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Babbling, Chewing, And Sucking: Oromandibular Coordination At 9 Months, Roger W. Steeve, Christopher A. Moore, Jordan R. Green, Kevin J. Reilly, Jacki Ruark Mcmurtrey

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose: The ontogeny of mandibular control is important for understanding the general neurophysiologic development for speech and alimentary behaviors. Prior investigations suggest that mandibular control is organized distinctively across speech and nonspeech tasks in 15-month-olds and adults and that, with development, these extant forms of motor control primarily undergo refinement and rescaling. The present investigation was designed to evaluate whether these coordinative infrastructures for alimentary behaviors and speech are evident during the earliest period of their co-occurrence.
Method: Electromyographic (EMG) signals were obtained from the mandibular muscle groups of 15 typically developing 9-month-old children during sucking, chewing, and speech.
Results: …