Oral Placement Therapy (OPT)

Overview:

Oral Placement Therapy (OPT) is a therapeutic approach that uses tactile stimulation and targeted oral-motor exercises to influence speech sound production. It involves employing specialized tools and techniques – for example, blowing horns, sipping through straws, using bite blocks or tongue depressors, and other assisted movements – to train the placement and movement of the jaw, tongue, lips, and soft palate. The rationale is that by improving the strength, coordination, and awareness of these oral structures, a child’s articulation of speech sounds may become clearer.

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Some SLPs incorporate OPT as a supplement to conventional speech therapy for children with speech sound disorders or motor planning challenges, aiming to provide multisensory cues and “muscle memory” for correct articulatory placements; however, clinicians must critically evaluate the evidence, as the use of non-speech oral motor exercises (NSOME) and tools remains controversial in terms of efficacy, and any OPT techniques should be individualized and combined with proven speech practice methods.

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Sources:

Bahr, Diane, and Sara Rosenfeld-Johnson. “Treatment of Children With Speech Oral Placement Disorders (OPDs): A Paradigm Emerges.” Communication Disorders Quarterly 31, no. 3 (2010). Link

Lof, Gregory J. “Five Reasons Why Nonspeech Oral Motor Exercises (NSOME) Do Not Work.” Perspectives on School-Based Issues 11, no. 2 (2010). Link