![]() ![]() Other parts of the Animal Tips can be used as well.Skip to 1:25 of the video below to watch. Progress to the Mouse Tip and then the Cat Tip. Beginning with the Dog Tip (which will be the easiest one), have the individual bite and hold the block for 3-4 seconds. The Dog Tip has the thickest block the Mouse Tip has a thinner one and the Cat Tip has the thinnest. Use the bite blocks on the backs of theĪnimal Tips to practice jaw grading.It's the ability to visually judge how far the jaw should open for certain foods and vowel sounds. Can you feel the height difference? This height difference is called jaw grading. Or, imagine biting into a big sandwich versus a potato chip. Try saying a long ‘e’ sound and compare that with the ‘aw’ sound. This exercise can also be done with the Probe Tip, Mini Tip, or Bite-n-Chew Tip (shown below with the Bite-n-Chew Tip XL). Follow up with the production of /p/b/m/ sounds. Make sure that the individual is not biting down on the tip. Instruct the individual to close his/her lips firmly around the tip and hold for 3-5 seconds. Preefer Tip horizontally between the center of the lips. This helps establish the concept of lip closure. Gently press upward until the lower lip makes contact with the upper lip. Then place the handle just above the chin. Gently press downward until the upper lip makes contact with the lower lip. Place the handle of the Z-Vibe just under the nose.It also prevents drooling and is required to pronounce the /p/b/m/ sounds. Lip closure (also known as "lip seal") is the ability to close the lips around a spoon, cup, straw, lollipop, etc. Most of the exercises below can be done with the Probe Tip alone, but I mention some other possibilities as well. There are over 25 additional tip attachments available (my husband likes to design products with options!). Normalizing oral sensation before proceeding with the following exercises. For more tips on using vibration with the Z-Vibe, clickįor individuals with hypo or hypersensitivities, you may have to work on You absolutely do not have to use vibration, but it is there if the individual needs more input. Keep in mind that you may have to start slowly, gradually introducing the Z-Vibe. ![]() The gentle vibration of the Z-Vibe provides added sensory stimulation to increase oral focus and draw more attention to the articulators. It also takes tactile learning to the next level with the added bonus of vibration. The Z-Vibe is a tool to help you provide targeted tactile cues within the oral cavity without getting your fingers in harm's way. Similarly, sometimes you need to physically show an individual where the tongue should go for this sound, that skill, etc. So the instructor comes over and adjusts your arm into in the right position. You've heard the instructor explain a pose, you've seen her demonstrate it, but it's just not clicking for you. Sometimes, however, these two senses are not enough, and we must look to the sense of touch. Most people are either visual or auditory learners. But some individuals (particularly those with developmental delays) need oral motor therapy to learn those skills. Most people naturally learn how to do this on their own. ![]() In order to properly articulate sounds and manage food, the mouth muscles need to be in very specific "poses." For example, try drinking from a straw right now and pay attention to what your mouth is doing - your lips should be pursed and closed around the straw, the tongue tense and retracted, and the cheeks taut. Speech and feeding are very much the same, only localized to the muscles of the lips, tongue, jaw, and cheeks. In order to get a pose right, several muscle groups must be working together in a delicate balance of strength, coordination, movement, and endurance. Oral motor therapy works on these "pre-requisites" for speech and feeding. It must also be able to function independently - or dissociate - from the jaw. In order to produce the /l/ sound, the tongue tip must elevate to the alveolar ridge (just behind the upper front teeth). For example, try saying "la la la" right now, paying attention to what your tongue is doing. Oral motor therapy works on the oral skills necessary for proper speech and feeding development. ![]()
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