Our Therapy Services
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Difficulty feeding, unclear speech, constant drooling — these often share a common root: the muscles of the mouth. OPT addresses that root directly.
Oral Placement Therapy (OPT) is a specialised approach that works on the muscles of the mouth, jaw, tongue, and lips. These are the same muscles your child uses to eat, drink, and speak clearly.
Think of it like physiotherapy — but for the mouth. We use gentle tactile input (touch and vibration), tools, and exercises to help your child develop the strength, coordination, and sensory awareness they need.
OPT is often used alongside speech therapy when verbal techniques alone aren't enough. It's especially helpful for children who are non-verbal or minimally verbal, or who have significant feeding difficulties.
OPT is completely gentle and non-invasive. We never force anything. We follow your child's comfort level and build slowly — every child responds at their own pace.
Difficulty latching, slow feeding, tiring during feeds, or gagging on milk. Low muscle tone around the mouth and jaw.
Refuses most food textures, gags frequently at mealtimes, chews poorly, pockets food in cheeks, or tires quickly when eating.
Drooling beyond the toddler years (typically expected to reduce by 2 years). Often linked to low lip and jaw muscle tone.
Speech that is very hard to understand because sounds are distorted, slurred, or imprecise — and traditional speech exercises alone aren't working.
Children who aren't yet speaking or have very limited speech. OPT helps build the physical foundation that speech requires.
Child breathes mainly through their mouth, which can affect dental development, sleep quality, speech clarity, and even attention.
Three principles guide every session we run.
We use the internationally certified TalkTools® hierarchy — a structured, evidence-based progression of tools that builds jaw, lip, and tongue strength in the right sequence.
For children who struggle to eat, we start with the most basic oral motor skills and work up gradually — never forcing, always following the child's comfort.
We photograph and document oral motor function every 8 weeks so you can see exactly how the muscle patterns are changing. Objective evidence, not just our word for it.
OPT uses a range of tools and techniques — all safe, gentle, and child-friendly. Here's what to expect:
We start by preparing the mouth with gentle sensory input — vibration tools, brushing, or temperature activities. This wakes up the muscles and helps your child become more aware of their mouth.
Using therapeutic tools (like bite blocks, oral horns, or resistance straws), we work on specific muscles — jaw strength, lip closure, tongue tip control, and more. These look like games, not exercises.
For children with feeding difficulties, we practice eating in a structured, low-pressure way — introducing new textures gradually, building confidence, and making mealtimes less stressful.
We give you simple exercises and tool-use instructions to practice at home — just 10 minutes a day. Consistency between sessions is key to progress.
OPT and speech therapy work very well together. OPT builds the physical foundation (muscle strength and awareness), and speech therapy then uses those muscles to produce clearer sounds and words. Many of our children receive both.
We don't believe in forcing children to eat. Our feeding work is always positive, pressure-free, and follows your child's cues. We aim to make mealtimes a comfortable, even enjoyable experience.
My son was still on purees at age 3. He refused lumpy textures completely and the anxiety around mealtimes was destroying our family. Eight months of OPT later, he eats roti, dal, sabzi — a normal Indian meal. The therapist was incredibly patient, and so was she with us.
Book a free consultation. We'll listen, assess, and tell you honestly how OPT can help.
