What does an OPT (Oral Placement Therapy) program look like?
This is beautiful Anna. She started her OPT program three months ago and has made incredible speech gains because of it. She is now starting to pucker her lips for /oo, oh/ sounds. She has increased her stability, strength and activation of her oral muscles greatly as seen when she speaks with much more oral movement. Her mother practices her routine 1x per day religiously and has paired it with the See and Learn app made by Down Syndrome Education Enterprises.
Here the therapist, Heather, uses bite tube hierarchy with Anna. They use bilateral tubes because Anna is unable to keep her jaw allignment unilaterally. (Bite tubes: talktools.com/products/bite-t...)
Heather Vukelich, MS, CCC-SLP, is a certified LEVEL 4 ADVANCED TalkTools therapist and owner of Happy Kids Therapy in Danville, CA. She specializes in treating speech and feeding issues in individuals with Down Syndrome but her practice also focuses on: dietary considerations, communication programs, educational programs, medical considerations, physical and sensory needs, as well as behavioral strategies. Heather is a graduate of Gallaudet University.