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What is Oral Placement Therapy?

Oral Placement Therapy (OPT) is a specialized therapy technique that focuses on improving speech, feeding, and oral motor skills. It is designed to address the underlying muscle weakness and sensory processing issues that can affect a child’s ability to speak, chew, and swallow effectively.

At Shishu Child Development and Early Intervention Centre in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, we recognize the incredible potential of OPT in helping children overcome oral motor challenges and reach their full potential.

Why is Oral Placement Therapy Required?

For children with speech and feeding difficulties, oral motor skills play a crucial role in their overall development. OPT is often recommended for children who:

• Have difficulty producing certain speech sounds
• Struggle with feeding or swallowing
• Exhibit oral sensitivities or aversions

OPT aims to improve muscle strength, coordination, and sensory awareness in the mouth and jaw, enabling children to gain better control over their oral movements and develop clearer speech patterns.

How is Oral Placement Therapy Done?

At Shishu Child Development and Early Intervention Centre, our skilled therapists use a multi-disciplinary approach to provide individualized OPT sessions for children. The therapy sessions typically involve:

• Assessment: Our therapists conduct a comprehensive evaluation to identify specific oral motor challenges and create a customized treatment plan.
• Oral Exercises: Children engage in various oral exercises that target specific muscles and movements, such as blowing bubbles, sucking through a straw, or tongue exercises.
• Oral Stimulation: Therapists use specially designed tools and techniques to provide sensory stimulation to the mouth and tongue, helping children develop better muscle control and coordination.
• Speech Therapy: OPT is integrated with speech therapy techniques to address speech sound errors and improve overall communication skills.

The Benefits of Oral Placement Therapy at Shishu Child Development and Early Intervention Centre

By incorporating Oral Placement Therapy into our comprehensive intervention programs, we have witnessed remarkable improvements in children’s speech clarity, feeding abilities, and overall oral motor skills. Some of the key benefits of OPT at Shishu Child Development and Early Intervention Centre include:

• Enhanced Speech Production: OPT helps children produce speech sounds more accurately, leading to clearer and more intelligible speech.
• Improved Feeding Skills: By addressing oral motor difficulties, OPT assists in improving chewing, swallowing, and overall feeding abilities.
• Increased Oral Sensory Awareness: OPT enhances sensory awareness in the mouth and tongue, reducing aversions and sensitivities.
• Promoted Self-Confidence: As children make progress in their communication and feeding skills, they gain confidence and become more motivated to engage in social interactions.

At Shishu Child Development and Early Intervention Centre, we are dedicated to providing the highest quality care and support to children with communication and developmental challenges. Our team of experienced therapists is committed to unlocking each child’s unique potential through innovative therapies like Oral Placement Therapy.