Beckman Oral Motor Exercises by Raven Gadient 4-15-11
Oral motor exercises have been taught and practiced since the early 1940’s and 50’s as a way to help people who have a lack of basic oral motor skills. The early oral motor exercises were primarily stimulation techniques such as; brushing, stretching, vibration, pressure massage and icing. Those techniques were taught and used by physical and occupational therapist in order to prepare the oral muscle area for movement. Though these techniques excluded the patients who could not cooperate cognitively by following the verbal directions. How would these individuals participate in the oral motor exercises? Debra Beckman figured out a way to answer this, and created the oral motor exercises used today.
Debra Beckman was a specialist in motor speech disorders; she had been working in many different fields since 1975, before creating her own version of oral motor exercises. Beckman moved to a more hands on technique, and created the Beckman Oral Motor Protocol (Beckman, 2011) and Beckman Oral Motor exercises. The new Beckman Oral was used on patients that had little or no way move their own mouth muscles and lips. The goal of her interventions was to increase the functional response to different pressures and movement. The exercises improve the range and control of the face muscles, so the patients could have normal muscular range. Beckman’s new exercises and techniques are a series of stretches and exercises where therapists manipulate the patient’s mouth, cheeks, tongue, jaw and lips. The Beckman Oral Motor Protocol is an assisted movement assessment, used to define the skills each patient possesses. The components of movement are functional and therefore, not age specific, so the assessment was and is used with a wide range of ages—neonatal to geriatric.
Many basic functions need oral motor skills. Sucking, swallowing, speaking, even controlling secretions when asleep are all affected and controlled by the oral muscles. Without refined oral motor skills, those essential skills are nonexistent. Debra Beckman’s new techniques brought a way to assist people in gaining oral motor skills. Patients with special needs and developmental delays benefit greatly from the Beckman Oral techniques; learning to refine their speech, eating, and breathing skills. Debra Beckman has also co-authored many training materials for her oral exercises, and has been recognized by her peers in the field. Wininng many awards for her techniques, Debra Beckman became a name recognized in therapy. Her books were used as mandatory reading for speech pathologists in college. Beckman also developed the E-Z spoon and the Tri Chew Teether, both of which are sold in special needs catalogs and used worldwide. The Beckman Oral Motor techniques have changed the world of oral motor exercises and continue to help patients develop the necessary motor control needed for everyday life.
Raven, please elaborate on specific exercises you used with Jewel, for how long, and how success is measured. Mahalo nui loa. Buck
ReplyDeleteHi Buck,
ReplyDeleteWith the help and instruction of her speech therapist, we do the oral motor assessment exercises with her. Preferably, these exercises should be done every day, and for most of last year, I did them with her. The two years we did the oral beckman consistently with her, she started speaking more clearly and easier.
The exercises are mostly lip stretching and facial stretching, and inside the mouth stimulation.
I'm just now getting back into doing the major 25 exercises with her, to help improve her speech even more. :D
I believe you can see a copy of the Beckman Oral Motor Assessment and Intervention online at www.beckmanoralmotor.com
Thanks Raven. I visited the website, checked out the NUK brush, and am learning each day from you guys. The devotion of your family to helping Jewel is absolutely incredible. I am awed and inspired beyond description. Thank you so much for doing this blog. And I'm following, daily.
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