Oral motor skills
Oral motor therapy for children
Oral motor therapy looks at how your child's lips, tongue, jaw and cheeks move, and whether that movement is getting in the way of talking or eating.
What are oral motor skills?
They're the muscle and movement side of the mouth: how strong and controlled the lips, tongue, jaw and cheeks are, and how well they work together. A child uses them to chew, to swallow, to blow, to close their lips around a cup and to make speech sounds.
This is about movement only, and has nothing to do with whether a child understands language or has things to say. Some children know exactly what they want to tell you and their mouth just won't do what they ask of it. Parents sometimes describe it as the mouth not cooperating.
If your child is also hard to understand, have a look at speech sounds and apraxia. If mealtimes are the worry, see feeding. The two overlap a lot, and I'll tell you honestly which one I think we're dealing with.
What might you be noticing?
- Dribbling that carries on past the age you'd expect.
- Your child tires quickly when chewing, or avoids tougher foods.
- Food or drink spills from the mouth often.
- Their lips stay open at rest.
- They struggle to blow, suck through a straw or copy tongue and lip movements.
- Speech sounds blurry or effortful, even when they clearly know what they want to say.
What happens in oral motor therapy?
- A look at movementI watch how your child moves their lips, tongue and jaw during play, drinking, eating and talking, and ask you what you see at home.
- Play-based exercisesBlowing games, mouth-shape copying, tasting and chewing activities, aimed mainly at eating, drinking and everyday mouth control. Exercises that don't involve speech or food have not been shown to improve speech sounds, so I don't promise they will.1,2 If it doesn't feel like play, I've got it wrong.
- Linking it to speechBecause I'm trained in the PROMPT technique (Introduction to PROMPT, 2025), I think about touch and movement cues for speech where that helps. I'm trained in it, not certified. The research on PROMPT is still limited, so I see it as one option, not a proven fix.3
- Home ideas you can useShort, realistic things for everyday life, not a long daily practice chart.
A child whose mouth is working hard doesn't need telling to try harder.
Questions parents ask
Can oral motor skills affect speech?
Yes, they can. Speech needs fast, precise movement of the lips, tongue and jaw. When that movement is weak or hard to control, sounds can come out unclear. Not every speech difficulty is a movement difficulty, though, and assessment is how we find out. One thing I want to be clear about: exercises that don't involve speech, such as blowing or tongue-stretching, have not been shown to improve speech sounds on their own. A Cochrane review found only three small studies and no clear benefit, and a systematic review found the evidence too weak to say either way.1,2 ASHA's technical report on childhood apraxia of speech likewise says non-speech oral motor therapy is neither necessary nor sufficient to improve speech.4 That is why I look at movement for eating, drinking and everyday function first.
Is dribbling something to worry about?
Some dribbling is normal in toddlers. If it carries on, or comes with chewing or speech difficulties, it's worth an assessment. If you're worried about swallowing, please also see your GP.5
Is this the same as feeding therapy?
They overlap but they aren't the same. Oral motor work is about muscle and movement. Feeding therapy also covers sensory comfort with food and the mealtime itself.
Do I need a referral?
No. You can book a free call or email me directly. Seeing me doesn't take your child off an NHS waiting list either.
References
Sources checked on 18 October 2026.
- Lee ASY, Gibbon FE. (2015). Non-speech oral motor treatment for children with developmental speech sound disorders. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2015(3), CD009383. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD009383.pub2 ↩ ↩
- McCauley RJ, Strand E, Lof GL, et al. (2009). Evidence-based systematic review: effects of nonspeech oral motor exercises on speech. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 18(4), 343–360. https://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360(2009/09-0006) ↩ ↩
- Namasivayam AK, Huynh A, Granata F, et al. (2021). PROMPT intervention for children with severe speech motor delay: a randomized control trial. Pediatric Research, 89(3), 613–621. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-020-0924-4 ↩
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2007). Childhood apraxia of speech [Technical report]. https://www.asha.org/policy/tr2007-00278/ ↩
- NHS. (n.d.). Dysphagia (swallowing problems). https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/swallowing-problems-dysphagia/ ↩
Related services
Speech sounds and apraxia
For children who are hard to understand.
Read more about Speech sounds and apraxia
Feeding
Gagging, avoiding textures, a very small range of foods.
Read more about Feeding
Language and communication
Late talking, short sentences, trouble following instructions.
Read more about Language and communication
Is it the mouth that's struggling?
A free 15-minute call is a good place to start. Or write to me and I'll reply by email.