Nonverbal? Practice Tongue Control for Oral Motor Planning & Speech Readiness 👦🏽 | Pediatric PT #3

👋🏽 Hi, I’m Amy Sturkey, a pediatric physical therapist with over 35 years of experience. Over the years, I have seen that children make meaningful progress when families are given clear guidance and practice consistently together—regardless of how significantly involved a child may be. 💙 👩🏽‍👦🏽 Meet Palaash and His Mom, Nemu In this video, you will meet Palaash, a 12-year-old with autism, and his mother, Nemu. Both of Palaash’s parents are actively involved in supporting his ongoing development. ⌨️ Palaash is nonverbal and communicates primarily by typing on a communication device. 🗣️🏃🏽‍♂️🏊🏽‍♂️ He currently receives speech and language therapy, physical therapy, and therapeutic swim lessons. I previously worked with Palaash as his physical therapist for approximately six years, and it has been a privilege to see his continued progress over time. 🌱 🟥 What You’ll See in This Video In this session, we focus on tongue movement and control using exercises from the Webber Photo Oral Motor Cards. This video demonstrates: ✔🏽 Tongue extension with attention to quality of movement ✔🏽 Tongue elevation (touching the tongue to the nose) ✔🏽 Tongue depression (touching the tongue to the chin) ✔🏽 Using external targets and tools to improve accuracy ✔🏽 Preventing compensatory head and neck movements ✔🏽 Using counting to support endurance and engagement ✔🏽 Discussing how and when physical cues can be faded This video intentionally shows the process of teaching and practicing, not just the final outcome. 🔍 About the Oral Motor Cards I am not affiliated with Super Duper and receive no financial incentive if you click the link below. I am sharing this resource because I used it regularly throughout my clinical career. 🔗 Webber Photo Oral Motor Cards: https://www.superduperinc.com/webber-oralmotor-photo-cards.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqEjJtIWYTYlXkBlwZ3joZVO19q6fJQl8dmKO-CyrniYLxIbaPE 🪞💪🏾 For Parents and Therapists If you are supporting a child who is autistic, nonverbal, or working on oral-motor planning and tongue control, I hope this video provides practical ideas and encouragement while honoring each child’s unique learning process. 🎥 Watch Palaash’s Full Video Series 👉🏽 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAkJbMrHyKjPwLKSTp9mZBxo0RujvdTYO 🌈🌐 Stay Connected 🌐 Website: www.pediatricPTexercises.com 📘 Facebook: Pediatric Physical Therapy Exercises 📧 Email: amysturkey@gmail.com Please note: I cannot provide treatment recommendations for a child I have not personally evaluated. 📚 Children’s Educational Books 📘 P is for Poop and Pee Accidents https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLSRJ483 📘 A is for Anxiety https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LXQ3W6V 📘 A is for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QH9H5HR 📘 C is for Cerebral Palsy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088TSJCYP 📘 D is for Down Syndrome https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079P8HH49 📘 A is for Autism https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F4FFTB 📘 Professional Books for Pediatric Therapists 📗 Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Hips https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156736 📗 Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Knees https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156760 📗 Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Ankles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TX2ZCFD 🌍 Captions & Accessibility ▶️ To turn on captions: Click CC 🌐 To change caption language: Settings → Subtitles/CC → Auto-translate