Tag: Non-Speech Oral Motor Exercises (NSOME’s)

Oral Motor Therapy vs. Non-Speech Oral Motor Exercises

By Pam Marshalla

Q: What is the difference between “oral motor therapy” and “non-speech oral motor exercises”? Therapy is a process comprised of techniques. Exercise is one type of technique. This topic has been discussed extensively at the Oral Motor Institute in the article “Oral Motor Treatment vs. Non-speech Oral Motor Exercises: Historical Clinical Evidence of Twenty-two Fundamental Methods.” (Volume No. 2, Monograph No. 2, 9 April 2008.)

Again: What Does Oral Motor Therapy Have To Do With Speech?

By Pam Marshalla

Q: What does oral motor therapy have to do with speech? I want to take another run at this question because it arises so often. Consider: Phonemes emerge when a child’s oral-motor control is immature. Think about [b], [d] and [g]. These early voiced stops emerge when a child is about 6 months of age. That means that the oral movements used during their production are primitive. These primitive movements refine over time. From an oral-motor perspective, we can say…

Read More

What Does Oral Motor Therapy Have to Do With Speech?

By Pam Marshalla

Q: Most oral motor exercises are not identical to the movements required for speech. No English speech sounds involve tongue wagging, whistling, tongue clicks, tongue curls, etc. So what do oral motor exercises have to do with speech? In 2007, I reviewed 73 textbooks, clinical guides, and conference proceedings in the areas of articulation, phonology, motor speech, feeding, dysphagia, orofacial myology, and oral motor. These books spanned the years 1912-2007. I was studying the history of jaw, lip, and tongue…

Read More