Children with Down syndrome are most often born with low muscle tone and low muscle strength. Associated with those are often sensory differences. Due to these differences, it is important to help your child "feel" and process their oral movements as they relate to feeding development (nursing/bottle or spoon-feeding/chewing), as well as how they relate to oral movements for sound development. It's never too early to start creating the correct movement patterns for feeding and speech development!

Children who begin therapy under the age of 1 often have more normalized oral functioning for feeding and sound/speech development throughout their toddler and elementary years. 

Children who start therapy later also have good prognoses and results. Please read the parent testimonials page for a few examples.

A child's therapy frequency varies specifically to each family's needs. Many children receive weekly, every other week, or monthly services (1 hour). Children who travel longer distances do quarterly program plan updates (1.5 hours). Home programs are provided for all children and are highly recommended to be followed 3-5x per week (20 min p/day). Virtual appointments are also available to those in California and consultations are available to those outside California.

Oral Placement Therapy uses a variety of tools to achieve speech and feeding goals. Tools are purchased by each family and used daily during homework times. Therapy programs are built in hierarchies. Children are assessed during each therapy session, and tools are progressed as oral skills develop.

Collaboration between your child's team of providers is very important. We work closely with airway-centric professionals like orthodontics and ENTs to ensure oral development is progressing well. OPT can often be incorporated in school (1:1 aide/SLP/teacher), daycare, private speech therapy, or by other family members/caretakers. Training can be provided to any and all members of your child's team.

Scholarship funding is available. Please ask Heather directly.

Monday - Wednesday 10AM-5PM Pacific
Heather works from her home office in Danville.

At Happy Kids Therapy, we specialize in using the TalkTools Oral Placement Therapy (OPT) methodology. Children are evaluated for speech clarity levels and feeding development skills. Speech clarity includes sound production, overall intelligibility, motor planning (including Apraxia), oral stability and strength (including Dysarthria), and abdominal grading necessary for airflow production. Feeding skills evaluated include spoon-feeding, straw/cup drinking, tongue mobility, cheek tension, lip mobility, oral phase of swallowing, and chewing skills. (For more information, please read Publications on the TalkTools website.)

• Take my Webinar through TalkTools: Airway Apnea Orthodontics and OPT
• Take my Virtual Four Week Feeding Class for Parents of Children with Down Syndrome

Listen to My Podcast with Dr. Kishore Vellody, MD – Down Syndrome Center Podcast #167