Board Credentialed Speech Pathologist

Beckman Oral Motor

Our Approach

Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy

We founded Talk About Therapy because we believe in and love providing intuitive, effective and sustainable therapy to our patients and their families to improve their feeding and communication skills. We pride ourselves in treating our families like they are our own. Our philosophy is to help our patients and their families build a strong functional foundation towards communication and feeding, and slowly build upon that foundation to create lasting results.

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❔ FAQ Learn More Here

WHEN SHOULD I SEEK OUT A SPEECH THERAPIST?
WHAT ARE SPEECH DELAYS?
WHAT ARE DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS?
WHAT ARE ARTICULATION DISORDERS?
WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS OF DIFFICULTIES AT MEAL TIME?
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY INFANT IS HAVING TROUBLE WITH FEEDING AND SWALLOWING?
WHAT IS A TONGUE TIE?
WHAT IS A LIP TIE?
TONGUE TIE VS. LIP TIE
HOW TO TELL IF BABY IS TONGUE OR LIP TIED
HOW CAN A SPEECH THERAPIST HELP?
WHEN SHOULD I SEEK HELP/EVALUATION?
WHAT IS EARLY INTERVENTION AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
What Healthcare Plans Cover Speech Therapy in Georgia?

Atlanta Beckman Oral Motor

What is the Beckman Oral Motor approach?

Beckman Oral Motor is an intervention approach developed by Debra Beckman, a leading Speech Pathologist in the field of pediatric feeding therapy. The primary function of the Beckman Oral Motor approach is to improve the strength, coordination, awareness and range of motion of the soft palate, tongue, cheeks, lips, and jaw through the use of a variety of exercises that stimulate the oral structures.

Who benefits from the Beckman Oral Motor approach?

The Beckman Oral Motor approach may be a beneficial therapy strategy or supplemental technique in pediatric feeding therapy for children who are experiencing

Difficulty following commands due to motor planning or cognitive deficit
Delay in speech sound production development,
Feeding, chewing, or swallowing issues,
Excessive drooling, grinding of teeth, hypersensitivity (often shows through difficulty brushing teeth), hyposensitivity, and gagging issues.

Why is the Beckman Oral Motor Approach beneficial as a pediatric feeding therapy strategy?

Measures response to movement, range, pressure, and strength of oral movement to assess abilities and deficits, so the child does not have to follow verbal instruction in order to demonstrate accurate levels of functioning and growth
Isolates what motor skills are difficult for them to ensure we directly treat the cause for the highest rate of success
Supports your child’s progress in multiple areas of development by improving their motor skills to facilitate speech and feeding development. It is a great complement to other pediatric feeding therapy or speech therapy treatment plans.

It does not require cognitive participation from the patient; therefore, it is a versatile treatment option for pediatric feeding therapy that is effective for a wide range of ages and underlying impairments.

How do we use the Beckman Oral Motor Approach in our pediatric feeding therapy?

You are a part of the process!

We ensure that parents are involved every step of the way to foster maximum carry-over at home and promote the success of pediatric feeding therapy strategies.
At Talk About Therapy we believe that the family is an essential part of a child’s progress.

We practice guided oral exercises that focus on muscle contraction and stretch muscles to build strength and improve coordination of oral motor skills needed for speech production, eating, and swallowing.

Exercises incorporate some of the following oral motor movements:

Rounding of the lips
Back and forth tongue movement
Pulling the tongue back and pushing it forward
Jaw alignment
Holding air in the mouth with cheeks

At Talk About Therapy, all of our therapists have been trained and certified in the Beckman Oral Motor approach to pediatric feeding therapy to provide positive outcomes for a wide variety of speech and feeding issues. We pride ourselves in presenting the pediatric feeding therapy techniques in a gentle and playful manner to get the best outcomes for our families.