produced correctly.
To facilitate this delayed feedback, HIPPOS targets speech sound production at the word level with five target words presented in a sequence as one unit, resulting in high-intensity drill practice that is consistent with the principles of motor learning.
Here's an example of multi-word bursts in HIPPOS:
Evidence in Action
Articulation therapy accounts for the second-largest percentage of school-age children on an SLPâs caseload (ASHA, 2022). Children with speech sound disorders are at risk of developing reading and writing difficulties (Anthony et al., 2011), and thus it is important to target speech sound remediation in the school setting.
Evidence | Expression in Program |
âKnowledge of resultsâ feedback during speech sound practice, i.e., feedback focused on whether a production was correct or incorrect, is critical in helping students develop the ability to evaluate their own performance (Maas, et al., 2008). | SLPs are given the opportunity to provide feedback focused on âknowledge of resultsâ between blocks of words in speech sound practice. |
It can take between 1,900 and 2,300 speech production trials to reach the stabilization phase for a target sound (Preston et al., 2017). | An increased number of speech production trials is obtained by requiring the students to produce five words at a time before pausing. |
Feedback for speech sound production, when not provided at every trial (i.e., low frequency) and given after multiple productions (i.e., delayed) can be expected to enhance learning (Maas, et al., 2008). | Lower frequency and delayed feedback is encouraged by grouping words into blocks of 5. |
Evidence-based Program Use |
Use high intensity practice with students who are able to produce target sounds with a minimum of external cues. |
Increase the number of word trials by producing as many blocks of target words as possible. |
Give feedback related to sound accuracy after blocks of 5 words. |
The principles in the evidence used to create this Program can be used across a variety of therapy sessions. With any articulation practice, encourage the student to produce as many trials as possible. Once a student is able to produce the sound with minimal placement cues, provide feedback focused on whether the production was correct or incorrect and after a block of trials.
Scope and Sequence
Educators should begin by identifying the target sound for the student by using clinical judgment. Subsequently, targets should be selected in a way that progressively increases in difficulty.
To simplify the process of finding suitable activities for students, the program is structured by target sound. This scope and sequence is designed for mass targeting, allowing for efficient drilling at a rapid pace.
Extended Applications
While HIPPOS was primarily developed as an articulation program, it can also be applied for vocabulary enhancement. It's important to acknowledge that the program lacks the capability to record vocabulary data since its design focuses solely on assessing articulation accuracy.
For instance, in a multiword section of HIPPOS, a Speech-Language Pathologist could undertake the following approach: show students the target words and prompt them to accurately define each word. It's crucial to note that the responsibility lies with the educator to select target words and offer cues that are most effective for each student when addressing vocabulary within the HIPPOS program.
Quick Reference Sheet
Recommends âTips and Tricksâ
The High Intensity for Your Articulation (HIPPOS) program is designed for students in grades PK-5 who present with a speech sound disorder. HIPPOS targets speech sound production in all positions of words at the word level.
What do I do for each activity?
Step 1: Direct Instructions
Introduce the topic of the activity.
Review the direct instructions.
Modify, model, and prompt as needed to support the student.
Following the correct placement practice, complete the exercises in which the student needs to say the word with correct articulatory placement.
Step 2: Exercises
Exercises can be directly presented on the educatorâs device or assigned to the student to be completed on their device.
Use the prompts that are most effective for each student and model as needed during the activity.
Data is collected only when the activity is assigned to the student.
Repeat this activity as many times as needed to ensure that the student can produce their target sound.