Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy

 

Supporting the way the mouth and facial muscles work together

 

Orofacial myofunctional therapy focuses on the muscles and movement patterns of the lips, tongue, jaw and face, and how these work together for breathing, eating, swallowing, speech and oral rest posture.

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Sometimes children develop patterns such as resting with their mouth open, positioning the tongue forward or low in the mouth, or pushing the tongue forward when swallowing. These patterns may occur alongside speech difficulties, dental or orthodontic concerns, or difficulties with nasal breathing.

 

At Little Language, our Gold Coast speech pathologists assess your child’s oral structures, movement and function to determine whether orofacial myofunctional therapy may be appropriate.

 

When might an orofacial myofunctional assessment be helpful?

 

You might notice that your child:

 

• regularly rests with their mouth open or lips apart

• breathes predominantly through their mouth

• rests their tongue forward, low or between their teeth

• pushes their tongue forward when swallowing

• has an interdental or persistent lisp

• has difficulty achieving or maintaining particular speech sounds

• has ongoing thumb, finger or dummy sucking habits

• has dental or orthodontic concerns that may be influenced by tongue or lip posture

• has concerns relating to chewing, swallowing or oral movement patterns

• has been referred by an ENT, dentist or orthodontist for assessment

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These signs don’t necessarily mean that your child needs therapy. They can have different causes, and understanding why a pattern is occurring is important before deciding how best to address it.​

 

What does orofacial myofunctional therapy involve?

 

Assessment looks at how your child’s lips, tongue and jaw move and function, as well as their breathing pattern, oral rest posture, chewing, swallowing and speech where relevant.

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If therapy is appropriate, we use targeted exercises and activities to help establish more functional patterns for tongue and lip posture, movement and swallowing. Treatment is individualised according to your child’s age, needs and ability to participate.

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Importantly, therapy cannot resolve an underlying structural or airway issue. If your child is unable to breathe comfortably through their nose, has enlarged tonsils or adenoids, a suspected tongue restriction or another structural concern, this may need to be investigated before or alongside therapy.

 

Working together

 

Orofacial function often sits across several areas of healthcare, so a team approach can be important. We regularly work alongside ENTs, dentists, orthodontists and other health professionals to ensure that therapy is appropriate and well timed.

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Our role is to look at how your child’s mouth is functioning, identify patterns that may benefit from support and help you understand the next step, whether that is therapy with us, further investigation or both.

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Not sure whether your child needs an assessment?

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When you call Little Language, you’ll speak directly with a speech pathologist. We can talk through what you’ve noticed, any recommendations you’ve received from other professionals, and whether an orofacial myofunctional assessment would be useful.

 

Get in touch with our team to have a chat about your child’s oral function, speech or swallowing.

 

Helping kids find their roar.