ARK's Blog

Oral motor therapy works on the physical skills of the mouth - the lips, tongue, jaw, and cheeks - that are needed for eating, drinking, and speech. That's really the core of it. Those four structures have to work together with a surprising amount of precision. Eating a cracker, drinking through a straw, saying the word "elephant", etc. all require specific movements, strength, and coordination fr …

As a speech-language pathologist, and the daughter of a dental hygienist, I grew up surrounded by conversations about teeth and oral health. Add in my own childhood experience with protruding teeth and a Class II malocclusion, known as a deep overbite, it’s no surprise that I view oral development through a blended lens as a therapist. While dentistry and speech-language pathology are distin …

Evidence tells us that engaging play in therapy yields better outcomes, and oral motor therapy should be no exception! My top priority in therapy is that my patients and I build trust while having playful, meaningful sessions to reach our goals! Oral motor therapy can be overstimulating, especially at the start of therapy, so I wanted to share a few of my fun-based ideas that I incorporate into fe …

Oral motor intervention can be a valuable tool in speech and feeding therapy, but it requires a skilled, systematic approach to support proper orofacial function and development. If you are interested in oral motor therapy but aren’t sure where to start, you’re not alone! ARK is excited to share with you these ten considerations for skilled oral motor intervention to guide your practi …