{"id":8984,"date":"2023-10-04T09:54:33","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T09:54:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aba-easysteps.co.uk\/wp\/?page_id=8984"},"modified":"2026-03-12T13:53:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T13:53:10","slug":"talktools-uk","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/aba-easysteps.co.uk\/wp\/talktools-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"TalkTools UK"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\n
\n\t

talktools UK<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t

Giving Your Child the <\/span><\/strong><\/span>Voice They Deserve.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Experience a transformative approach to speech and feeding through\u00a0Oral Placement Therapy (OPT)<\/strong>. We focus on the muscle mechanics that unlock natural communication.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t \n\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tGet Started\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\n
\n\t

Oral Placement Therapy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t

Tactile Stimulation<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t

Verbal Apraxia<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t

Feeding Coordination<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

\"talktools<\/p>\n

\n

OPT using TalkTools is a leading approach designed to empower your child to communicate effectively and with confidence. If your child is facing speech and motor coordination difficulties, you're in the right place. Learn more about TalkTools and how it can make a difference in your child's life.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t

Understanding Oral Motor Deficits in Children<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Oral motor deficits refer to impairments in the capacity to control mouth muscles, which subsequently affect essential functions such as speech and feeding. If your child is having trouble controlling his mouth muscles to talk and eat, and doesn\u2019t seem able to master chewing, blowing, or making specific sounds, he may have an oral motor disorder. The disorders can be categorised into three principal types:<\/span><\/p>\n

Oral or Verbal Apraxia:<\/strong><\/span> This refers to motor planning difficulties - the inability to get the mouth to do what the brain tells it to do due to these difficulties.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dysarthria:<\/span><\/strong><\/span>Characterised by muscle weakness or sluggishness which impacts feeding and speech.<\/span><\/p>\n

Developmental Delay in Musculature:<\/strong><\/span>A lag in the development of muscles required for eating.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Why does a child experience oral motor deficits?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Oral motor disorders may arise from incorrect motor programming of the oral muscles. \u00a0<\/strong><\/span>The brain may send a message to the oral muscles, but the muscles may either not receive or\u00a0 <\/span>misinterpret the instruction, resulting in incorrect or absent movements. Additionally, <\/span>deficits in muscle memory can impair the automatization of these movements.<\/span><\/p>\n

Low muscle tone in areas such as the lips, tongue, or jaw may also contribute. For example, children with low muscle tone in the jaw frequently have their mouths open, and those with weak lip muscles may struggle to drink from a straw, often losing control of liquids in the process of drinking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Weak oral muscles may compromise a child's gag reflex or induce choking, thus leading to feeding disorders. Hence, strengthening the muscles and resetting the neural pathways is important in treating oral motor and feeding disorders.<\/span><\/p>\n

Assessment<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The therapy begins with a comprehensive assessment by a qualified speech-language therapist. This assessment involves evaluating the client's oral motor function and speech abilities.<\/span><\/p>\n