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FAQ and Glossary

People often have questions about speech therapy, language therapy, and orofacial myofunctional therapy.  Scroll down to learn more about our profession.

FAQ

What makes Help Me Speak’s speech/oral-motor/eating evaluations for children unique?

Our speech-language pathologists are trained to evaluate clients based on Help Me Speak’s approach which combines PROMPT, Talk Tools hierarchies, an eating analysis, Beckman stretches, standard articulation tests (as appropriate), the Kaufman Speech Praxis Test, &/or the VMPAC (Verbal Motor Production Assessment in Children). The next step is a detailed assessment of the stability, control/grading, coordination, dissociation (separation of movement), and strength of the jaw, lips, tongue and cheeks through the analysis of eating skills with a variety of food textures and through the examination of the client’s oral motor skills on the Talk Tools hierarchies.



What makes Help Me Speak’s clinic state-of-the-art?

Our clinic location is NEW!! It has 4 therapy rooms with large observation windows—so you can observe your child in his/her session if being in the room is not best at this time or use our video monitors to observe. We have a sensory – motor room with swings, a trampoline, a tunnel, a ball pit, therapy balls, & many other sensory activities. Your child may spend part or all of his/her therapy session in this room. Our swing can accommodate adults up to 300 lbs. We offer a large kitchenette— which we can use for Help Me Eat sessions and for language experiences with individual and group sessions. Our entire clinic is ADA compliant & is on the first floor. We have a dedicated client bathroom— no waiting. You can bring your child’s sibling(s) who can play in our waiting room during therapy sessions—under parental supervision. Our administrative assistant is available in person on Monday – Thursdays or via email to answer your paperwork, billing, etc. questions. Also, we have changed our credit card billing—-bring your card please, so that we may swipe it onsite and give you your receipt. We continue to accept VISA, MasterCard, and Discover, as well as checks and cash.



What do the SLPs do during a therapy session?

Our licensed and certified SLPs use a structured yet child-centered approach to improve your child’s speech production, articulation, eating, &/or language difficulties. Sessions are offered in 50 min & 30 min increments, but may be longer upon request. In a 50 min session, 45 minutes is spent in direct therapy with your child and 5 minutes is spent in indirect therapy via parent/family teaching/training. In a 30 min session, 25 min is direct and 5 min is indirect. During direct therapy, your child may play at the table or on the floor. Often, we use visual picture/word schedules so that your child can see what will happen next. We utilize our sensory-motor room as needed at the beginning or in the middle of therapy. As needed, we employ Beckman stretches, Talk Tools, and PROMPT during the structured play part of the session. We may use a variety of other traditional and state-of-the-art therapy techniques as well to help your child improve his/her skills.



Glossary

Buccinator muscle

The buccinator is a thin quadrilateral muscle occupying the interval between the maxilla and the mandible at the side of the face. It forms the anterior part of the cheek or the lateral wall of the oral cavity.

Hyoglossus

The hyoglossus, thin and quadrilateral, arises from the side of the body and from the whole length of the greater cornu of the hyoid bone, and passes almost vertically upward to enter the side of the tongue, between the styloglossus and the inferior longitudinal muscle of the tongue. It forms a part of the floor of submandibular triangle. (Wikipedia )

Inferior Longitudinal

The inferior longitudinal muscle of tongue is a narrow band situated on the under surface of the tongue between the genioglossus and hyoglossus

Orbicularis Oris

In human anatomy, the orbicularis oris muscle is a complex of muscles in the lips that encircles the mouth. Until recently, it was misinterpreted as a sphincter, or circular muscle, but it is actually composed of four independent quadrants that interlace and give only an appearance of circularity. (Wikipedia )

Palatoglossus

The palatoglossus, glossopalatinus, or palatoglossal muscle is a small fleshy fasciculus, narrower in the middle than at either end, forming, with the mucous membrane covering its surface, the glossopalatine arch.

Receptive and Expressive Language

Receptive language means the ability to understand information. It involves understanding the words, sentences, and meaning of what others say or what is read.

Expressive language means being able to put thoughts into words and sentences, in a way that makes sense and is grammatically accurate.

(https://www.afasic.org.uk/about-talking/more-about-speech-language-and-communication/)

Risorius

The risorius is a muscle of facial expression which arises in the fascia over the parotid gland and, passing horizontally forward, superficial to the platysma, inserts onto the skin at the angle of the mouth. (Wikipedia )

Styloglossus

The Styloglossus, the shortest and smallest of the three styloid muscles, arises from the anterior and lateral surfaces of the styloid process near its apex, and from the stylomandibular ligament.

Passing inferiorly and anteriorly between the internal and external carotid arteries, it divides upon the side of the tongue near its dorsal surface, blending with the fibers of the Longitudinalis inferior in front of the Hyoglossus; the other, oblique, overlaps the Hyoglossus and decussates with its fibers.

Zygomas

The term zygoma generally refers to the zygomatic bone, a bone of the human skull commonly referred to as the cheekbone or malar bone, but it may also refer to: The zygomatic arch, a structure in the human skull formed primarily by parts of the zygomatic bone and the temporal bone. (Wikipedia)