Speech Therapy is Like Boat Building

Mark A. Ittleman
The Teaching of Talking

August 5, 2014

Built by a man or woman
just like us.

We are on Prince Edward Island, in the Maritime and for the last few months have toured up the Atlantic Coast from Florida to Maine and Prince Edward Island.

Since I love boats, we have noticed many styles and sizes.  There is the rowboat, canoe, sailboat, fishing boat, nuclear submarine, pleasure boat, wood boat, fiberglass boat, steel hull boat and hull designs including catamarans, v-hull, tri-hulls, etc.  The manpower and skill to design and build these pieces of art is extensive.  I have seen simple row boats, kayaks, to full ocean liners; vessels that were present day, and those that were built over one hundred years ago.

Anything can be simple with the
appropriate mentor or instructor.

Boatbuilding, like speech and language therapy is an art, and I am sure that no one anywhere could dispute that.  Some boat builders are mentored by true artisans and others have gone to special Maritime schools for boat design and building.

The success of the boatbuilder is dependent on the marketplace; those who need the services of the boat builder.  Those who purchase boats must be satisfied with their purchase, or the boat builder goes out of business.  The person who purchases a boat goes out onto the river, lake, pond or ocean, and trusts that the water craft he has purchased and the piloting skills he has learned, returns him home to shore safely.

Boat builders must produce a product that is sea worthy and reliable.

A classic sailing vessel;
using basic fundamentals
of boat building

Boat building is an art that follows specific principles and disciplines.  For many it is a skill that is passed down from generation to generation by experts who have honed their craft through years of practice.

The Teaching of Talking book, which includes fundamentals of speech and language stimulation and therapy, was written by a speech language pathologist with over 40 years of experience and is like a book on boat building.  It is written by a skilled practitioner who approaches speech therapy following basic tenets of speech and language learning.  It is an appropriate guide for the mother, father, family member, loved one or speech professional  who wants to help others who do not speak, or have lost the ability to do so.

The Teaching of Talking is very similar to a basic primer in boat building and is written for the beginner or anyone who would like to develop skills in speech and language stimulation.  In that way the skills of speech stimulation, like that of boat building can be passed on to those who may need or require them now, or in the future.

A shelter to build a boat is in
many ways like a therapy room.

Boatbuilding can be learned in a
classroom where the fundamentals
are learned, and then later,
under a full time mentor.

Mark A. Ittleman, M.S., CCC/SLP is a speech language pathologist with extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of speech and language difficulties, and has practiced the art of speech therapy and speech and language stimulation with children and adults who either have not talked or those who have lost that ability.  He specializes in complex speech and language difficulties, and has served those with difficulty speaking in the public schools, private practice and adult rehabilitation in and out patient facilities such as the world famous TIRR in Houston, Texas.  He is fully certified by the American Speech Language and Hearing Association and licensed to practice speech language pathology.  The speech and language principles, methods, and values described in The Teaching of Talking are those of the author.  Mark A. Ittleman, M.S., CCC/SLP is available for teaching seminars and guest speaking. Address inquiries or questions to e mail: markittleman@teachingoftalking.com.  

The Website for Teaching of Talking is :  http://www.teachingoftalking.com.  You can find out more information about The Teaching of Talking book http://teachingoftalking.com/pre-order-the-teaching there also, or audio format http://teachingoftalking.com/order-the-new-teaching-of-talking-audiobook-from-audible-com.

It’s wonderful and satisfying to get exceptional
results in boat building and speech therapy.

Mark A. Ittleman, M.S., CCC/SLP
Senior Speech Language Pathologist
Author-Teaching of Talking

See the original article:

Speech Therapy is Like Boat Building

in

The Teaching of Talking