Does oral-motor treatment help with speech and communication development?
Exercises of the mouth are sometimes used to help people who have speech problems. This is known as oral-motor treatment. There are different types of oral-motor exercises. Typically, oral-motor treatment consists of three types of activities: active exercise, passive exercise, and external stimulation. Active exercise involves strength training and muscle stretching. For example, active exercises such as pushing the tongue tip against a tongue depressor may be used to strengthen and stretch the tongue and mouth muscles. Sometimes blowing exercises are used. Passive exercise involves clinician assistance and may involve massage, stroking, or tapping parts of the oral musculature. Clinicians also may use external stimulation, which includes hot and cold application, vibration, or electrical stimulation to the muscles involved in speech and swallowing. It’s always a good idea to ask questions about the evidence available to support the use of a specific treatment product or procedure. At
