33. Rewiring the Cerebellum: Why Task-Oriented Movement Changes Everything in Speech Therapy

The cerebellum is more than balance—it’s at the center of speech, attention, and learning. The latest research shows neurological differences in the cerebellum for children with ADHD, childhood apraxia of speech, and autism spectrum disorder. So the question is: how do we target it early, when brain plasticity is at its peak?

In this episode, I explain how task-oriented movement activities directly stimulate the cerebellum through:

• Independent problem solving (without adult over-prompting)

• Sequential, multi-step planning that strengthens temporal and spatial concepts

• Real-world problem-solving and cognitive flexibility

The best part? You don’t need to be a PT or OT to use them—any SLP, educator, or parent can put these activities into action.

✨ If you want ready-to-use, research-based movement activities that strengthen the cerebellum while building speech, language, literacy, and AAC skills, the SIS Membership is for you. Each week you’ll get an empirically-based theme with movement activities plus a Google Slides deck for parents, large groups, and teletherapy. Join here: https://www.kellyvess.com/sis