Welcome back everyone! This is Kasey Wade once again writing you another blog to talk about the tools that we use in therapy. Today we are going to be talking about another one of my favorites, the straw hierarchy! Okay so not only do these straws look super fun and exciting, but I’ve also seen them work just by having your child use them to drink ~4 oz per day! Say what?!
So what do the crazy straws do anyways? Well according to TalkTools.com, straw therapy “promotes jaw-lip-tongue dissociation. It can be used to teach tongue retraction, grading, controlled tongue movements, and lip rounding, among other oral-motor skills.” If you’ve spoken with me or read any of my blogs you know I’m all about the application, so what does this really mean? It means that if your child has their tongue poking out when they are saying the “s” sound? Drinking out of a straw could help. If they have trouble making sounds that require them to round their lips such as ‘oo’, they could get some practice and acquire useful skills just by drinking their daily liquids through a special straw. We’d love to teach you how to help your child by using straws and other tools to ensure they have the tools necessary for clear speech. Call us with your questions!
-Kasey-