In my quest to understand why some in our field express disdain for working with the mouth—and keep an open mind while doing it—I came across this article. At first, I thought, good; this’ll give me definitive information—a study that compares two types of therapy and oral motor is one of them. Then I read it.
Most of us have uttered, “This child has no clue where they're tongue is—so what do I do?” We use mirrors, verbal descriptions, show the child our own mouth, but even that isn’t enough. That’s where, quite literally, intra-oral therapy tools come in.
My husband has golfed most of his life; I haven’t. Three years ago at the driving range when he told me to just put my head down and swing, I thought, WHY? My head? How far down? What do I do with the rest of my body? Am I holding the club right? Is there a wrong way? How do I swing this thing?
Lof and Watson wrote five specific references in their 2008 survey article (p. 393). They specifically listed THESE FIVE references as a base to their “NSOME” concerns and criticisms. So, I zeroed-in on those five documents and read them very carefully....
There's little research about the tongue’s characteristics during correct speech productions. Typically, we use descriptors such as “place, manner, and voice,” or phonological processes. While excellent at describing oral error patterns, they provide little information about desirable speech production—which is our goal!
Right up there with the term “oral motor” anything that has to do with “SENSORY” therapy” is taboo according to some. Thing is, sensation is how we humans receive information--from reading a book, to touching a warm bowl of soup and tasting its contents, to automatic self-monitoring our tongue's intra-oral activity. Sensation is critical.
The “NSOME” controversy has spawned a major storm. It started in the late ‘90s with a few groundswells that perpetually grew into a full-blown perfect storm. I’ve never seen anything like it in the speech pathology world—a world I love.
The QOE includes the same five categories and oral-facial items as last week’s Therapy Matters. It's all on one page which makes it easier. It’s a check sheet with a few “comment” write-in areas.
The mouth is the source of speech and we can’t ignore it. I want to know the condition of the mouth I’m working with so I can adjust my therapy to the needs of the child.
Has a child ever walked into your therapy room and he sounded 10 times worse than he did last week? Chances are he's been fitted with a palatal expander. So, now what? Sometimes the answer is obvious, but sometimes it isn't.
Do you have a first grader (or even a third grader) that says /t/ for /k/ and /d/ for /g/? Seems like there's always one child that hangs on to his/her fronting and won’t let go. Frequently, they're tough to remediate. But it is possible, and here's how....
Do you want to know how to lift and move for a good /s/? Here’s the answer: Contract the mid-tongue. Mid-tongue contraction (a tongue bowl) lifts the front-tongue.