Eliciting Sounds: Techniques and Strategies for Clinicians 2nd Edition

Eliciting Sounds: Techniques and Strategies for Clinicians, Second Edition is a trusted and indispensable resource for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working with individuals who struggle to produce specific speech sounds. Authored by Wayne Secord, Suzanne Boyce, JoAnn Donohue, Robert Fox, and Richard Shine—leaders in the field of speech-language pathology—this book directly addresses one of the most common and frustrating challenges clinicians face: helping clients produce sounds that are absent from their speech repertoire.

Many clients with articulation or phonological disorders are unable to imitate or spontaneously produce certain phonemes, even with traditional cueing methods. This book serves as a practical, quick-reference guide that provides clinicians with a wide range of evidence-based techniques to immediately elicit virtually any speech sound needed for remediation. Rather than focusing heavily on theory, Eliciting Sounds prioritizes real-world clinical application, making it especially valuable for busy practitioners.

The second edition builds upon the strengths of the original classic while incorporating updated clinical insights and refinements. Techniques are presented in a clear, organized, and accessible format, allowing clinicians to quickly locate strategies for specific phonemes. Each sound is approached systematically, with step-by-step elicitation methods that may include auditory cues, visual prompts, tactile feedback, phonetic placement strategies, and shaping from existing sounds.

One of the key strengths of this book is its flexibility. The techniques can be adapted for use with children, adolescents, and adults across a wide range of speech sound disorders, including articulation disorders, phonological delays, motor speech challenges, and residual speech errors. Because the methods are not tied to a single therapeutic framework, clinicians can easily integrate them into their existing treatment plans and therapy approaches.

The book is particularly useful in moments when progress has stalled, offering alternative ways to approach a stubborn target sound. Clinicians can move efficiently from one strategy to another until they find the method that works best for a specific client. This immediate applicability makes Eliciting Sounds a powerful problem-solving tool in both clinical and educational settings.

Compact in size yet rich in content, the guide is ideal for use in therapy sessions, clinical planning, or graduate-level training. It is also a valuable resource for students in speech-language pathology programs who are learning how to translate academic knowledge into effective clinical practice.

Widely praised for its clarity, practicality, and clinical relevance, Eliciting Sounds continues to be regarded as a must-have reference for speech-language pathologists. Whether working in schools, private practice, hospitals, or rehabilitation centers, clinicians will find this book an essential companion for improving therapy outcomes and helping clients achieve clearer, more accurate speech production.