A new patent-pending
product designed for use by children and
adults having restricted oral cavities has
been developed. This new product called
Facial-Flex® Pediatric/Mini Device
is intended to be an adjunct to speech therapy.
This new product was introduced at the annual
conference of the American Speech-Language
and Hearing Association held in San Antonio
November 1998. Facial-Flex Pediatric/Mini
Device has generated a great deal of excitement
among Speech Language Pathologists. Facial-Flex
Pediatric/Mini Device is eligible for reimbursement
under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), when specified as
"assistive technology" as part
of an Individual Education Plan for children
receiving speech therapy. Facial-Flex Pediatric/Mini
Device employs new Flexural Modulus technology
that provides precision levels of resistance
across a dynamic range of motion. The inherent
structural properties of an advanced medical
grade plastic are combined with an innovative
design to provide just the right level of
resistance during exercise.
Same dynamic resistance
exercise as Facial-Flex® Adult
Three color coded Facial-Flex Pediatric/Mini devices
provide different levels of resistance: a lower
level for early stage oral-motor muscle conditioning,
and two higher levels for more advanced use as the
patient progresses. The
yellow device has the lower resistance level and
should be used when the patient first begins to
exercise the oral-motor muscles.
The blue device has the next higher level
of resistance, and should be used after the patient
becomes stronger and feels comfortable and coordinated
in using it. The green
device offers the highest level of
resistance and should be used once the patient has
reached a point in strength and coordination that
the lesser resistance device seems easy to use.
Facial-Flex Pediatric/Mini Device will benefit children
in building oral-motor muscle strength and coordination
as an adjunct to speech-language pathology service.
The bright colors will make using the device fun
and appealing. Facial-Flex Pediatric/Mini Device
provides a quantifiable method for measuring the
outcome for oral-motor exercise.
