Understanding Oral Motor Skills and Autism

As parents, we understand the importance of oral motor skills in our daily lives. These intricate movements of the muscles in the mouth, such as the tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw, enable us to perform essential functions like chewing, swallowing, drinking, articulating sounds, and communicating effectively. But did you know that many autistic children face challenges with their oral motor skills?

It's crucial to recognize the signs and symptoms that may indicate oral motor difficulties in your child. Some common indicators include excessive drooling, difficulty swallowing or gagging on food, a strong preference for specific textures of food, struggles with drinking from a straw, and more. These challenges can impact your child's overall oral motor coordination, oral hygiene, and even speech development.

However, the good news is that some effective strategies and exercises can support your child in overcoming these obstacles. Discovering whether your child may be facing oral motor difficulties is the first step towards providing the support they need. Then, with the guidance of a trained professional, usually a speech-language pathologist, you can use exercises that are designed to strengthen the oral muscles and enhance your child's coordination, facilitating improved chewing, swallowing, speech production, and overall oral motor function.

Some simple at-home exercises could include making exaggerated silly faces and having your child copy them, blowing bubbles or a whistle with your child, and even just brushing the tongue, cheeks, gums and lips during regular teeth brushing times.

To shed some more light on this topic, AUTISM ADVOCATE Parenting Magazine has an enlightening article written by Sholeh Shahinfar, MA, CCC-SLP, a highly qualified Certified Beckman Oral Motor Therapist. In her article, titled "Oral Motor Intervention: Nurturing Your Child's Oral Motor Skills," Sholeh shares valuable insights and practical techniques to help your child improve their oral motor skills. It's important to remember that every child is unique, and progress may vary. Patience, consistency, and a nurturing environment are key ingredients for success on this journey.

If you suspect that your child may be facing oral motor difficulties or if you simply want to equip yourself with valuable knowledge to support their development, we urge you to delve into Sholeh's informative article. Together, let's empower our children to overcome these challenges and unlock their full potential.

 Access the article in our article directory by clicking here.