Posted by Deborah Grauzam on
In a recent article published in the Norwegian publication Cerebral Palsy Magazine, TalkTools® Instructor Line Avers, MS, SLP is featured along with one of her long date client diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. The main focus of the article is TalkTools Therapy and the huge gains that this little girl has made. TalkTools® Instructor Renee Roy Hill, MS, CCC-SLP also evaluated her way back, and Line Avers has followed that therapy plan. Her name is Vilde, and her picture makes the front cover of the magazine!
Line Avers has been Vilde’s therapist since she was two and a half years old. Vidle’s parents heard of Line Avers in conversations with other parents in a Cerebral Palsy Association. They recommend to seek speech therapy services early, as many children with Cerebral Palsy have speech and feeding issues. “Vilde still faces challenges related to eating and speaking, but the problems have been reduced after several years of regular oral-motor therapy,” says Linn, Vilde’s mom.
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We started the work on strengthening the functional movements by strengthening the muscles in the mouth that we use when we eat and speak. We took small steps, and it was important to find a balance between pushing slightly while respecting boundaries,” says Avers. “When Vilde became accustomed to the therapy, I introduced new exercises. Jaw strength was the focus. A stronger jaw provides more support, and more support means more words. This is how Oral Placement Therapy works.”
“After a few months we could already see improvement. Vilde was better at chew, was willing to try several types of food and produced more different sounds,” says Linn, Vilde’s mom.
TalkTools Therapy involves a range of tools for exercising your jaw, tongue and sensory system. Vilde has used bean bags (small pillows with different textures), straws, horns, bite tubes and vibrator with toothettes.
Daily monitoring and training is important. Vilde’s parents have been present from the beginning during training to learn the method and exercises. Every day after school, the family spends 15-20 minutes going through the latest exercises. “It may sound like a lot, but it really takes very little time. It has become part of our daily routine. It is easy, and the program is very affordable,” says Linn.
In addition to working directly with children, staff in schools and kindergartens, and parents, Line Avers’s center also organizes live workshops. Parents, grandparents and professionals who want to become familiar with TalkTools Therapy can participate. The goal is that after two days of training, you should be able to initiate the procedure.
Vilde’s family hopes that her story can inform other families about an important service that they may have no knowledge of and maybe even inspire them to start training.
Line Kristiansen Avers, MS, SLP is a Speech-Language Pathologist who has over 12 years of experience specializing in topics within Apraxia, Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC), and Oral Placement Therapy. Line teaches classes in Apraxia and AAC at the University of Oslo, lectures at numerous seminars within Norway, and is a member of the TalkTools® speakers bureau. Line heads a private oral-motor, speech and language clinic in Norway, BARNAS språksenter. She has an M.S. from Penn State University and was a Fulbright Scholar.