Oral-Motor Speech Therapy

What is Oral-Motor Speech Therapy?

Therapy designed for patients with muscle-based speech disorders related to poor muscle strength and difficulty with motor planning/coordination for speech movements. This approach uses therapy tools to systematically improve oral muscle movements.


Why use Oral-Motor Speech Therapy?

Normal muscle movement must exist for standard speech clarity to develop. Patients with muscle-based disorders do not have the muscle strength or endurance to support the development of intelligible speech (Rosenfeld-Johnson).

Many individuals who may benefit from an Oral-Motor Program are able to speak in short phrases or even in complete sentences, but they are very difficult to understand. If the muscle weakness is not addressed, these patients will continue to exhibit speech problems, specifically in connected speech (Rosenfeld-Johnson).


How Does Oral-Motor Speech Therapy Work?

Oral-Motor Speech Therapy uses a muscle-strengthening program in conjunction with traditional speech remediation techniques to:

.  increase oral awareness
.  develop correct placement for sound production
.  increase strength within the oral musculature
.  improve motor planning for speech movements
.  improve speech clarity


Who Can Benefit?

Patients who experience excessive drooling, tongue thrust (tongue sticks out when talking), open mouth posture, weak breath support, speech that is difficult to understand, weak oral muscles (lips, tongue, jaw), lisping, poor oral awareness, or feeding problems can potentially benefit from an Oral Motor Program.