Maddox Before & After TalkTools® Oral Placement Therapy (OPT) After our daughter Maddox was born, one of the first things her teacher said to us was, “Be sure that she can talk.” Not just any kind of talk, but it was critical that Maddox learn to speak clearly. As Miss Marie put it, “Intelligibility is […]
Podcast: A Case for Oral Placement Therapy (OPT)
Recently, TalkTools® Presenter Robyn Merkel-Walsh, MA, CCC-SLP joined Jeff Stepen, MS, CCC-SLP on his podcast, Conversations in Speech Pathology. In the podcast, Robyn discusses common misconceptions about Oral Placement Therapy (OPT). Click below to listen to the podcast. We encourage everyone to add their thoughts for discussion in the comments section on the Conversations in Speech Pathology page.
WHY EVERY SLP NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND DYSPHAGIA
by: Dr. Jennifer Jones, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-S As a Board Certified Swallowing Specialist, I am asked on a regular basis about why other therapists, nurses, physicians and general population need to know more about dysphagia and the symptoms. Dysphagia is a growing health problem in the United States and the prevalence will increase significantly over the […]
Overcoming the Unexpected
Learning something from a previous experience or mistake is a common thing in life. We all do it. But putting into action what you learned may take more effort. I think this is common as well. As I left off on the last blog, we were exiting second grade and a year that proved full […]
18 MONTHS: CHEWING WITH HER NEW TEETH
Annabelle is continuing to do well with her straws and eating. Several of her teeth are coming in all at the same time so she is getting to eat a bigger variety of foods, which she enjoys. We continue to do her OPT exercises twice a day. She doesn’t love them, but I try to […]
Interning in Advocacy
I left everyone last month by saying that Elizabeth was going to school! What an accomplishment for her and her strength. Yes our little Elizabeth is in school. Everyday of every week she is in school. She has a great intervention teacher and a very nice inclusion teacher. The inclusion teacher is the one who […]
17 MONTHS: ATTENDING A COURSE AND IMPROVING HER EXERCISES
I recently attended the “Three-Part Treatment Plan for Oral Placement Therapy” and it was great. Monica was the presenter and I really learned a lot. It helped to show me what exercises and goals we will continue to progress towards. I know that Belle has a long way to go, but being in a routine of daily exercises for the […]
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 […]
16 MONTHS: SELF-FEEDING AND GETTING CHATTY
Earlier this month Annabelle was spitting out almost all of her food. It was extremely frustrating, to say the least. We knew that she needed all the calories that she could get because she is still a pretty tiny little thing. In addition, we knew that she had created a horrible eating pattern of pushing food out […]
15 MONTHS: ANNABELLE’S CHRISTMAS UPDATE!
Annabelle has seen incredible improvement over the past couple of months. Since her last update, Annabelle is continuing to eat table foods and drink from her Straw Cup using the Straw #2 in the Straw Hierarchy. As many of you know, her progress and work with the Straw Hierarchy is right on track. Using the hierarchy appropriately will teach […]