Meet three voices behind real TalkTools success stories—a clinician (and mom) who advanced to Level 4 OPT, a parent whose child found his voice with the Horn Kit, and a public SLP specialist. Spotlight 1: Anne Salah Aziz — Therapist/Specialist (and Mom) TalkTools Journey Using TalkTools since: 2017 (began with Level 1 OPT in Egypt) […]
Ask A Therapist: Down Syndrome & Feeding
Hello, my daughter is almost 2 years old and has Down Syndrome. We had the opportunity to meet Lori Overland when my daughter was about 9 months old. I feel so fortunate to have found TalkTools while my daughter was very young, although we still have some struggles. Our OT is familiar with TalkTools and […]
Ask A Therapist: Help with Breathing Issues
I need your advice for a client with Treacher Collins Syndrome. The child has had his left lip and palate repaired, his face & skull are severely deformed. We have been doing OPT for 1 year: greatest improvement is in blowing (from not able to blow to Horn #4, Bubble Bear 1 feet; he can do depressor press with 14 […]
Success Story: Kamdyn & Vanessa
3 years ago I was seeing a little boy named Kamdyn who had just turned 2 a couple months prior, through our state’s early intervention program. I was presented with some general background info such as scores, goals of the family, and his limited verbal productions. Also, he had 18 documented ear infections! All signs […]
2 YEARS 6&7 MONTHS: SEEING PROGRESS
2 Years 6 Months Here are a few recent pictures of Belle. (Yes, the second picture is of Belle letting us bury her in the sand.) Belle just crossed the 100 word mark for words that she voluntarily verbalizes on her own! Some of her latest words include “doctor, swimsuit, goggles,” and “fruit chews.” She has […]
2 YEARS 4&5 MONTHS: MISS INDEPENDENT
2 Years 4 Months Hello! Attached are two videos of Belle working on some wooden puzzles – one of her name and one that includes shapes of different colors. She loves puzzles! She is a little more chatty in the name puzzle one though. B is her favorite letter so far. Working on the name […]
13 MONTHS: FIRST TRY AT THE HORN HIERARCHY
At 13 months Belle has grown into having quite the personality. She finds it funny that we keep videoing her. She laughs and tries to follow the camera. We really have to keep up with her while feeding her pureed foods and puffs because she thinks this “camera thing” is quite the novelty. While she […]
Ask A Therapist: Vent Weaning with the Horn Hierarchy
Hi Sara, I attended one of your conferences in April. I typically work with preschoolers with speech motor issues. But my question is actually about a teenage boy on a ventilator. Because it is not something that I typically do I didn’t think of this sooner, but what I am wondering is if […]
HORN #10 AND OTHER HORN HIERARCHY UPDATES
Hi Therapists and Parents, I just wanted to let everyone know that we have made a change to the TalkTools Horn Hierarchy. After much consideration we determined that the hierarchy can be improved upon. We will no longer be using the “magic ball pipe” as the #10 horn; instead we will be re-introducing an old favorite among […]
Ask a Therapist: OPT with Adult Suffering from MSA
Hi! I am a trained speech-language pathologist, working in Sweden. I have taken part of the video-based course in the OPT-method and have very positive experiences from using the program with my former clients in a children’s rehabilitation center. Now I work with elderly patients, primarily suffering from stroke but also with a wide spectra […]