Debbie's Blog

Tongue tip elevation is the ability to lift the tip of one's tongue up to the alveolar ridge (the spot just behind the upper front teeth).  As a shorthand, we often call this location "on spot … read more

Skill-wise, what would a child gain from using a Baby Grabber vs. a Grabber vs. a Y-Chew?  In other words, does the Baby Grabber work on different skills than the Grabber?  Does the … read more

Tongue pops are my faaaavorite oral motor exercise.  They're a fun and easy way to work on tongue placement, oral tone, tongue tip elevation and control, plus tongue and jaw dissocia … read more

The tongue is connected to the jaw, so wherever the jaw goes, the tongue follows. Speech sounds are properly articulated when the jaw and tongue are at midline and symmetrical. So if the jaw and … read more

Jaw grading is the ability to visually judge how far you need to open your mouth to take a bite out of certain foods and to say certain speech sounds. For example, say "ooooo" versus "aaahh" - can … read more