Oral Motor Program
Presented by: Tiffany Poon and Emily Severance
What is an Oral Motor Program?
Oral motor programs focus on improving
the use and function of the face including
the lips, tongue, and jaw through
movement, coordination, and strength
exercises.
Adequate oral function of the lips, tongue,
and jaw is necessary to perform common
activities of daily living such as eating,
drinking, and speaking.
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(Law & MacDermid, 2013)
Who Benefits from an Oral Motor Program?
Have facial paralysis or weakness
Exhibit incoordination (difficulty coordinating facial muscles
to perform desired functions such as eating)
Have low muscle tone in the lips, tongue, and/or jaw
Inappropriate thumb sucking
Drooling
Experience increased/decreased oral sensation or awareness
Have difficulty swallowing
(Boyt-Schell, Gillen, & Scaffa, 2014)
Pre-Oral Motor Massage
Face massage
o Use both hands with firm touch (gentle squeeze or pressure with
FLAT hands) beginning at thighs, moving up to trunk, hands lower
arms, upper arms shoulders then cheeks
o Use verbal cues; i.e. I am going to touch your arm;
o **If client appears uncomfortable or resists, stop & start over; retry 3x
max
o When client allows face to be touched, use thumbs on chin and fingers
near ears to massage in small circles moving towards her lips (tapping
can replace circular movement is client does not tolerate)
o Apply mini C stretch
(Boyt-Schell, Gillen, & Scaffa, 2014)
Pre-Oral Motor Massage
Mini C stretch
o Place index fingers to side of the base of the nose
o Compress tissue, then move finger pads away from midline, then
down toward midline
o Maintain contact on the skin, but release pressure at the finger pads to
allow tissue to move back to neutral
o Repeat 3x
o Reverse direction
o Repeat 3x
(Boyt-Schell, Gillen, & Scaffa, 2014)
Pre-Oral Motor Massage
Apply pressure on the outer edge of the
lips
o Begin above top lip and below bottom
lip
o Work from corners to midline
Once pressure applied around lips, add
rotation to the pressure or add tapping (if
using NUK for oral motor massage)
Retrieved from: http://www.kidscommunicatetherapy.com/
(Boyt-Schell, Gillen, & Scaffa, 2014)
Video Demonstration
https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu71LQXoKcY
Oral Motor Massage
Oral Stimulation
Use NUK (or finger) inside lips to massage or roll with gentle pressure
inside of cheeks
Gently massage or stroke gums and the sulci
Apply pressure to the biting surface of teeth
(Case-Smith, 2010)
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Oral Motor Massage
Tongue Massages
Do short strokes starting in the front > back > front > side > side; continue
to move further back
Stroke and push against both sides of tongue
Come to the middle of tongue & depress slightly with stroking as
withdrawing
Place straw (with sip amount of liquid) on tongue, release liquid from
straw
(Case-Smith, 2010)
Video Demonstration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioJG_Rjd
Z08
Additional Oral Motor Exercises
Chewing Exercises
Using chewy tube, have client bite down 10 times
Starting with molars on each side, then progressing forward to front teeth
Grade down depending on clients age and attention span
Lip Strengthening Exercises
Using popsicle stick with coins on either side, have client hold stick in the
middle using lips only for as long as possible; up to 10 seconds
Can use other materials if popsicle sticks are not available
(Case-Smith, 2010)
Activities
Integrating Occupations
Blowing bubbles and whistles
Blowing kisses
Straw and cotton ball races
Painting with straw
Humming songs
Playing with pretend food
Making silly faces (tongue control)
Retrieved from: https://www.google.com/search?q=blowing+bubbles
(Case-Smith, 2010)
Additional Materials
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http://www.enasco.com/product/SN31978CQ
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q=tbn:ANd9GcRuquV3M9zNjHYRF5HIF0DZhs_y0qGSeu7bZlgZWPwyw37uwc&usqp=CAE
Questions
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References
Boyt Schell, B.A., Gillen, G., & Scaffa, M.E. (2014). Willard & Spackmans
occupational therapy (12th ed.). Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams
&
Wilkins.
Case-Smith, J. (2010). Occupational therapy for children (6th ed.). St. Louis,
Missouri: Mosby Elsevier.
Law, M., & MacDermid, J. (2013). Evidence-based rehabilitation. A guide to
practice. (3rd ed.). Thorofare, NJ: Slack, Inc.
