Articulation:
The modeling of sounds correctly during play activities and therapeutic participation helps stimulate skills for articulation development. The level of play is age-appropriate and related to the child’s specific needs. The SLP may show or facilitate the child how to make certain sounds, such as the “r” sound, and may demonstrate how to move the tongue to produce specific sounds.
Oral-Motor:
The SLP uses a variety of oral exercises — including facial massage and various tongue, lip, and jaw exercises — to strengthen the muscles of the mouth. The SLP also may work with different food textures and temperatures to increase a child’s oral awareness during eating and swallowing. This is also aided by intervention with an Occupational Therapist specialized in feeding and oral motor intervention programs.
Who Can Benefit?
Children might need
speech-language therapy for a variety of reasons,
including:
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Hearing impairments
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Developmental delays
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Chronic hoarseness
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Birth defects – such as cleft lip or cleft palate
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Autism
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Motor planning problems
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Respiratory problems (breathing disorders)
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Weak oral muscles
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Excessive drooling
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Executive functioning challenges/memory struggles
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Auditory Processing deficits
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Feeding and swallowing disorders
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Traumatic brain injury