In pediatric therapy, the journey to empowering special needs children is highly characterized by evidence-based treatments particularly suited for every child. Among these, OPT (Oral Placement Therapy) is an innovation that can improve these people's lives through improved communication skills, motor skill development, and overall well-being. This article examines the meaning of OPT and discovers its methods, advantages, and deep influence on the lives of children with special needs.
Understanding Oral Placement Therapy (OPT)
It is signing a balance between patient care and professionalism, which is always the key element to be successful.
Oral Placement Therapy, referred to as OPT in short, is a unique treatment that aims at resolving the difficulties related to oral motor skills, speech production, feeding, and swallowing. Based on the principle of neuroplasticity, OPT concentrates on the activation and perfection of the oral muscle system through precise exercises and sensory-motor interventions. Motor coordination, strength, and the control of speech and feeding functions depend on the muscles of the lips, tongue, cheek, and jaw mentioned above. During the OPT, these muscles are squeezed and stretched, thus improving their function.
The Essential Components of OPT
Being the core of the work of Talk Tools Organization (TOTS), the techniques and tools created by this organization are a leader in developing assistive technology that improves speech and feeding outcomes for individuals with a wide range of needs. Talk Tools provides a comprehensive framework with various exercises and activities and a host of specialized skills for oral motor development that help with oral motor challenges. These tools consist of straws, horns, chewy tubes, and oral-motor exercises that help to bring awareness to the muscles, boost their strength, and coordinate them.
Tools Utilized in Oral Placement Therapy (OPT)
- Bite tubes fall within the category of inventive components used in Chewy through Tubes, and they are credited with biting and chewing skill development. Made out of thermo-elastic polymer, Chewy Tubes are variously colored and sized to cater to specific age groups and knowledge levels. For example, the yellow chewy tubes are used with smaller jaw infants and young children. In contrast, the red chewy tubes are suitable for toddlers, older kids, and adults.
- Z-Vibe: This vibratory oral motor tool works effectively as it deals with a wide range of speech, feeding, and sensory difficulties. Vibrating the Z-Vibe provides controlled vibrations to develop sensory experience and the targeted tactile within the oral cavity.
- Jaw Grading Bite Blocks: Along with the "Bite Block hierarchy as one of the OPT activities, Jaw Grading Bite Blocks ensure that the jaw's strength is symmetric and stable. These highly specialized blocks are especially useful for clients with weak jaw musculature during speech sound production or feeding tasks, making the effectiveness of the exercises possible and thus facilitating progress.
- Straws: Straws are multi-purpose devices in OPT that will provide many advantages to developing oral motor skills. The straw comprises twelve development stages; it aids in articulating the jaw-lips-and-tongue dissociation while enabling them to acquire the actual oral motor skills.
The OPT Course: Empowering Therapists
Skilled and experienced therapists should be familiar with OPT methods that they can use when working with special needs children. As this becomes apparent, Talk Tools has worked hard to provide specialized OPT courses tailored to equip therapists with their preferences. This encompasses knowledge, skills, and the tools required to help them integrate OPT effectively into their daily practice. These courses offer a thorough understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of the OPT techniques, provide a hands-on approach to using specialized tools, and help to individualize interventions by considering each client's needs.
Benefits of Oral Placement Therapy for Special Needs Children
1. Improved Speech Production: OPT is focused on the root of the oral motor deficit that causes problems in speech articulation of children with disabilities. Using special exercises and therapy, OPT aims to improve speech articulation, clarity, and intelligibility in children, which will help them express themselves better.
2. Enhanced Feeding Skills: The vast majority of special needs children have problems with feeding, including underdeveloped oral motor skills and sensory issues. OPT interventions pay special attention to the development of the required oral motor skills, which ensure safe functioning and efficient swallowing function, lack of aversions, and normal feeding.
3. Increased Self-Confidence: Along with improving oral motor skills and the communication ability of special needs children through OPT, they also gain self-confidence and increase overall self-esteem. The increased communication skills and the ability to participate in social interactions help one feel a sense of empowerment and inclusion, thus improving general well-being.
4. Development of Motor Skills: Exercises of OPT not only focus on the muscles that are directly related to speech and feeding but also on the growth of wider motor skills. Through fostering coordination, strength, and control of musculature in the oral cavity, OPT provides a solid basis for better fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and motor development in general.
Bottom Line
Oral Placement Therapy (OPT), a unitary doctrine of rehabilitation, allows special needs children to choose the best to manage their oral motor difficulties and, therefore, to make feeds and communicate. With the help of planned interventions and certain special add-on tools, OPT provides the capacity for children to conquer the obstacles they face, discover their potential, and flourish in numerous life roles.
Along with the growing awareness and understanding of OPT, the intervention's influence on the lives of many kids and families worldwide is also intensifying. OPT lets us seize the opportunity of its transformative powers because we put principles like that on its base. We can open the gate for a better future when, in every way, a child can perceive and use the possibilities the environment gives them.
Give your kid a compass, TalkTools® Oral Placement Therapy – to their potential. Guides. We have designed specialized cognitive-communication and feeding approaches to facilitate the patients. Please get in touch with us now to enhance your oral and feeding skills.
