Evidence-Based Systematic Review: Effects of Nonspeech Oral Motor Exercises on Speech
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
McCauley, R. J., Strand, E., et al. (2009).
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 18(4), 343-360.
This systematic review investigates the effect of oral motor exercises on speech physiology (e.g., acoustic, articulatory placement), speech production (e.g., perceptual accuracy), and functional speech outcomes(e.g., intelligibility) in individuals with a variety of diagnoses and communication disorders.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
From 1960 to 2007
Published, peer-reviewed, English-language studies (not further specified)
15
"The current state of evidence [for the use of nonspeech oral motor exercises to improve speech production] is equivocal due to the lack of well-designed, experimentally controlled studies with adequate statistical power and well-described participants.... At this time, based on theory and available evidence, the use of [nonspeech oral motor exercises] must be considered exploratory, and clients should be informed of this prior to initiating their use in treatment" (p. 356).
