Course Title

Oral-Motor Functions and Mandarin Expression: From Speech-Sound Development to Oral-Language Activities

Lecturer

I-Chun Wang(Speech-Language Pathologist and Occupational Therapist)

Lecturer’s Profile

I-Chun Wang is a speech-language pathologist and occupational therapist with more than ten years of clinical experience. She is the founder of Yi-Kou-Tong-Sheng and Director of the Oral-Motor Centre at Yi-Kou-Tong-Sheng Therapy Clinic. She has received professional training in orofacial myofunctional therapy and oral placement therapy. She has long been dedicated to child language development, articulation and communication, orofacial myofunctional development, and training for teachers and parents.

Course Overview 

The coordination of the lips, tongue, jaw and breathing supports eating, sound production and oral participation. This course introduces oral-motor development in children aged 4–6, common signs teachers may observe, and age-appropriate activities that support oral awareness and participation. Teachers will explore ways to integrate mouth-shape observation, sound imitation, rhymes and Mandarin games into daily teaching while recognising the boundary between classroom support and professional therapy.

Course Objectives

1. Understand the development of lip, tongue, jaw, breathing and oral coordination in children aged 4–6.
2. Observe common oral-motor, eating and speaking behaviours and identify signs requiring further attention.
3. Use age-appropriate, safe and non-invasive oral-movement and sound-imitation activities.
4. Integrate mouth-shape observation, rhymes, rhythm and Mandarin oral-language games into daily teaching.

Take-home Course Resources

Teaching Tools: Examples of oral-movement, sound-imitation and Mandarin oral-language activities.

Teaching Assessment: A classroom oral-function observation checklist and oral-language activity planning sheet.

End-of-Course Assessment

1. Which area is relevant when observing a child’s oral-motor functions?
A. Lip closure and tongue movement 

B. Colour recognition 

C. Number concepts 

D. Pencil grip


2. A child persistently keeps the mouth open, drools and has chewing difficulties. What is the most appropriate teacher response?
A. Begin intra-oral treatment 

B. Document the observations and discuss possible professional assessment with the family 

C. Tell the child to tolerate it 

D. Ignore it


3. What is the most important principle for oral activities in preschool?
A. Make activities as difficult as possible 

B. Use the same intensity for every child 

C. Keep activities age-appropriate, safe and non-invasive, and observe children’s responses 

D. Require every child to complete them


4. Which approach best integrates oral movement into Mandarin learning?
A. Long mechanical drills 

B. Rhymes, mouth-shape observation, sound imitation and word games 

C. Watching only 

D. Correcting errors only

5. What is the appropriate relationship between classroom support and professional therapy?
A. Teachers diagnose children 

B. Every difference requires therapy 

C. Teachers observe and support daily participation, and suggest further assessment when needed 

D. Teachers do not need to observe