Myofunctional Therapy

What is Myofunctional Therapy?

Myofunctional therapy is a treatment modality used to remediate Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs). 

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM), OMDs are atypical adaptive patterns of movement that interfere with the normal growth, development, and or function of the orofacial complex - that is the oral and facial musculature, including the muscles of the tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw to name a few (ASHA, 1997-2023; IAOM, 2016-2023).

Some examples of OMDs include but are not limited to: open mouth breathing, a forward resting posture of the tongue between or against the teeth, tongue thrust swallow, snoring related to OSA, and thumb and finger sucking habits. OMDs can lead to many medical and dental problems including: malocclusions (improper alignment of the teeth), abnormal jaw growth and position, mechanical feeding issues & dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), and speech articulation disorders (ASHA, 1997-2023; IAOM, 2016-2023).

The root cause of OMDs are hard to pin down, but "anything that causes the tongue to be misplaced at rest, limits lingual excursions within the oral cavity, makes it difficult to achieve acceptable lip closure, and reduces or impedes the ability to obtain and maintain correct oral rest postures" (ASHA, 1997-2023) may lead to an OMD. Some causes of OMDs include an obstructed airway (such as enlarged tonsils, enlarged adenoids, and or allergies), structural or physiological abnormalities (such as ankyloglossia AKA "tongue tie"), neurological deficits, developmental delays, and noxious oral habits (such as prolonged pacifier or bottle use, thumb/finger sucking, nail biting, etc...). 

The main goals of a Speech-Language Pathologist who is also a Myofunctional Therapist/Orofacial Myologist include establishing patent nasal breathing, eliminating noxious oral habits, teaching labial-lingual-pharyngeal muscle resistance exercises, addressing resting tongue & lip posture, correcting disordered chewing & swallowing patterns, and remediating any speech articulation disorders (ASHA, 1997-2023).

At Not Too Little Speech Therapy, we are passionate about helping children correct OMDs related to tethered oral tissues (TOTs) (such as lip, tongue, and cheek ties). We provide pre and post operative education and therapy for children four years old and older who have been determined eligible for a TOTs release/revision by a licensed medical professional who specializes in this area of practice. 

We are happy to share that our therapists are active members of the IAOM, are in the process of becoming Certified Orofacial Myologists (COMs), and are currently receiving ongoing training from some of the top specialists in oral motor assessment and treatment in the world.