Nonverbal? Try More Advanced Tongue Movements 🧒🏽🧠 | Autism Pediatric PT #4

👋🏽 Hi, I’m Amy Sturkey, a pediatric physical therapist with over 35 years of experience. Over the years, I’ve found that children often make the most 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 communication device. His parents are actively involved in supporting his ongoing development, and he currently participates in speech and language therapy, physical therapy, and therapeutic swim lessons. I previously worked with Palaash as his physical therapist for several years, and it has been a privilege to continue supporting his progress over time. 🌱 🟥 What You’ll See in This Video This is Video #4 in Palaash’s series and focuses on tongue placement and oral motor planning, using images from the Webber Photo Oral Motor Cards and parent-led modeling. In this session, we practice: ✔🏽 Touching the tip of the tongue to the front of the top teeth ✔🏽 Touching the tongue to the bumpy ridge behind the top teeth ✔🏽 Forming a spoon or cup shape with the tongue ✔🏽 Using a physical cue (tongue depressor) and fading support as independence improves ✔🏽 Using counting and repetition to support rhythm, engagement, and endurance ✔🏽 Pairing reading the card before and after the activity to reinforce motor planning This video intentionally shows the process of teaching and practicing, including cues, corrections, and encouragement—not just the final outcome. 🪞💪🏾 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 • Honoring how each child learns best 🔍 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 throughout my clinical career. 🔗 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 clinical 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.