Major focus area

Speech Therapy -> Oral Motor Skills

Short description

Oral Placement Therapy is a speech therapy technique which utilizes a combination of: (1) auditory stimulation, (2) visual stimulation and (3) tactile stimulation to the mouth to improve speech clarity.

Long description

Oral Placement Therapy is a speech therapy technique which utilizes a combination of: (1) auditory stimulation, (2) visual stimulation and (3) tactile stimulation to the mouth to improve speech clarity. OPT is an important addition to traditional speech treatment methods for clients with placement and movement deficits. It is a tactile-proprioceptive teaching technique which accompanies traditional therapy as traditional therapy is primarily auditory and visual. Since speech is a tactile-proprioceptive act, clients with motor and sensory impairments benefit from this approach. OPT is used to improve articulator awareness, placement (dissociation, grading, and direction of movement), stability, and muscle memory. (Bahr, D., & Rosenfeld-Johnson, S., 2010).