Nonverbal? Trouble Moving the Tongue Side to Side? | Autism Oral Motor Therapy #5 👅

👋🏽 Hi, I’m Amy Sturkey, a pediatric physical therapist with over 35 years of experience. Children often make meaningful progress when practice is structured, supportive, and shared with someone they trust. For children who have difficulty with imitation or motor planning, learning alongside a parent can make challenging skills more accessible and motivating. 💙 👩🏽‍👦🏽 Meet Palaash and His Mom, Nemu In this video, you’ll see Palaash, a 12-year-old with autism, working with his mom, Nemu. Palaash is nonverbal and communicates primarily by typing on a QWERTY communication device. His parents actively support his development, and he participates in speech therapy, physical therapy, and therapeutic swim lessons. I previously worked with Palaash as his physical therapist, and it has been a privilege to continue supporting his progress over time. 🌱 🟥 What You’ll See in This Video This is Video #5 in Palaash’s series and focuses on lateral tongue movements — first outside the mouth and then inside the mouth — using the Webber Photo Oral Motor Cards and parent-led modeling. In this session, we practice: ✔🏽 Lateral tongue tip movement outside the mouth (left and right) ✔🏽 Using light support with a tongue depressor to cue direction ✔🏽 Fading physical cues as independence improves ✔🏽 Touching the tongue tip to the inside cheek ✔🏽 Pushing the cheek outward with the tongue (both sides) ✔🏽 Using counting and repetition to build rhythm and endurance ✔🏽 Reading the card before and after the action to reinforce motor planning You’ll see how assistance has gradually decreased over time. Previously, Palaash needed a tissue or his own finger to guide the tongue laterally. Now he is beginning to initiate these movements more independently. Interestingly, the inside movement appeared easier than lateral movement outside the mouth. One possible reason is that he may be using his teeth for additional stability. This video intentionally shows the teaching process — including cues, corrections, and discussion — not just the final result. 🪞💪🏾 For Parents and Therapists If you’re supporting a child who is autistic, nonverbal, or working on oral-motor planning and tongue control, this video offers practical ideas for: • Parent-supported modeling • Structured repetition • Fading physical cues • Using literacy strengths to reinforce learning • Building skills gradually over time 🔍 About the Oral Motor Cards I am not affiliated with Super Duper and receive no financial incentive if you click the link below. I’m sharing this resource because I used it regularly in clinical practice. 🔗 Webber Photo Oral Motor Cards https://www.superduperinc.com/webber-oralmotor-photo-cards.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqEjJtIWYTYlXkBlwZ3joZVO19q6fJQl8dmKO-CyrniYLxIbaPE 🎥 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 ⚠️ Uncertainty note: Oral-motor activities are used differently across disciplines and may serve different purposes (awareness, imitation, feeding, or speech preparation). This video demonstrates one therapeutic approach and may not be appropriate for every child.