TalkTools®

TalkTools® is a specialized oral exercise program designed to support speech clarity, feeding skills, and sensory regulation through fun, structured, and research-informed techniques. It’s especially effective for children with low tone, oral sensitivity, motor planning difficulties, and neurodevelopmental differences.

This method is widely used by speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and feeding specialists around the world.

TalkTools® Oral Placement Therapy (OPT) combines auditory, visual, and tactile input to teach the muscles of the mouth how to move effectively for speech and feeding. This hands-on approach builds the physical foundation for clear communication and safe, organized eating.

It retrains muscle patterns using targeted tools and techniques.

TalkTools® is grounded in decades of clinical experience and case studies supporting:

• Improved speech clarity in children with motor-based speech disorders (like apraxia and dysarthria)
• Reduced oral aversions and improved feeding in picky eaters and children with sensory challenges
• Better jaw stability, lip closure, and tongue mobility, which are essential for articulation
• Enhanced breath support and oral awareness for expressive language
• Progress in children who have plateaued in traditional speech therapy

TalkTools® is ideal for children with:

• Low oral tone or weak jaw/lip/tongue control
• Feeding delays, oral aversions, or picky eating
• Difficulty blowing, chewing, or swallowing
• Speech sound disorders or unclear speech
• Sensory-seeking or sensory-avoidant oral behaviors
• Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, apraxia, or traumatic brain injury

TalkTools® programs typically include:

• A personalized plan with targeted exercises
• Use of motivating tools like straws, horns, and chewy tubes
• Support for speech clarity, feeding function, and oral sensory regulation
• Practice 5–10 minutes a day as part of a home routine
• Gradual progress as the muscles learn new movement patterns