THERAPY & EVALUATIONS
Myofunctional Therapy
Myofunctional therapy gets to the root cause of breathing, sleeping, eating, swallowing and speech problems. At Little Arbor Speech Therapy, we provide children with exercises and tools to improve their nasal breathing, oral rest posture, speech sound accuracy and chewing and swallowing patterns. We work alongside ENT's, orthodontists, dentists, bodyworkers and other professionals to get the best possible results!
​
​
Signs of an orofacial myofunctional disorder (OMD)
An orofacial myofunctional disorder (OMD) occurs when the muscles of the mouth and face are not functioning properly. Some signs of a pediatric myofunctional disorder may include:
-
Mouth breathing
​
-
Tongue thrust
​
-
Improper swallow
​
-
Snoring or poor sleep
​
-
Teeth grinding​
​
-
Tongue and lip ties
-
Prolonged oral habits (e.g., thumb sucking)
-
Drooling
-
Frequent ear infections
-
Persistent speech disorders
-
High, narrow palate
benefits of orofacial myofunctional therapy
Orofacial myofunctional therapy helps children lead happier and healthier lives as they continue to grow and develop. While there are many positive outcomes to myofunctional therapy, some of our favorites include:
-
Proper nasal breathing
​
-
Correct tongue and lip posture
​
-
High quality of sleep
​
-
Improved attention span
​
-
Increased mobility of the tongue
​
-
Reduction in teeth grinding
​
-
Correct chew and swallow pattern
​
-
Accurate and clear speech
our comprehensive evaluation process
The evaluation process at Little Arbor Speech Therapy includes a thorough review of medical history and a formal clinical evaluation. We will examine your child's airway, body posture, facial musculature, orofacial posture, tongue mobility, chewing and swallowing patterns, and speech sound production in order to identify the root cause of their challenges. These areas will be evaluated using a variety of tasks, imaging, and measurements.
​
Evaluation sessions range from 60 to 90 minutes depending on your child's needs. You will receive a written report within 5 business days.
how Myofunctional therapy works
At Little Arbor Speech Therapy, our sessions are fun, stimulating, and dynamic! Your child will be guided through a hierarchy of exercises to build on their current strengths as well as a tool kit with specific items to help them reach their myofunctional therapy goals.
Home practice is an essential element to our myofunctional therapy programs. We provide specific instructions and educational videos to scaffold the process. Families will be expected to help their child practice the exercises that are done in sessions each week to ensure continued progress.