206. Why Traditional Speech Therapy Misses Drooling: What Works Instead
Thu Feb 05 2026
If you work with children who drool, this episode is for you. I’m pulling back the curtain on an approach I’ve used for over 15 years that has consistently reduced—and often eliminated—drooling in preschoolers. Not in theory. Not in a lab. In real therapy rooms, with real kids, on real caseloads. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: There is very little direct research on speech intervention and drooling. And instead of grappling with that complexity, our field often defaults to dogmatic thinking—blindly applying principles from other populations and calling it “evidence-based.” In this episode, I challenge that thinking. You’ll hear why: Motor learning principles do not transfer cleanly to preschoolers Bottom-up oral motor logic fails when the task is speech Single sounds don’t recruit the same neuromuscular systems as 3-element consonant clusters Then I walk you through four precise reasons why targeting three-element clusters (like /spr/, /skr/, /skw/) uniquely impacts drooling: Jaw stability driven by sustained /s/ with a closed mandibular posture Differentiation of tongue and lips from the jaw, mirroring swallowing mechanics Enhanced proprioceptive feedback through Dynamic Temporal Tactile Cueing Endurance and motor control built through slow, continuous, high-load speech tasks I also share a practical “back-porch” way to test this yourself—no fancy equipment, no new evals, just systematic observation and honest comparison. This isn’t about abandoning evidence-based practice. It’s about doing it better—with nuance, skepticism, and attention to detail. Because real progress doesn’t come from swinging between extremes. It comes from asking better questions and working at the right level of complexity. What You’ll Learn Why drooling is a neuromuscular control issue—not a hygiene issue How 3-element clusters recruit swallowing-relevant motor systems Why preschoolers need more, not less, feedback How to get speech gains and drool reduction at the same time Where the limits of this approach actually are (and why that matters) Call to Action If you want to apply this Monday morning, don’t guess. When you join the SIS Membership, you’ll immediately receive: Ready-to-use 3-element cluster treatment targets Weekly task-oriented movement activities that support posture, endurance, and executive function Research-to-practice tools designed for real caseloads—not perfect conditions You don’t need more time. You need higher-yield targets. 👉 Join here: https://www.kellyvess.com/sis Because when you work at the right level of complexity, the easier skills take care of themselves.
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If you work with children who drool, this episode is for you. I’m pulling back the curtain on an approach I’ve used for over 15 years that has consistently reduced—and often eliminated—drooling in preschoolers. Not in theory. Not in a lab. In real therapy rooms, with real kids, on real caseloads. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: There is very little direct research on speech intervention and drooling. And instead of grappling with that complexity, our field often defaults to dogmatic thinking—blindly applying principles from other populations and calling it “evidence-based.” In this episode, I challenge that thinking. You’ll hear why: Motor learning principles do not transfer cleanly to preschoolers Bottom-up oral motor logic fails when the task is speech Single sounds don’t recruit the same neuromuscular systems as 3-element consonant clusters Then I walk you through four precise reasons why targeting three-element clusters (like /spr/, /skr/, /skw/) uniquely impacts drooling: Jaw stability driven by sustained /s/ with a closed mandibular posture Differentiation of tongue and lips from the jaw, mirroring swallowing mechanics Enhanced proprioceptive feedback through Dynamic Temporal Tactile Cueing Endurance and motor control built through slow, continuous, high-load speech tasks I also share a practical “back-porch” way to test this yourself—no fancy equipment, no new evals, just systematic observation and honest comparison. This isn’t about abandoning evidence-based practice. It’s about doing it better—with nuance, skepticism, and attention to detail. Because real progress doesn’t come from swinging between extremes. It comes from asking better questions and working at the right level of complexity. What You’ll Learn Why drooling is a neuromuscular control issue—not a hygiene issue How 3-element clusters recruit swallowing-relevant motor systems Why preschoolers need more, not less, feedback How to get speech gains and drool reduction at the same time Where the limits of this approach actually are (and why that matters) Call to Action If you want to apply this Monday morning, don’t guess. When you join the SIS Membership, you’ll immediately receive: Ready-to-use 3-element cluster treatment targets Weekly task-oriented movement activities that support posture, endurance, and executive function Research-to-practice tools designed for real caseloads—not perfect conditions You don’t need more time. You need higher-yield targets. 👉 Join here: https://www.kellyvess.com/sis Because when you work at the right level of complexity, the easier skills take care of themselves.