Jaw strengthening exercises are an important part of speech therapy for children who have been diagnosed with a jaw muscle weakness. The jaw is an important part of the body and needs to be strong enough to support the mouth and jawbone in order to develop a good speech pattern. This muscle group is one that develops very slowly and takes time to become fully developed. Because it takes so long for this muscle group to develop, it can be difficult for children to learn how to use their jaw properly during the first few years of life.
In order to help your child develop jaw strength, you will need to start by having them do some simple exercises that will strengthen their jaw muscles. One exercise that you can try is called “The Pull.” This exercise will help your child strengthen their jaw muscles by pulling them down towards their chin. This can be done by placing both hands on either side of the neck and using your back against the back of the chair or couch. Then gently pull your child’s head back towards their chin while keeping your hands in position.
Jaw muscles can become weak from a variety of causes, including stroke, mouth or throat cancer and other illnesses. Exercises to strengthen your jaw help you resume normal activities such as chewing, speaking and yawning.
If you are recovering from a stroke or another illness that has weakened your jaw muscles, ask your doctor or physical therapist for exercises appropriate for your condition.
Jaw muscles help to control jaw closing and opening. The ability to speak is dependent on the jaw muscles, and strengthening these muscles will help you speak more clearly and directly.
The exercises outlined in this brochure were designed to help patients achieve better speech and improve their speaking abilities. They must be performed at least three times a day for at least 10 minutes each time.
Jaw strengthening exercises are used to strengthen muscles of the jaw and the mandible (lower jaw) and can be used by people who have a problem with their jaw strength or function. Jaw strengthening exercises can also be used for speech therapy, as they can improve articulation, including speech sounds such as fricatives, affricates, nasals, and liquids.
Functional Speech Therapy is a holistic, evidence-based practice that utilizes a variety of evidence-based techniques to help children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) improve communication skills, socialization abilities, and overall quality of life. Functional Speech Therapy has been proven to benefit the following areas: language development, social skills/interaction, behavior management and/or self-control, sensory stimulation and sensory modulation (e.g., calming) challenges that may interfere with speech production and/or receptive language development. The jaw strengthening exercises from Speech Dynamics help people to improve their strength of their jaws and jaws, to strengthen the muscles, and with that increase in strength improves speaking skills.