Nonverbal Oro-Motor Exercises: Do They Really Work for Phonoarticulatory Difficulties?

Abstract

Articulation disorders are deficiencies in the realization of speech sounds unrelated to organic or neurological disorders. Over the last decade, there has been a debate on the efficiency of non-verbal oro-motor exercises, which are orofacial movements programmed and organized in an intentional and coordinated way to control lips, tongue, and soft palate muscles. Of the 122 children evaluated, 52 presented articulatory difficulties. An intervention with nonverbal oro-motor exercises was applied, and children were again assessed following treatment. The results showed no differences between the experimental and control groups, either in the number of sounds that improved after this period or in the severity of difficulties (we categorized those with articulation difficulties in two to six sounds as 'medium' and those with difficulties in articulating more than seven sounds as 'severe'). These results indicated that nonverbal oro-motor exercises alone are not efficient for intervention in difficulties in the realization of sounds in 4-year-old children.

Keywords: articulation disorder; childhood; intervention in difficulties in articulation; nonverbal oro-motor exercises; phonetic disorder; practice-based evidence.

Figure 1

Frequency percentages of non-produced sounds in the pretest assessment.

Figure 2

Number of non-produced sounds in difficult and inverse phonemes in the pretest and post-test in experimental and control groups.

Figure 3

Number of non-produced sounds in consonant groups in the pretest and post-test in experimental and control groups.

Figure 4

Mean of non-produced phonemes in the pretest and post-test depending on the severity of articulation difficulties (moderate difficulties: 2; severe difficulties: 3).

Figure 5

Mean of pre- and post-test non-produced sounds for the experimental and control groups.