As speech-language pathologists, we are trained to evaluate and treat communication disorders from a variety of angles – articulation, fluency, voice, language processing, etc. However, one factor that can significantly impact our clients’ abilities is frequently overlooked – posture.
The Mouth-Body Connection
Proper postural alignment and muscular coordination aren’t just for looking confident or preventing back pain. Optimal positioning of the trunk, neck, jaw and oral-motor musculature is foundationally important for speech production and swallowing function.
Poor posture can restrict breath support, compromise articulatory precision, and limit the neural pathways responsible for volitional, non-speech oral movements. Forward head posture, scapular protraction, and lack of core stability are just some of the postural faults that can hinder our clients’ speech and language development.
Using the Posture Picture as a Clinical Tool
One way to bring more awareness to the importance of posture is through photographic posture assessments. Having the client stand in front of a posture grid while a picture is taken provides a clear visual reference of their current postural alignment or lack thereof.
For pediatric clients, having a parent take part in the posture picture process as well can boost engagement, collaboration and carry-over of postural training outside of sessions. The posture picture captures a baseline then serves as a motivating point of comparison for re-assessments done every few months during therapy.
Targeting Postural Impairments
Once postural insufficiencies are identified through the photographic assessment, we can then create more comprehensive treatment plans. This may involve:
- Core strengthening exercises
- Oral-motor activities with a postural base
- Kinesiotaping techniques
- Referrals for physical/occupational therapy
- Parent education on positioning during play/mealtimes
By expanding our clinical lens to include postural factors, we can achieve greater success in our main areas of practice – helping clients develop their speech, language, voice, and feeding abilities to their fullest potentials.
