Understanding Oral Placement Therapy – Complete Guide TalkTools Oral Placement Therapy • Speech Clarity • Feeding Support Multisensory Tactile + Visual + Auditory Hierarchy-Based Understanding Oral Placement Therapy (OPT): Evidence-Based Speech & Feeding Intervention A comprehensive guide to improving speech clarity, feeding skills, and oral motor function through targeted tactile-proprioceptive techniques. Designed for families, clinicians, […]
Oral Habits: Why They Exist and How to Eliminate Them
From thumb sucking to jaw clenching, oral habits and how to eliminate them is one of the most common challenges faced by parents, therapists, and caregivers. These behaviors may seem harmless or even soothing at first—but when they persist beyond the appropriate developmental stage, they can interfere with speech clarity, feeding efficiency, and jaw stability. […]
Bite Tubes 101: How TalkTools Bite Tube Supports Jaw Stability, Safer Chewing, and Speech Clarity
If you’re working with clients who chew on their tongue or clothing, show open-mouth posture, or fatigue during chewing, TalkTools® Bite Tubes can be a game-changer. These therapist-designed tools provide targeted temporomandibular joint (TMJ) input and graded jaw work to support safer chewing and clearer speech patterns. In “Ask a Therapist,” TalkTools clinicians explain that […]
Speech Therapy Tools for Speech Clarity
Clear speech isn’t learned by listening alone—it’s learned by feeling accurate movements. That’s why many clinicians use speech therapy tools for speech clarity to give kids precise, repeatable tactile cues for tongue, lip, and jaw placement. When children can feel the target, they build motor memory that turns accurate practice into confident speech. (ASHA overview […]
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, […]
Ask a Therapist: Lip Incompetence
Lip Incompetence Exercises: OPT Tips & Tools for SLPs | TalkTools® Skip to main content Free shipping on US orders over $99 Search products and courses Account 0 Cart Continuing Education New Courses Live Courses Self-Study Courses Course Bundles Become a Workshop Partner Learner Portal Shop Speech Tools Feeding Tools Sensory Tools Programs & Kits […]
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 […]
Effects of Limited or Excessive Jaw Mobility during Conversational Speech
by Sara Rosenfeld-Johnson This presentation was made at the 2015 annual ASHA Convention, Session #1080. Abstract: Practicing Speech-Language Pathologists report that many clients demonstrate limited or excessive up-and-down jaw movements during communication as compared to their typically developing peers. The results of this retrospective study suggest that atypical jaw skills are related to deficits in speech clarity in […]
Success Story: Terrance & Vanessa
Who is ready to hear a therapy success story? Terrance was 26 months old when Vanessa first met him and was unable to drink from a straw. What Vanessa did with this little boy is amazing and truly inspiring. We are so glad TalkTools® was able to provide her with the tools and techniques she […]
Ask A Therapist: Jaw Stability Protocol for Severe Underbite
Hi Therapists, What do I do for a 19 year old student with a severe underbite (a gap of ½ inch between top and bottom teeth) when trying to use the jaw stability protocol? Thank you. When you are working on the Bite Blocks for jaw stability and the Bite Tube hierarchy, you will want to make sure […]