TalkTools

TalkTools® — Header

Month: March 2024

Anna Sings A Math Song

Happy New Year to all! We had a wonderful break. However, with Omicron variant spreading, the school was unfortunately, shut down after the break and we have yet to return. The kids have been doing online school again. Right before break, the teacher had us work with our child on learning some addition math facts. […]

Anna’s Magic Trick

Anna has had a lot of medical issue throughout her life. She takes a thyroid pill every morning. I take 1 ml of water and crush the pill and she sucks it out of the syringe, something that we have been doing for years. However, as of late, we had been working with her gut […]

Anna’s Valentine From Her Teacher

Happy Valentine’s Day! Anna has been doing well. She did get sick with a cold. When this happens, I notice that her articulation definitely goes down for awhile. It is an interesting association. I was warned that this could happen by her TalkTools® therapist, but I definitely notice it, every time. Whenever she is sick […]

Anna & Charlie

Pets, pets, and more pets! So, my 9 year old daughter loves animals. After our dog died right prior to the initial COVID lockdowns a couple years ago, she has been crying for a pet. I did not want to have another dog because of course, it’s a huge responsibility. I remember growing up with […]

Double Cute… Yes you are Anna!!

Anna’s a smart cookie! But, I can’t call her that because she always says, “I’m not a cookie! I’m Anna!” So, then, I said on a different occasion, “Where’s my little princess? Are you my little princess?” Anna says, “I’m not a princess. I’m a double cute!” That she is! A double cute! I love […]

Ask a Therapist: Breathing & Sleep Patterns

Answer: A strong starting point is training on tethered oral tissues (TOTs), plus practical coursework focused on teaching nasal breathing and understanding how the sensory system can impact daily routines (including sleep). If you’re looking for courses for mouth breathing and sleep apnea, especially when snoring and disrupted sleep continue even after tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy, targeted continuing […]

Ask a Therapist: Differentiating Between Bite Blocks and Bite Tube

Answer: The difference between bite blocks and bite tubes is that bite blocks target isometric jaw stability at set jaw positions (often 2–7), while bite tubes target dynamic jaw grading (smooth open/close control) used for chewing/mastication and speech co-articulation. Many clinicians assess with both and choose based on signs like open-mouth posture, limited grading, sliding, […]