The Connection Between Oral Motor Skills and Speech Development

The Connection Between Oral Motor Skills and Speech Development

Oral motor skills play a critical role in speech development, helping children produce sounds clearly and effectively. These skills involve the coordination of the lips, tongue, jaw, and cheeks to control speech movements, chewing, and swallowing.

When oral motor skills are weak or uncoordinated, children may struggle with pronouncing sounds correctly, speaking clearly, and forming words smoothly. This can lead to speech delays, articulation errors, and difficulty being understood.

In this guide, we’ll explore how oral motor skills impact speech development, signs of oral motor weakness, and exercises to strengthen these muscles for improved speech clarity.

What Are Oral Motor Skills?

Oral motor skills refer to the ability to:

✔ Move the tongue, lips, and jaw with precision.
✔ Control airflow and breath support for speech.
✔ Coordinate muscles for eating, drinking, and speaking.

These skills develop from infancy, as babies learn to suck, chew, and later babble. Strong oral motor skills are essential for speech sound production and clear articulation.

How Oral Motor Skills Affect Speech Development

1. Sound Production and Pronunciation

• Clear speech requires precise tongue and lip movements to form different sounds.

• Weak oral muscles can lead to slurred speech, lisping, or difficulty pronouncing letters like R, L, S, and TH.

2. Speech Clarity and Articulation

• If a child cannot move their tongue or lips properly, they may substitute, omit, or distort sounds.

• Example: Saying “wabbit” instead of “rabbit” due to difficulty positioning the tongue correctly.

3. Breath Support for Speaking

• Controlled breath flow is necessary for volume, speech pacing, and smooth speech.

• Weak oral muscles can lead to soft, breathy, or choppy speech.

4. Feeding and Speech Development Link

• Chewing, sucking, and swallowing help develop jaw strength, tongue control, and breath coordination, which are essential for speech.

• If a child has trouble with chewing certain textures, drinking from a straw, or using their tongue properly, they may also struggle with speech clarity.

Because oral motor skills are foundational to speech and communication, strengthening these muscles can improve pronunciation, articulation, and overall speech development.

Signs of Oral Motor Weakness in Children

If a child struggles with oral motor control, you may notice the following:

🔴 Drooling beyond toddler years.
🔴 Difficulty pronouncing sounds like R, L, S, SH, TH, CH, or Z.
🔴 Mumbling or unclear speech.
🔴 Struggling to chew or swallow certain foods.
🔴 Avoiding solid or textured foods due to chewing difficulty.
🔴 Difficulty blowing out candles, using a straw, or licking lips.
🔴 Speech that sounds slurred or lacks clarity.

If these challenges persist, speech therapy can help strengthen oral muscles and improve speech clarity.

Oral Motor Exercises to Improve Speech Development

1. Blowing Exercises (Strengthens Breath Control and Speech Clarity)

✅ Blow Bubbles: Helps children learn to control airflow for speech production.
✅ Blow Through a Straw: Encourage them to blow through a straw into a cup of water to create bubbles.
✅ Blow Out Candles Slowly: Helps build controlled breath support.

📌 Why it works: Improves breath coordination for stronger, clearer speech.

2. Tongue Strengthening Exercises

✅ Tongue Push-Ups: Press the tongue against the roof of the mouth and hold for a few seconds.
✅ Licking a Lollipop or Popsicle: Encourages tongue movement in all directions.
✅ Tongue Wagging: Move the tongue left to right, up and down without moving the jaw.

📌 Why it works: Strengthens tongue movement for better articulation of R, L, S, and TH sounds.

3. Lip and Cheek Strengthening Exercises

✅ Blow Kisses: Helps with lip movement for speech sounds like P, B, and M.
✅ Puff Up Cheeks and Hold: Encourages cheek muscle strength for speech clarity.
✅ Drinking from a Straw: Strengthens lip and jaw coordination.

📌 Why it works: Improves lip control for clearer speech and stronger articulation.

4. Jaw Stability Exercises

✅ Chewing Different Textures: Encourage chewing gummy candy, bagels, or crunchy foods.
✅ Resisted Jaw Openings: Place a hand under the chin and gently resist as the child opens their mouth.
✅ Holding a Spoon with Lips: Have the child hold a plastic spoon in their mouth without using their teeth.

📌 Why it works: Develops jaw control for improved speech clarity and articulation.

5. Sound Articulation Drills

✅ Practice Isolated Sounds: Focus on one sound at a time, like “ssss” for S or “rrrr” for R.
✅ Mirror Speech Practice: Have the child watch themselves pronounce words in front of a mirror.
✅ Word Repetition: Use words with difficult sounds (e.g., “rabbit” for R or “sun” for S).

📌 Why it works: Strengthens muscle memory for correct speech sound production.

When to Seek Speech Therapy for Oral Motor Delays

If oral motor difficulties significantly impact speech clarity, eating, or overall communication, professional speech therapy can help strengthen these skills.

Consider speech therapy if your child:

🔴 Struggles to pronounce words clearly after age 4-5.
🔴 Has difficulty chewing, swallowing, or using a straw.
🔴 Frequently drools beyond the toddler years.
🔴 Has trouble coordinating tongue, lips, and jaw movements for speech.
🔴 Avoids speaking or seems frustrated when talking.

A speech-language pathologist (SLP) can evaluate oral motor strength and articulation skills, then provide customized therapy exercises to help improve speech clarity.

Final Thoughts

Oral motor skills are essential for clear, confident speech, and strengthening these muscles can improve pronunciation, articulation, and overall communication.

By practicing fun oral motor exercises like blowing bubbles, chewing textured foods, and strengthening tongue movements, children can develop the skills needed for better speech clarity and articulation.

If your child struggles with speech clarity or oral motor control, early intervention with speech therapy can make a significant difference. Reach out to us today for a free online evaluation and take the next step in supporting your child’s speech development!