This advice-column-style blog for SLPs was authored by Pam Marshalla from 2006 to 2015, the archives of which can be explored here. Use the extensive keywords list found in the right-hand column (on mobile: at the bottom of the page) to browse specific topics, or use the search feature to locate specific words or phrases throughout the entire blog.
Drooling
By Pam Marshalla
Q: My 3-year-old client with cerebral palsy continues to have so much saliva when he speaks. I am seeking information about how to address all the saliva and bubbles that he produces during speech.
The key is to help your client:
- Suction and swallow more often during everyday activities
- Suction and swallow with greater efficiency
- Maintain lip closure during oral rest
The real help is found by doing oral-motor and feeding work. Medications or surgery sometimes are necessary in severe cases.
My little book How to Stop Drooling introduces all these ideas in a simple format. It is a look at the behavior and it will help you see the overall process.
Also see:
- A Practical Approach to Saliva Control
by Hilary Johnson and Amanda Scott (Communication Skill Builders, 1999.)
- Drooling Remediation Program by Sara Rosenfeld Johnson