Beckman Oral Motor Therapy

I owe so much to Brad Fisher, father to five year old Shira Fisher (SMA type 1, which also causes progressive movement loss) in terms of information for this site. He and his wife Maxine are parents that had to advocate and lobby and bully the stubborn health officials to get what Shira needed, and have largely created their own (very effective) care plan for Shira. Brad has posted so many videos about how he cares for Shira, and they have also put together Shira's website with many care links:

www.asonginthisworld.com

He has posted videoes on Youtube of Shira's Beckman Oral Motor Therapy routine. Since it is difficult to describe I am going to link you first to the Youtube videos of the therapy Brad and Shira do, and then (hopefully) to the page on his site where you can read the brochure describing the exercises.

As I mentioned before, Beckman Oral Motor Therapy keeps the jaw and lips loose and supple, which is important for keeping as much movement as possible. Movement is important as it might help communication to some extent, teeth brushing, suctioning, smiling and many other functions.

Here is the link to the first Youtube video (you should be able to access the others through the suggested thumbnail videos to the right of the main one):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKxbexuV804&feature=related

The second link is the link to the diagrams for the Beckman Oral Motor Therapy that are posted in PDF format on Shira's website.

http://www.asonginthisworld.com/images/client_pics/Beckman%20Motor%20Oral%20Therapy.PDF

I know the diagrams may be hard to follow as they aren't that clear, but printing it out should make it clearer. It is also worth looking at the care page the Fishers have compiled as there is a wealth of links and information provided about so many important areas and there are bound to be important points that I have not heard of or forgotten to mention in the blog.

http://www.asonginthisworld.com/caring_for_sma.php

And last, as always, a speech therapist, physiotherapist or GP is (or should be) able to provide more crucial information and recommendations, and it is always best to consult a specialist before adopting these kinds of regimes.