Normative Data for Sequenced Oral Movements and Movements in Context for Children aged Three to Five Years

Abstract

Normative data is presented for children aged between 3;0 years and 5 years 5 months on the two oromotor tasks of 1) sequenced oral movements and 2) movements produced in a meaningful situation with contextual cues, henceforth referred to as movements in context. The purpose of the normative data is to provide clinicians with information about the development of such skills, which can be used in conjunction with normative information already available, to provide a comprehensive description of oromotor functioning and to enable informed decisions concerning treatment planning and differential diagnosis of speech, especially neuromotor, disorders to be made. The results of the study showed a developmental progression of oromotor abilities up to the age of four years. In addition, a wide variation in abilities was noted in children up to four years. Therefore caution must be used when interpreting poor oromotor abilities observed in young children. The results also demonstrated that not all items in the assessments were of the same level of difficulty. Items involving tongue elevation consistently obtained lower scores, and did not show the same plateau effect at four years of age noted in the other items. The use of one of the tasks as a screening assessment for oromotor abilities is discussed.